BELLA COOLA, B.C., November 4 — A mother and her teenage daughter have both been found dead after a suspected grizzly bear attack in Bella Coola, British Columbia, after searchers located the second body on Tuesday afternoon, The Globe and Mail reported. Family members have identified the victims as Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 19, of the Central Coast community about 430 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.

Source: The Globe and Mail, November 4

RCMP and search-and-rescue crews located the remains of Ms. Balcarras in the Snooka West Trail area on Monday afternoon, according to the BC Conservation Officer Service and her brother, Matthew Balcarras. Ms. Reed was found deceased on Tuesday afternoon. The pair had been reported missing by family members on Sunday, November 1, after they failed to make contact as planned, and their vehicle was found at a trailhead. Mr. Balcarras said his sister, an avid outdoors person, was located a short distance up a trail very close to her home, and that he suspects the two had intended to go for a short hike when the attack occurred.

Source: The Globe and Mail; BC Conservation Officer Service

"Evidence suggests a bear was involved"

Evidence suggests that a bear was involved, Inspector Jeff Tyre of the Conservation Officer Service said in a video statement on Tuesday. If confirmed, the incident would mark the second grizzly bear attack on humans in the unincorporated community in just over a year. The service has deployed officers to locate and trap any bears involved and is working to collect and analyse evidence, and it urged people to avoid the Snooka West Trail both for safety and to allow its staff to work. If a bear is determined to be responsible, it will be killed "to ensure public safety, as per provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines," the service said. "Our thoughts are with the family of the victims during this tragic time," Insp. Tyre said. The cause of death has not been officially established, and the attack remains described by officials as suspected.

Source: BC Conservation Officer Service via The Globe and Mail

BC Emergency Health Services said it was notified at 1:50 p.m. on Monday about a possible animal attack near the 1100-block of Highway 20 in Bella Coola; an ambulance responded and no patients were transported to hospital, the agency told The Globe and Mail.

Source: BC Emergency Health Services via The Globe and Mail

An art therapist, and a daughter who loved ballet

Ms. Balcarras worked as an art therapist and spent many years living in coastal communities, including Bella Bella in B.C. and Prince of Wales Island and Juneau in Alaska; a June 2023 posting by the Hailika'as Heiltsuk Health Centre Society in Bella Bella introduced her as a trauma-informed therapist who worked with clients from children to elders. "My sister's a smaller woman — she's petite — but she's incredibly strong and powerful," her brother said. Ms. Reed worked as an educational assistant and was studying part-time through Athabasca University's online programme; she loved ballet and doted on her cat, Suga, whom she carried in a cat backpack with a bubble window, her uncle said. A GoFundMe has been set up to help with funeral costs, according to local reporting.

Source: The Globe and Mail; Vancouver Sun reporting

Condolences from the Nuxalk Nation and the province

Samuel Schooner, elected Chief of the Nuxalk Nation, offered condolences to the family. "While the full circumstances are still unfolding, we understand first-hand the trauma this incident will inflict upon the victims' family members, the victims of last year's attack and the community at large," he said in a statement issued Tuesday. Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson also offered his sympathies to the family, loved ones and the entire Nuxalk Nation: "The news from Bella Coola is heartbreaking," he said in a statement posted to social media.

Source: The Globe and Mail, November 4

Background: the school-group attack of November 2025

The incident comes a year after a grizzly bear attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers in the same community. On November 20, 2025, eleven people were injured in that attack near the 4 Mile area; four of them — one adult and three children — were badly mauled and airlifted to hospital in Vancouver. The teachers had standard-issue bear deterrents, including pepper spray and bear bangers, and tried to fend off the bear, which was believed to be a sow with her two cubs. At that time, there had been no other record of a similar attack in the community, The Globe and Mail reported. Conservation officers, Bella Coola RCMP, Bella Coola Valley Search and Rescue and Nuxalk Nation liaisons are all working on the current investigation alongside the BC Coroners Service.

Source: The Globe and Mail; Global News / Canadian Press reporting

What happens next: conservation officers remain in the Snooka West Trail area trapping and assessing bears, and the coroners service process will establish the causes of death. Until officials confirm the bear's involvement, every part of this story remains, in their word, suspected — and the trail area remains closed to the public.