Overview
- Authorities announced Tuesday, Nov. 10, that DNA tests conclusively tied a female grizzly and her three cubs to the deaths of Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20.
- Conservation officers captured the four bears over the prior weekend and euthanized them under British Columbia’s human‑wildlife conflict guidelines after investigators classified the incident as likely predatory behaviour.
- Search teams recovered the women’s remains on the Snooka Trail system about 150 metres apart, with one set of remains found in a bear cache where animals store food.
- The killings have deeply affected the Nuxalk Nation and the Bella Coola community, leading to a voluntary curfew, police escorts for schoolchildren, ongoing community supports and a family fundraiser for funeral costs.
- Experts pointed to loss of fear from habituation to people and seasonal food stress as possible drivers of rare predatory attacks, and officials said the four bears were not linked to the November 2025 school‑group attack as investigations continue.