Conservation officer says multiple bears may be behind B.C. attack that killed two

BELLA COOLA — The Conservation Officer Service in British Columbia says more than one grizzly may have been involved in a bear attack that relatives say left a mother and daughter dead in Bella Coola along the province’s central coast.

The service’s Insp. Jeff Tyre says in a video message that the second body had been found in a search by RCMP and conservation officers on Tuesday afternoon that followed the discovery of the first set of remains a day earlier.

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He says it’s “not yet clear if more than one bear was involved,” and any bears captured in the area will be assessed.

Family members of art therapist Jenny Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed, had reported them missing on Sunday.

A fundraiser set up by relative Mary Melissa Smith says Reed was 20, “with her whole life ahead of her,” while Balcarras leaves behind three young adult children, as well as a grandchild.

Tyre says efforts to capture the bear or bears involved in the attack continue, and any animals captured by the service will be killed in accordance with provincial guidelines to make sure the public is safe.

The attack comes nearly a year after a grizzly attack on a group of 20 elementary school students and teachers in the same area, which left one adult and three children badly hurt.

The animal involved in that attack last November was never captured.

Tyre says officers are in regular contact with the Nuxalk Nation and the community in Bella Coola to provide updates, and people should continue to stay away from the west trail area of the Snootka trail system.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2026.

The Canadian Press