4 Grizzly Bears Euthanized After Fatal Attack on BC Mom and Daughter

A sign warning of a bear in the area is shown in Squamish, B.C., on Nov. 4, 2022. The Canadian Press/Amy Smart

A grizzly bear and her three yearling cubs have been euthanized in connection with an attack on B.C.’s Central Coast that killed a 48-year-old mother and her adult daughter, the province’s Conservation Officer Service says.

DNA tests run on the four bears captured over the weekend have confirmed the adult sow and her three cubs were involved in the attack near Bella Coola earlier this month that killed Jennifer Balcarras and her 20-year-old daughter Selah Reed, B.C. Conservation Officer Service Insp. Jeff Tyre said during a Nov. 10 press briefing.

“Our investigation also found that this attack likely involve predatory behaviour, which I can tell you, is very rare,” Tyre said.

Tyre called the investigation into the attack “complex,” noting that more than a dozen conservation officers were involved.

All four grizzlies had to be killed because bears that are involved in fatal attacks on people “cannot be rehabilitated or relocated,” he said.

“This type of behaviour presents an extreme risk to the public, and such bears are dispatched to protect the public and prevent similar attacks in the future.”

Family members reported Balcarras and Reed missing on Nov. 1, leading Bella Coola RCMP and rescue teams to launch an emergency search.

One set of remains was found near the Snooka West Trail in Bella Coola on Nov. 2, and a second body was discovered by RCMP and conservation officers on the afternoon of Nov. 3.

A GoFundMe page set up by relative Mary Melissa Smith described Balcarras as an art therapist who leaves behind three young adult children—a son and two daughters—as well as a grandchild. She said Reed was just “beginning her journey into adulthood” and should have had “her whole life ahead of her.”  

The fundraising page had brought in more than $80,000 as of Nov. 11 to help the family with funeral and travel expenses.

Tyre described their deaths as “heartbreaking.”

“We hope the efforts of everyone who responded along with these findings brings some measure of closure,” he added. “Our thoughts remain with everyone affected and we ask that the family’s privacy be respected in keeping with their wishes.”

The latest attack took place close to a year after a bear attacked a group of schoolchildren last fall.

Tyre said forensic testing has confirmed the four bears were not involved in the November 2025 attack, which left four people injured.

A group of 20 Grade 4 and Grade 5 students and their teachers were walking on the Snootka trail when a grizzly attacked the group. Teachers fought off the bear using bear spray and bear bangers, but 11 people were injured. Three children and a teacher sustained major injuries and required hospitalization, with two in critical condition. Seven others received treatment for minor injuries.

The animal involved in the attack has yet to be captured.