Four grizzly bears, including three cubs, put down after fatal attack on mother and daughter

Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, died earlier this month after going for an afternoon walk on a trail in Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada.

Four grizzly bears have since been destroyed after DNA testing linked an adult female and her three cubs to the attack, according to BBC News.

Inspector Jeff Tyre of the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) said in an update on Tuesday that all four animals were destroyed 'in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines' to protect the public.

"Evidence from the investigation as well as animal DNA was analyzed and conclusively linked to a sow and its three offspring," he added.

Tyre said the attack likely involved predatory behavior, which he described as 'very rare'.

More than a dozen conservation officers took part in the response, Fox News reported, helping to recover the victims, collect evidence and locate the bears. Tyre said they worked amid 'difficult terrain and weather'.

This is not the first grizzly attack to affect the Bella Coola area in recent memory.

Tyre said DNA testing also confirmed the four bears were not involved in a 2025 attack on a school group in the same area. That incident, in November last year, left 11 people injured, including students and teachers, with two of them critically hurt, and the bear responsible was never found.

"Today, we have learned from the BC Conservation Officer Service members that they have captured and euthanized the bears involved in the recent fatal attack," said Samuel Schooner, Elected Chief of the Nuxalk Nation, in a statement.

"We would like to thank the BC Conservation Officer Service for their dedication and hard work to resolve this incident. This attack has been deeply re-triggering for our community members as we continue to recover from last year's attack. Our thoughts remain with the victims' families."

Balcarras, an art therapist, and Reed went missing after taking a walk on the Snooka West Trail near their home. Family members contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Balcarras missed a scheduled online meet-up, and investigators found her vehicle at the trailhead before recovering her body on November 2 and Reed's on November 3.

Balcarras' brother, Josh, told CBC the pair were 'two peas in a pod' who 'got along really, really well' and shared many hobbies. "When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her," he said.

"This was a heartbreaking event for the families, the Nuxalk Nation and the Bella Coola community. We hope the efforts of everyone who responded, along with these findings, bring some measure of closure," Tyre said in a news briefing.

Officials said the investigation has concluded, although further analysis will examine the response and circumstances surrounding the attack.

The conservation service said fatal grizzly attacks involving predatory behavior are rare, and encouraged people traveling in bear country to leash pets, travel in groups and learn how to reduce the risk of wildlife encounters.

The family have now set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs.