A forensic DNA expert says investigators in Bella Coola will use crime-scene style testing to determine whether a captured grizzly was involved in the deaths of Jenny Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed.
The Story
Investigators assessing this week’s deadly bear attack in Bella Coola, B.C., are expected to use forensic DNA techniques similar to those used at human crime scenes, an expert overseeing an accredited forensic DNA lab said.
Dean Hildebrand, who oversees the accredited forensic DNA lab at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, said the work is “pretty much exactly the same techniques,” adding that investigators are reading “a different book” because the subject is bear genetics rather than human genetics.
The BC Conservation Officer Service said Friday that a grizzly had been captured following the deaths of Jenny Balcarras and her adult daughter, Selah Reed, and that DNA testing will help determine whether the captured bear was involved.
The conservation officer service said it uses “a range of tools” to determine which bears are involved in attacks, including forensic DNA matching, distinctive physical measurements and other animal-specific characteristics.
Hildebrand said investigators collect samples such as saliva, blood or hair and then have the lab compare DNA sequences with any animals captured.
He said documentation at an animal scene would include drawings, photographs and notes, followed by collection of DNA samples “the same way they would at a human scene,” while noting investigators do not need to worry about cross-contaminating bear samples with their own DNA.
The service said any bear confirmed to be responsible will be dispatched to protect public safety, while unrelated bears will be released.
Balcarras and Reed were found on Monday and Tuesday about 150 metres apart near a set of trails. They had been reported missing on Sunday.
The conservation officer service previously said DNA from this attack would be compared with samples collected in the same area last year after a grizzly attacked a group of about 20 elementary school students and teachers, injuring an adult and three children; the animal involved in that earlier attack was never captured.
In its Friday statement, the service said evidence from the 2025 attack would also be compared with evidence from any captured bears.
While trapping efforts continued, the service said a team of conservation officers remained in Bella Coola as bear sightings near the site were reported and the public was urged to avoid the West Snooka Trail area.
Local authorities imposed a voluntary 8 p.m. curfew this week, with RCMP brought in to escort children to school.
← More stories