The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says DNA tests linked a female grizzly and her three cubs to the deadly Bella Coola attack that killed a mother and daughter this month.
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The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says four grizzly bears it captured in Bella Coola in recent days were all involved in a fatal attack that claimed the lives of a mother and daughter in the community this month.
Investigator Insp. Jeff Tyre said DNA tests “conclusively” linked the female grizzly and her three yearling cubs to the attack, and that all of the bears were killed to protect the public.
Tyre said the investigation found the attack “likely involved predatory behaviour,” which he said is very rare, adding: “That is to say, we don't know how it started, but we know how it ended.”
The bodies of art therapist Jenny Balcarras and her adult daughter, Selah Reed, were found last week about 150 metres apart after they were reported missing on Nov. 1.
Tyre said the remains were found in an area of trails outside the northern B.C. community, where local authorities imposed a voluntary curfew and police had been escorting children to school last week in the wake of the attack.
Tyre said the DNA tests showed the bears were not involved in a 2025 attack in the same Bella Coola area that left an adult and three children badly injured.
Tlhmtimut Samuel Schooner, elected Chief Councillor of the Nuxalk Nation, said the investigation into the recent attack “was carried out with the utmost care and respect,” and that the community is continuing to recover from last year’s fatal incident.
In a statement, Schooner’s office said community members should “take all necessary precautions outdoors, stay close to young children, and ensure our spaces are free of any attractants.”
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