Grizzly bear attack horror as mother, 48, and daughter, 20, killed on Canadian walking trail

It should have been a casual walk along a familiar trail — but it ended in unimaginable horror when a grizzly bear tore a mother and daughter apart.

Jennifer Balcarras and her daughter Selah Reed were found dead after disappearing during the walk near their home in Bella Coola in British Columbia in Canada.

The family had been in contact with 48-year-old Jennifer on Saturday but became worried when she failed to log on for an online family catch-up that night.

When repeated attempts to contact the pair went unanswered, relatives asked police to conduct a welfare check on Sunday morning.

Officers found Jennifer’s vehicle nearby at the start of a trail, triggering a desperate search involving police, conservation officers and search-and-rescue crews.

Jennifer’s remains were discovered in the Snooka West Trail area on Monday, with evidence at the scene suggesting a bear had been involved.

Selah, 20, was found dead the following day.

Jennifer’s brother Josh Balcarras told CBC that the family had initially struggled to comprehend what was happening as hours without contact turned into days.

“It’s surreal. It doesn’t seem real. It feels like a dream,” he said.

“The way it starts is a few hours of not hearing from them. That turns into a day and then a night, then a second night comes and it becomes a real thing.”

The pair knew the trail well, with Josh saying it was just a five-minute drive from their home and was not in a remote area.

“It was just a casual walk,” he said.

Jennifer’s younger brothers remembered her as a passionate artist and book lover who enjoyed playing guitar, singing, painting and spending time outdoors.

The 48-year-old mother-of-four was also a grandmother and had recently moved to Bella Coola to begin a new career as an art therapist.

Her brother Matthew said that she had been a central figure in the family, bringing colour into the lives of those around her.

“She painted murals in her own kids’ home, my home,” he said. “She was very much a central person in our family.”

Selah, Jennifer’s youngest child, was working as an educational assistant while studying online through Athabasca University.

Her family described her as a “gentle, sweet, quiet soul” who loved ballet, art and hiking.

She shared many of her mother’s interests, with Josh saying the pair were particularly close.

“They were two peas in a pod,” he said. “When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her.”

A fundraiser has been launched to help the family cover funeral expenses for both women.

Jennifer had only recently moved to Bella Coola to pursue a new career and begin another chapter of her life.

“She was working toward building a future and had not yet had the opportunity to establish savings or put aside funds to help her family with unexpected expenses such as these,” the appeal said.

“Tragically, no one could have anticipated that her family would be faced with such an unimaginable loss.”

The tragedy has also reignited fears in a community still recovering from another horrific grizzly bear attack less than a year ago.

In November 2025, a bear attacked a group of elementary school students and teachers during a field trip near Bella Coola, injuring 11 people.

Four suffered serious or critical injuries, including three children.

The bear responsible was never identified, despite an extensive search and efforts to trap animals in the area.

Authorities have not established whether the latest deaths involved one bear or multiple animals.

British Columbia Conservation Officer Service inspector Jeff Tyre said officers were working to locate and capture any bears potentially involved.