DNA links four grizzlies to deaths of mother and daughter

The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said DNA tests linked a female grizzly bear and her three cubs to the deaths of Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her daughter, Selah Reed, 20, near Bella Coola. All four bears were killed to protect the public, the service said.

Inspector Jeff Tyre said investigators believe the attack likely involved predatory behaviour, which he described as very rare. He said they do not know how the encounter began. The precise circumstances leading to the attack remain unknown, according to the official account.

The women’s remains were found near a trail outside Bella Coola, a remote community about 1,000 kilometres north of Vancouver. Searchers found the remains about 150 metres apart, locating Balcarras first and Reed later in a bear cache, where bears store food. Family members raised the alarm after Reed missed a routine Saturday-night call with her sister.

Tyre said relocation or rehabilitation was not considered safe because the bears posed an extreme risk to public safety. The Conservation Officer Service said the bears were killed after investigators linked them to the deaths. Officials have not described how the attack unfolded beyond the...