Our condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Jenny Balcarras and Selah Reed, and to everyone in the Bella Coola Valley affected by their deaths.
Four grizzly bears have been euthanized after DNA testing linked them to the attack that killed Jennifer “Jenny” Balcarras, 48, and her daughter, Selah Reed, 20, near Bella Coola, B.C.
On Nov. 10, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service confirmed that an adult female grizzly and her three cubs were involved. All four were captured and killed to protect public safety.
The findings show which bears were responsible. Investigators haven’t said exactly how the encounter began.
What happened
On Saturday, Oct. 31, Jenny and Selah went for a walk on the Snooka trails east of Bella Coola, on B.C.’s Central Coast. Their family said they knew the trail well. It was about five minutes from their home.
When they didn’t return, family reported them missing on Nov. 1. Their vehicle was found at a trailhead.
Search crews found Jenny’s remains in the Snooka West Trail area on Nov. 2. Selah’s were found the next afternoon, about 150 metres away.
We first reported on the search for Selah when Jenny’s death had been confirmed and officers were still looking for her daughter.
Officials say the attack likely involved predatory behaviour
Conservation officers caught the four bears over the weekend, and forensic testing confirmed they were “actively involved” in the attack.
Insp. Jeff Tyre of the Conservation Officer Service said the investigation pointed to likely predatory behaviour, “which I can tell you is very rare.”
“We don’t know how it started, but we know how it ended,” he said.
Tyre said bears involved in fatal attacks “present an extreme risk to the public” and “cannot be rehabilitated or relocated.”
“We hope the efforts of everyone who responded, along with these findings, bring some measure of closure,” he said.
There is no suggestion that Jenny or Selah did anything to cause the attack.
Remembering Jenny
Jenny Balcarras was born in North York, Ont., and grew up in Fergus. She went on to live in Alaska, Oregon and Three Hills, Alberta.
She studied at Prairie Bible College in Three Hills and graduated with distinction from Athabasca University, with a degree in English and a degree in art therapy. She was working on a master’s in counselling.
In August, she joined the local school community in Bella Coola as a counsellor. The Central Coast Teachers’ Association remembered her dedication to students and the care she brought to her work.
She painted landscapes, especially around Bella Bella, B.C. She sang, played guitar and piano, and wrote and recorded her own songs. Her family remembers a woman who welcomed people into her home and taught friends to make pulla, a traditional Finnish bread.
She was a mother of four and a grandmother.
Remembering Selah
Selah Dianne Reed was born in Juneau, Alaska, and grew up between Juneau, Three Hills and Bella Bella. She was Jenny’s youngest.
Her family described her as quiet and gentle, with a love of animals, ballet, music and art. She recently finished three large murals for the health centre in Bella Bella.
She worked as an educational assistant, and her obituary says she was “cherished by her coworkers and students.” She was studying accounting through Athabasca University.
Jenny’s brother, Josh, called the mother and daughter “two peas in a pod.” Selah usually went with Jenny on her hikes.
Fundraiser raises more than $83,000
A GoFundMe for Jenny and Selah’s funeral costs had raised more than $83,000 toward a $90,000 goal from more than 700 donations as of Thursday.
The organizer, Mary Melissa Smith, is a relative by marriage. The funds go to Kara Balcarras on behalf of her husband, Josh, Jenny’s brother.
The money will cover funeral costs and travel for family. Anything left over will go to Jenny’s three surviving children. The fundraiser says Jenny had recently moved to Bella Coola to start a new career.
Support the Jenny Balcarras and Selah Reed fundraiser on GoFundMe.
A funeral in Cochrane, Alberta
The family scheduled the funeral for Thursday, Nov. 12, at Cochrane Alliance Church in Cochrane, Alberta. They asked people to feel free to wear colour, “just as Jenny and Selah would have wanted,” and asked media not to attend. We’ve respected that request.
DNA ruled out a link to last year’s school attack
Tyre said testing showed the four bears weren’t involved in a separate attack near Bella Coola in November 2025.
In that attack, a grizzly went after about 20 elementary school students and teachers on a field trip, leaving an adult and three children badly injured. The bear responsible was never found.
Nuxalk Nation supports the community
In a Nov. 10 statement, Nuxalk Nation elected Chief Samuel Schooner said the deaths had brought back trauma for people still recovering from last year’s attack.
“This attack has been deeply re-triggering for our community members,” he said.
He thanked conservation officers, local first responders, the Nuxalk Guardian Watchmen, Bella Coola Valley Search and Rescue and the RCMP. He said the Nation’s priority is caring for the community and supporting the families.
Residents still asked to avoid the area
The Nuxalk Nation is still asking people to stay away from the Snooka West trails and the area around them, to keep young children close outdoors and to remove anything that could attract bears. Identifying the bears doesn’t mean the closure has been lifted.
In B.C., wildlife incidents can be reported to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
In Alberta, report dangerous wildlife encounters to the province’s 24-hour line at 1-800-642-3800. Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
Sources:
Obituaries for Jennifer Balcarras and Selah Reed, shared by the family through the fundraiser
Comments