Mother and Daughter Both Confirmed Killed in Grizzly Attack in Canada as Daughter's Body Is Found Near Bella Coola Trail

Conservation officers in Canada's British Columbia have confirmed that a mother and her daughter were both killed in a grizzly bear attack, after search teams discovered the body of the 20-year-old woman. Officers say the fatal attack could have involved more than one grizzly bear.

Late on Tuesday, conservation officers in British Columbia said the two women, who had been reported missing over the weekend, were located near a trail a short distance from their home.

The victims were art therapist Jenny Balcarras and her daughter Selah Reed. Relatives reported them missing over the weekend. A family member posted about them on Facebook and later updated it to say their vehicle had been found at a trailhead near Bella Coola, British Columbia.

Officers said Balcarras's remains were found first and Reed was located a day later.

The suspected attack happened at the Snooka West trail area, about 8 kilometres (4.97 miles) east of Bella Coola, on the province's central coast.

Conservation service inspector Jeff Tyre said in a video posted online, "Our thoughts are with the families of the victims during this tragic time." Tyre later said the conservation service is probing the possibility that more than one bear was involved in the fatal attack.

Tyre added, "We appreciate people's concerns and the desire to assist but it is critical the public stay out of the area – both due to the danger and to allow officers to do their work."

A fundraiser started by Balcarras's family mourned a woman who had recently moved to Bella Coola, a community of roughly 2,100 people, for a new job and "to start a new chapter" of her life. She leaves behind three adult children and a grandchild.

Relative Mary Melissa Smith wrote that Balcarras was working toward building a future and had not yet had the opportunity to establish savings to help her family with unexpected expenses such as these. She also wrote that 20-year-old Selah had her "whole life ahead of her" before the attack.

The family said both Balcarras and Reed had lived in communities in remote and rugged parts of the province, as well as spending time in Alaska.

Bella Coola sits at the end of a fjord along the province's central coast and is a remote location. Abundant food sources mean grizzly bears are a common sight in the region, which is informally known as the Great Bear rainforest.

Grizzly attacks in the province are exceedingly rare. But last November, 11 people, some as young as nine years old, were injured when a grizzly emerged from the forest near 4 Mile, a Nuxalk community, and attacked a school group on a lunch break alongside a walking trail. Despite an extensive search, the bear was never located.

Samuel Schooner, elected chief of the Nuxalk Nation, said on Tuesday, "Our thoughts are with the victim's family as they learn of this tragic event." He said a trapping effort to find the bear was under way and asked media to refrain from contacting community members.

The province's premier-designate, Lorne Doerkson, called the news "heartbreaking" and said he was thinking of the victims' family and the Nuxalk Nation. He said that at a time of such profound grief and uncertainty, his thoughts were with everyone who is hurting and with all those supporting one another through an incredibly difficult day.