Mother found dead and daughter missing after suspected grizzly attack near Bella Coola

A mother has been found dead and the search for her 19-year-old daughter is continuing after a suspected grizzly bear attack near Bella Coola, a community of roughly 2,100 people at the end of a fjord on British Columbia's central coast. A conservation officer found the body on Sunday during a search launched after relatives reported the two missing over the weekend; the family's vehicle had been located at a trailhead.

The suspected attack occurred at the Snooka West trail area, about 8km east of Bella Coola, in a region informally known as the Great Bear rainforest. Grizzly bears are a common sight around the town — the location is remote and food sources abundant — yet the British Columbia conservation officer service describes grizzly attacks in the province as exceedingly rare. Relatives identified the missing pair as Jenny Balcarras, an art therapist, and her 19-year-old daughter.

It is the second suspected grizzly incident in the same community within a year. Last November, a bear emerged from the forest near 4 Mile, a Nuxalk community, and attacked a school group on a lunch break beside a walking trail, injuring 11 people, some as young as nine. Samuel Schooner, elected chief of the Nuxalk Nation, said the community understands first-hand the trauma the new incident will inflict on the victims' family, the survivors of last year's attack and the community at large. A trapping effort to find the bear is under way, and Schooner has asked media to refrain from contacting community members.

The conservation officer service announced the suspected attack in a social media post on Tuesday. "Our thoughts are with the families of the victims during this tragic time," Inspector Jeff Tyre said.

Despite an extensive search, the bear involved in last November's attack was never located.