A mother and daughter went for a casual walk five minutes from home in Canada, then neither came back and rescuers found them a day apart

Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, died after a grizzly bear encounter on the Snooka West Trail near Bella Coola, British Columbia. The pair failed to return from a walk that was only a five-minute drive from their home. Relatives reported them missing on after Jennifer missed a family gathering the previous evening. 

As reported by LADbible, rescuers first found Jennifer, and they located Selah a day later. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is investigating the incident as a bear attack.

Josh Balcarras, who is Jennifer’s brother, shared his thoughts on the situation. “It’s surreal. It doesn’t seem real. It feels like a dream,” he said in a statement. He also noted the timeline of the disappearance. “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.”

It was meant to be a casual walk

Jennifer was an art therapist who recently moved to Bella Coola, a town of around 2,163 people. Her brother Matt described her as a tiny woman who was incredibly strong. Selah worked as an educational assistant and attended classes part-time at Athabasca University. Josh mentioned that Jennifer was a mother of four, with Selah being the youngest, and she was a grandmother. He described her as a central person in the family.

Josh emphasized that the walk was meant to be a casual outing rather than a trek into a remote wilderness. Matt added that the two were not naive city folks. They were both experienced hikers who were used to spending time in nature. “They were strong women living the life,” Matt said.

A GoFundMe page exists to help the family with funeral costs and other expenses. The organizers want to help the family manage the financial stress of bringing Jennifer and Selah home. The post explains that Jennifer had only recently moved and did not have funds set aside for these costs. “Tragically, no one could have anticipated that her family would be faced with such an unimaginable loss,” the post read. 

It also stated that any contribution helps the family grieve without the pressure of financial burdens. “We are hoping to ease some of that burden by raising funds to help cover funeral costs and other expenses associated with bringing Jenny and Selah home and laying them to rest. Any contribution, no matter how big or small, will make a meaningful difference and help give this family the opportunity to grieve without the added stress of overwhelming financial responsibilities.”