Grizzly captured after fatal Bella Coola attack that killed mother and daughter One grizzly has been captured and DNA testing is underway to determine if it killed Jenny Balcarras and her adult daughter Selah Reed near Bella Coola, B.C. The attack has reopened trauma from a 2025 grizzly incident and prompted a voluntary curfew. A grizzly bear has been captured in Bella Coola, B.C. , and DNA testing is underway to determine whether it is responsible for the fatal attack that killed a mother and her adult daughter. The BC Conservation Officer Service announced the capture on Friday, after the bodies of Jenny Balcarras, a school art therapist, and Selah Reed, her adult daughter, were found earlier this week. The two women were reported missing on Sunday. Their bodies were found on Monday and Tuesday about 150 metres apart, near a set of trails just outside Bella Coola on B.C.DNA Testing Determines Responsible Bear's Central Coast. The community is heartbroken and in shock. The Conservation Officer Service said it uses a range of tools to determine which bears are involved in attacks, including forensic DNA matching, distinctive physical measurements and other animal-specific characteristics. Any bear confirmed to be responsible will be dispatched to protect public safety, while unrelated bears will be released.Investigators are collecting samples such as saliva, blood or hair to be tested in a forensic lab and compared with DNA from any captured animals. Dean Hildebrand, who oversees the accredited forensic DNA lab at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, said the techniques are very similar to those used in human crime cases. It is pretty much exactly the same techniques.It is just we are reading a different book, said Hildebrand, who is not involved in the Bella Coola investigation. In this case, it is a grizzly bear genetic book instead of a human genetic book, but the tests are all analogous to what we use all the time. Hildebrand said only trace amounts of DNA are needed to create a profile, which can be held indefinitely as an electronic file and checked against future attacks.Forensic Methods Mirror Human Crime CasesHe said investigators document the scene with drawings, photographs and notes, then collect DNA samples the same way they would at a human scene. The main difference is that they do not need to worry about cross-contaminating bear samples with their own DNA. B.C. Conservation Officer Service Insp.Jeff Tyre said if they catch the bear responsible for the attack, it will be killed. He said DNA testing is a crucial element of the investigation because there are so many bears in the area, making it difficult to count. An estimated hundreds of grizzlies live in the region around Bella Coola, according to government estimates.2025 Attack DNA Compared to Current EvidenceThe investigation also includes comparing DNA from this week's attack against a DNA profile created for the grizzly behind a November 2025 incident in which a group of about 20 elementary school students and teachers were attacked. An adult and three children were badly injured in that attack. The animal was never captured. Eight bears were trapped and released in the aftermath of the 2025 case.In its statement Friday, the Conservation Officer Service said evidence from the 2025 attack would also be compared with evidence from any captured bears. No bears had been trapped following this week's attack until Friday, when the service announced one had been captured. The service said a team of conservation officers remains in Bella Coola as trapping efforts continue, noting that bear sightings near the site of the attack had been reported.The public is urged to avoid the West Snooka Trail area. Local authorities imposed a voluntary 8 p.m. curfew this week, with RCMP brought in to escort children to school. The Nuxalk Nation, whose territory encompasses Bella Coola, is working with conservation officers and RCMP to provide support and protection, including escorts for children going to school and rides for anyone who needs to get around.Nuxalk Nation Emphasizes Cultural CoexistenceNuxalk have lived with bears for thousands of years, and we consider them to be our kin, Elected Chief Samuel Schooner said in an emailed statement this week. Schooner said his community is taking time to heal from this week's attack, which has reopened trauma from last year, but emphasized that any decisions about how to live with bears moving forward will come from within.Bella Coola, about 400 kilometres northwest of Vancouver as the crow flies, is part of the Great Bear Rainforest, a region protected in part because of its importance to grizzly bears. Coastal First Nations, including the Nuxalk Nation, have long coexisted with the animals that are a crucial part of their culture. The call to renew licensed grizzly bear hunting has met with pushback from B.C. conservationists.The search continues for any other grizzly bears believed responsible for the deadly attack.