VancouverMETRO VANCOUVER NEWS
Brothers of B.C. grizzly attack victims lean on family and community as they grieve
Jennifer Balcarras and her 20-year-old daughter, Selah Reed, were killed in a grizzly bear attack near a Bella Coola hiking trail. As they plan a memorial, Jennifer’s brothers describe the shock of the loss, their focus on supporting family and the outpouring of care from the community.
Jennifer Balcarras’ brothers were not surprised when she moved to the remote community of Bella Coola to work as a high school counsellor. Matt Balcaraas said she spent a lot of time in coastal areas and loved the places and people. Josh Balcarras described the constant feeling of rainforest, ocean and salt spray.
Jennifer’s 20-year-old daughter, Selah Reed, moved with her. Josh said Selah was much like her mother at that age: artistic, fond of reading, painting and drawing, and keen on being outdoors.
The pair set out together on Saturday on a popular Bella Coola hiking trail. Matt said the trailhead was about a minute up the road from their home, was clearly marked and was simply a place for a walk. When relatives could not reach them, concern turned to panic. On Monday, as Matt drove to Bella Coola to help search, he received a call from Selah’s father saying their sister had been found dead. Selah’s remains were found nearby. Both were victims of a grizzly bear attack.
Josh said he believes the only way for him, and likely the rest of the family, to move forward is not to dwell on what happened during the attack or imagine who protected whom. He said they cannot get caught in that line of thought.
The brothers are now focusing on planning a memorial for Jennifer and Selah. Matt said their attention has turned to supporting their nieces, nephew and parents, and to the logistics of bringing family together, which has taken considerable energy.
They thanked everyone who has donated to a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral and travel expenses. Matt said Jennifer had three surviving children and a grandson; her daughter in Calgary has a son. They are all still young, he said, and the family urgently needs the substantial support it has received.
The brothers also thanked the people of Bella Coola. Josh said they have been overwhelmed with love and that he had never been hugged so much in his life. Despite the devastation, he wants people to know how special the community is.
As they remember their sister and niece, the brothers said they will focus on how Jennifer and Selah lived rather than how they died. Josh said the loss is too difficult to make sense of.