A mother and daughter have died after a suspected grizzly bear attack in the Canadian province of British Columbia, their family has announced.

The women – identified as Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20 -were reported missing on 1 November when they did not return from what was supposed to be a short afternoon walk, the family said.

Their remains were found in a trail area in Bella Coola, according to the BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS), which said evidence at the scene “suggested an animal may have been involved”.

Conservation officers are working to track down any bears involved.

Balcarras’ remains were found on Monday and Reed’s on Tuesday during search efforts by conservation officers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the BCCOS, said it was not yet clear if more than one was potentially involved in the women’s deaths.

He added that any captured bear would be assessed and if it is found to have been involved in the attack “it will be dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety”.

Balcarras and Reed were “two peas in a pod” who “got along really, really well” and shared many hobbies, Balcarras’ brother, Josh Balcarras, said

“When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her,” he said.

Balcarras had recently moved to Bella Coola to pursue a new career and begin a new chapter in her life, according to an online fundraiser to help the family with funeral costs.

Grizzly bears are listed as a species of “special concern” under federal legislation, and are an important part of the British Columbia landscape, according to Environmental Reporting BC.

Between 10,000 and 13,000 grizzly bears are estimated to live in the province, according to the province’s Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, which has classified them as vulnerable.

According to the ministry, conflicts between bears and humans are “relatively rare” unless the animals are startled or protecting their cubs and food.

But there have been a number of attacks in British Columbia in recent years.

A grizzly bear injured two hikers in the McGregor Mountain area in October 2025, one of whom died later due to critical injuries. The bear was later found dead.

The following month, a bear attacked a school group – also in the Bella Coola area – injuring 11 people.

The BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) has said that reports of grizzly-human conflicts have risen since the province introduced a ban on hunting grizzly bears for sport in 2017.

“With no hunting pressure, grizzlies and humans will increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences,” the BCWF’s executive director Jesse Zeman said at the time.

Bandits on Tuesday night killed a soldier, a hunter and a pregnant woman at Sarkin Yamma village, near the Jeb-Jeb area of Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The attackers also shot and wounded another soldier and abducted several residents in the area.

Report says the bandits, armed with sophisticated weapons, launched the attacks 11 days after a deadly assault on Binnari town, where more than 60 people, including women and children, were reportedly killed.

The attackers also invaded Ruwan Zafi village, near Sarkin Yamma, and abducted 15 people, including women and children.
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A community leader in the area, Tanko Bobbo Andami, was quoted in the report saying the attackers invaded the communities on Tuesday night, killing a soldier, a hunter and a pregnant woman and injuring another soldier.

He said five people were rescued after soldiers and local hunters engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to flee into the forest with some of their victims.

Andami said about 15 people were still in captivity, adding that the latest attacks had further heightened insecurity in Karim-Lamido.

“Before the attacks in Binnari town and the latest incident, we had called on the government to secure Karim-Lamido before bandits took over the area. This is where we are now,” he said.

“We still appeal to the Taraba State Government and the Federal Government to pay special attention to the area and provide adequate security to secure Karim-Lamido Local Government,” he added.

Karim-Lamido has long been a flashpoint of communal violence in Taraba State. This year, the area has witnessed several violent clashes between ethnic groups, as well as attacks by gunmen, resulting in loss of lives and destruction of property.

Its strategic location at the intersection of four states, coupled with difficult terrain and poor accessibility, makes the area vulnerable to infiltration by criminal elements who exploit jurisdictional boundaries to evade security operations.

The latest attack on Binnari, which occurred on October 23, 2026, claimed about 60 lives. The incident happened as villagers gathered at the market to buy and sell goods shortly after Friday prayers, when armed men suddenly opened fire on the crowd.

Although the state government has declared Karim-Lamido Local Government Area an area of particular security concern, residents said the designation must be backed by adequate deployment of security personnel to prevent further attacks.

The court of appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INE) to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the appeal on Wednesday, upholding the judgement of the federal high court in Abuja delivered in July 2026.

The panel was presided over by Ugochukwu Ogakwu, with Laja Balogun and Ruquayat Oremei Ayoola as the other members.

The appeal was filed by the Adolphus Wabara-led board of trustees (BoT) of the PDP faction.

In July, the federal high court in Abuja dismissed a suit seeking to compel INEC to recognise the Turaki-led interim NWC of the PDP.

The judgement was delivered by Salim Ibrahim, the presiding judge.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed by Wabara, former senate president; Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Niger state; Jerry Gana, former minister of information; and Olabode George, former deputy national chairman of the PDP.
Other plaintiffs are Maryam Ciroma, former minister of women affairs; Zainab Maina, former minister of women affairs and social development; Dame Esther Uduehi, a member of PDP BoT; and the PDP itself.

INEC was the sole defendant in the case.

The plaintiffs sought an order directing the INEC to publish on its website the composition of the party’s interim NWC led by Turaki, as forwarded to the commission by the national executive committee (NEC).

They asked the court to determine whether, by virtue of the provisions of Article 32 of the PDP constitution, INEC was obligated to recognise the interim NWC as forwarded by the NEC.

Reacting to the court of appeal judgement, the Turaki-led PDP faction said it had instructed its lawyers to approach the supreme court to seek justice.

In a statement signed by Ini Ememobong, the faction’s spokesperson, the Turaki-led PDP said the party must remain an opposition party and not become an “appendage” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“While we respect the judgment of the court, we are determined to take our quest for justice anchored on truth to the apex court in the land. It is our belief that no matter how deep the truth is buried, if those seeking it are persistent in digging, it will one day resurface,” the statement reads

“We have instructed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal before the Supreme Court, in the hope that justice will eventually be done.”