A mother and daughter — identified by family as Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter Selah Reed — were reported missing on Sunday, November 1, after failing to return from what was supposed to be a short afternoon walk.

The BC Conservation Officer Service said evidence at the scene suggested an animal may have been involved, and authorities describe the deaths as a suspected grizzly attack.

The development that stands out for wildlife watchers is the possibility of multiple bears involved.

Inspector Jeff Tyre of the Conservation Officer Service said in a video message that it is 'not yet clear if more than one bear was involved,' and that any bears captured in the area will be assessed.

Multi-bear involvement in a fatal attack would be a highly unusual twist in an already rare category of conflict — the province's own ministry says conflicts between bears and humans are 'relatively rare' unless the animals are startled or protecting cubs or food.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police and conservation officers found Balcarras' remains on Monday and Reed's on Tuesday afternoon in successive searches.

Officers are working to track down any bears involved, and Tyre said a captured animal will be assessed under provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines. If the 'offending bear' is confirmed to have been involved, it will be dispatched — killed — to protect public safety.

Authorities have also imposed a curfew on the Bella Coola community while the search continues.

The attack comes nearly a year after a grizzly attacked a group of 20 elementary school students and teachers in the same Bella Coola area, badly hurting one adult and three children — and that animal was never captured.

Bear safety expert Kim Titchener, founder of Calgary-based Bear Safety & More Inc., said her 'heart just dropped' when she saw the missing-women reports in Facebook hiking groups, noting this community 'has suffered so much last year.'

Bella Coola is well known for its large grizzly and black bear populations, and Titchener said it is common for residents to see bears walking near their homes.

Between 10,000 and 13,000 grizzly bears are estimated to live in British Columbia, where the species is classified as vulnerable and listed as one of 'special concern' under federal legislation.

The BBC reports the BC Wildlife Federation has said grizzly-human conflict reports have risen since the province banned grizzly hunting for sport in 2017, with executive director Jesse Zeman warning that grizzlies and humans will 'increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences.'

Titchener also pointed to 'concerning pressures' from habitat loss and food stress caused by drought and climate change, which she says are setting off more conflicts with people.

Family and colleagues paint a picture of two lives cut short. Balcarras' brother Matthew said his sister was 'incredibly strong' and had lived in many difficult, remote places, including Alaska, before moving to Bella Coola a few months ago.

The Central Coast Teachers' Association said Balcarras, an art therapist who joined the school community as a counselor in August, devoted 'countless hours' to student well-being.

Her brother Josh told CBC the mother and daughter were 'two peas in a pod' — 'when Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her.' A fundraiser says Reed was 20, 'with her whole life ahead of her,' while Balcarras leaves behind three young adult children and a grandchild.