Canada maternity leave woman and baby killed by 'bear'

Valerie Theoret

A woman and her baby have been killed in a suspected bear attack in Canada's Yukon Territory, says a coroner.

Gjermund Roesholt found the bodies of his wife, Valerie Theoret, 37, and 10-month-old daughter Adele Roesholt, when he returned home.

The attack happened north-east of Mayo, a remote community about 400km (250 miles) north of Whitehorse, the territory's capital.

Yukon Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the coroner's office are investigating.

Mr Roesholt was returning from laying traps for game around 15:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Monday.

He was about 100 metres (330ft) from the cabin he shared with his wife and daughter when he was charged by a grizzly bear.

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The Yukon coroner's office said in a news release that he shot and killed the bear before finding Ms Theoret and his daughter just outside their cabin.

Police received an emergency alert signal at 15:45 local time from Mr Roesholt.

The family had been trapping in the area for some three months. They had settled in the cabin during Ms Theoret's maternity leave from teaching at a Whitehorse primary school.

The coroner's office believes the mother and daughter were out for a walk sometime between 10:00 and 15:00 when the incident occurred.

This is the fourth deadly attack this year linked to grizzly bears in North America, though such occurrences are considered rare.

There were two fatal maulings this year in Alaska, the US state that borders the Yukon, and a third in Wyoming, near Yellowstone National Park.