New Mom on Maternity Leave and Her 10-Month-Old Baby Daughter Mauled to Death by a Grizzly Bear
A Canadian woman and her 10-month-old baby girl were mauled to death by a grizzly bear while camping in the Yukon.
On Monday, Valerie Theoret, 37, and her daughter Adele Roesholt were out for a walk near their cabin when the attack took place, the coroner’s office said in a news release obtained by CBC News.
“It appears they [Theoret and Adele] had been out for a walk when the incident occurred, sometime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.,” the coroner’s release said.
Tragically, their bodies were found by Theoret’s partner Gjermund Roesholt, who had been out on the family’s trapline for the majority of the day.
Before making the devastating discovery, Roesholt returned to the cabin, where he says a bear charged at him, CBC News reported
Acting fast, Roesholt managed to save his own life by shooting the bear to death, the outlet reported. However, it was too late for Theoret and Adele.
On Tuesday, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police revealed that the incident is still under investigation at this time.
According to Global News, Theoret, Roesholt and their baby daughter had been trapping in the Yukon, known for its untouched natural beauty while also being wild and sparsely populated, for the past few months as Roesholt was on maternity leave.
Theoret worked as a teacher at Whitehorse Elementary. “She taught different grade levels and was really well-loved by her students, by their parents, by her colleagues,” Vice Principal Jim Dent at Whitehorse Elementary told the news station. “She was really great.”
“The community is definitely in mourning. It’s always difficult to lose anyone. It’s particularly difficult when it’s such a shocking, unforeseen instance. It’s going to take a lot of time for people around her to get over it,” Dent added.
People from the Yukon also sent their condolences to Roesholt, and described the family as well experienced when it comes to handling the outdoors.
“These are competent bush people,” Brian Melanson a fellow trapper told CBC News. “It’s not from lack of experience.”
“It’s going to be devastating to the community, because it’s going to hit home to everybody. You know, we go out there, all of us, we take our wives and our children, and we live out there.”
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Verena Keonig, a friend of Theoret also opened up about the incident telling CTV News, “She was so full of love and amazing. She was so happy to have a baby and being a mom.”
Keonig also said Theoret and Roesholt were “experienced bush people” and have been camping in the area for years.
