This story doesn’t add up. Bear spray, air horns, water cannons, intermittent attacks for an hour? The bear should have been scared off, and/or they should have been able to drag or carry her away from the attack.
I wonder if it’s a cover story for a rape that needed covering up, or maybe just an outright murder that needed a cover story.
Going into the bear’s terrain without a weapon is about as dangerous as walking into gang turf without a gun and with wads of cash hanging out of your pocket!!