Case of Man Thought to Have Been Brutally Killed by Bear Now Being Investigated as a Homicide

The death of a Montana man, first reported to authorities as a possible bear attack, has now been classified as a murder.

Dustin Mitchell Kjersem, 35, of Belgrade, Montana, was discovered dead in his tent on Saturday, October 12, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.

The initial call indicated “that the death may have been caused by a bear attack,” the post said.

A Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent “with expertise in bear attacks responded and did not find any signs of bear activity at the scene,” the post said.

An autopsy further confirmed that Kjersem was not killed by a bear.

“This incident was a vicious attack, and detectives are working hard to develop and track down leads. A suspect has not been arrested at this time,” the post said.

An autopsy found “multiple chop wounds” were inflicted on Kjersem, including to his skull, according to KSDK-TV.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance on the homicide of Dustin Kjersem, whose body was discovered on Saturday, Oct. 12, in a tent approximately 2.5 miles up Moose Creek Road. Dustin was last seen on Thursday, Oct. 10. pic.twitter.com/i8NJsJEEmF

— Gallatin County (@Gallatin_County) October 16, 2024

Kjersem was last seen on Oct. 10. The next day, he did not meet a friend as had been planned, leading the friend to go look for him the next day, which was when Kjersem’s body was discovered.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer warned local residents that a suspect is in the region who “killed someone in a very heinous way.”

“He was brutally killed at his campsite and we need your help,” Springer said, asking anyone in the Big Sky area who may have seen something to contact police.

Springer said officials do not know what was used to attack Kjersem, according to Explore Big Sky.

 “We do know that it was something hard enough to cause significant damage to the skull, um, as well as the flat areas of the body,” he said.

Kjersem’s sister Jillian Price called her brother a “loving, helpful and adorning father, who in no way deserved this.”

“There is someone in our valley that is capable of truly heinous things,” she said.

The attack took place near Moose Creek in the Gallatin Canyon

“People have asked me if there was a threat to this community, and the answer is, we don’t know. We don’t have enough information to know at this time,” Springer said.

“But we do know that someone was out there who killed someone in a very heinous way. So if you’re out in the woods, I need you to be paying attention. You need to remain vigilant,” Springer said. “If you see anything suspicious, please just call us. We will take a look. No information is too small.”

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