GALLATIN COUNTY, Mont. (TCN) — Law enforcement officials are investigating a homicide after a man was found dead in what was initially called in as a suspected bear attack.
According to a press release, on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 10:07 a.m., the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office received a call from someone who said they found a deceased male on Moose Creek Road and it looked like it could have been a bear attack. Several law enforcement agencies arrived at the scene, including the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP). An FWP agent “with expertise in bear attacks responded and did not find any signs of bear activity at the scene.”
The sheriff’s office identified the victim as 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem. Evidence from the scene and the autopsy led detectives to start investigating Kjersem’s death as a homicide.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer spoke at a news conference Wednesday, Oct. 16, and said Kjersem was last seen on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 10, when he left to go camping in Moose Creek. Kjersem was scheduled to camp with a friend over the weekend, but he never made it. The friend looked for him, then found him deceased Saturday, Oct. 12, at around 10 a.m.
Springer said Kjersem had “lots of equipment with him” for his camping trip and set up the site prior to his friend’s scheduled arrival. Officials do not yet know what time he was killed.
Capt. Nathan Kamerman said the autopsy determined Kjersem “sustained multiple chop wounds, which led to his death.”
According to Springer, Kjersem suffered “significant damage to the skull and flesh areas of the body.”
Investigators are searching for additional information or tips related to Kjersem’s death. So far, there have been no arrests.
Springer said, “He was brutally killed at his campsite, and we need your help.”