A 35-year-old man camping in a remote Montana forest was found dead in his tent following a vicious attack initially thought to be a bear mauling, authorities said.
Victim Dustin Kjersem went camping northeast of Big Sky, Montana, on Oct. 10 with plans to meet a friend the next day, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said.
Friends found Kjersem’s body Saturday morning and reported it as possibly mauled by a bear. But state wildlife agents found no evidence of bears.
An autopsy later determined the man, who was from the Montana community of Belgrade, died of “multiple lacerations” caused by an unknown weapon, Springer said at a news conference Wednesday.
Kjersem suffered injuries to his skull and body. Kjersem’s campsite was not in an existing campground, and it is not known exactly when he died.
No arrests have been made, and it is unknown if there remains a threat to the public.
“If you’re in the woods, we want you to pay attention; we want you to remain vigilant,” Springer said.
The remote location of the murder complicates the investigation, the sheriff added. There is no cell service in the area, meaning there are no call records that investigators can use.
The victim’s sister said he worked as a home builder in the Gallatin Valley, which includes the city of Bozeman. Jillian Price described her brother as a skilled tradesman and loving father.
“I’m asking our community to help us find out who did this,” Price said. “There is someone in our valley who is capable of very heinous things.”
The sheriff’s office is asking that anyone with trail cameras or game cameras in the Moose Creek area, where Kjersem’s body was found, contact authorities.
