Officials: Camper's death was homicide, not bear attack

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — When Dustin Kjersem was found dead inside his tent at a remote Montana campsite with extensive injuries to his skull and body, it was initially reported as a possible bear mauling.

There have been previous grizzly bear attacks in the forests of southwestern Montana, but investigators found no evidence of any bears at Kjersem's campsite. They're now investigating 35-year-old Kjersem's death as a homicide after an autopsy revealed he was killed by multiple chop wounds inflicted by an unknown weapon.

No arrests have been made, and local authorities could not say if Kjersem's killer posed a continuing public threat.

"But we do know that someone was out there who killed someone in a very heinous way," Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said at a press conference Wednesday. "So if you're out in the woods, I need you to be paying attention. You need to remain vigilant."

Kjersem went camping northeast of Big Sky, Mont., on Oct. 10 with plans to meet a friend the next day, Springer said.

The friend found the body Oct. 12, the sheriff said. Another person identified only as an "associate" called 911 and reported it as a possible bear mauling, said Capt. Nate Kamerman with the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office.

It's unknown when he died.

His campsite — in the Moose Creek area at the base of the Gallatin Mountains — was not in an established campground.

The remote location of the killing complicates the investigation, the sheriff added. There is limited cell service in that area, meaning no record of calls investigators could use.

The victim's sister said Friday that Kjersem had two children and worked as a self-employed contractor, building homes and learning other trades in the Gallatin Valley, which includes the city of Bozeman.

Jillian Price described her brother as a loving father and skilled tradesman who got into the building industry after taking a construction class in high school. A fundraising website was established for donations to help support his children.

"Dustin had no known enemies," Price said, adding that the family was searching for answers. "We don't know anything."

The sheriff's office asked that anyone with a trail camera or game camera in the Moose Creek area reach out to authorities.