911 caller reports bear killed a camper, but it was actually a homicide, MT cops say
UPDATE: A suspect in the homicide investigation has been arrested on “unrelated charges,” the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 30 Facebook post. Deputies said the suspect is cooperating with investigators.
“It is believed the suspect acted alone and there is no longer a threat to the community,” deputies said.
The original story is below.
A 911 caller discovered a 35-year-old dead in his tent and reported it as a bear attack, Montana deputies said.
Deputies are instead investigating Dustin Mitchell Kjersem’s death as a homicide, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 15 news release.
The man from Belgrade was found dead around 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, along Moose Creek Road north of Big Sky, deputies said.
He was last seen Oct. 10 as he left to go camping for the weekend in Moose Creek, Captain Nathan Kamerman said during an Oct. 16 news conference.
At the time, the caller told authorities his death appeared to be from a bear attack.
A Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks officer went to the area to investigate and “did not find any signs of bear activity at the scene,” deputies said.
Authorities said they began investigating the incident as a homicide, which they described as being from a “vicious attack.”
Kjersem was found with “multiple chop wounds,” Kamerman said.
Now, authorities are working to find leads on the case since a suspect has not been arrested.
Kjersem was driving a “black 2013 Ford F-150 with a black topper and a silver aluminum ladder rack.”
Anyone who was in the Moose Creek area or in Gallatin Canyon from Oct. 10 to Oct. 12 and saw anything unusual should contact the sheriff’s office.
If someone has a trail camera in the area, they can contact the sheriff’s office Detectives Division at 406-582-2121 or by email at detectives@gallatin.mt.gov.
“He was a hard-working skilled tradesman. He was a loving, helpful and adorning father who in no way deserved this. I ask our community to please help us find out who did this,” Kjersem’s sister, Jillian Price, said during the news conference.
“There is someone who is in our Valley that is capable of truly heinous things,” Price said.
“Please gather your memories, stories, pictures and let’s join to celebrate his life and not it’s tragic end. Let’s do this right for Dustin, we all love you and will miss you forever,” Chris Anderson wrote on Facebook about Kjersem and his memorial.
Big Sky is an unincorporated community in southwestern Montana.
This story was originally published October 16, 2024 at 4:42 PM with the headline "911 caller reports bear killed a camper, but it was actually a homicide, MT cops say."
