Camper’s death was initially thought to be a bear attack. It was actually a brutal homicide

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said he does not know if there is currently an active threat to the public

Dustin Kjersem, 35, was killed in a brutal attack while he was camping near Big Sky, Montana, in October 2024 (Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office handout)

A man who found his friend dead in a tent initially thought a bear had killed him - but police now think the camper's death was actually a brutal murder.

A friend grew concerned and started searching when Dustin Kjersem, 35, who had been camping north of Big Sky, Montana, did not show up as planned on Friday, according to CBS News.

He discovered Kjersem dead inside his tent the next day and called 911, telling them he believed there had been a bear attack.

An agent from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks visited the site and found there were no signs of bear activity. Investigators later agreed, but did acknowledge eivdence of a “vicious attack,” which they are now treating as a homicide.

An autopsy found that Kjersem suffered "multiple chop wounds" including to his skull.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer held a press conference on Wednesday following the attack and asked for the public's help finding the culprit.

"[Kjersem] was brutally killed at his campsite and we need your help," Springer said.

He said that detectives were working "all hours of day and night to find his killer."

Dustin Kjersem’s friend initially thought he was killed in a bear attack, but investigators believe he was actually brutally murdered. (Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office handout)

So far no suspects have been identified. The remote area where Kjersem was camping does not have cell service, eliminating the use of phone data from investigators’ toolkits.

Springer, when asked if there was any threat to the community, admitted "the answer is we don't know."

"We don't have enough information to know at this time," he said.

Springer urged the public to be cautious, especially if they planned to spend time in the woods.

"We do know that someone was out there who killed someone in a very heinous way so if you're out in the woods you need to be paying attention, you need to remain vigilant," he said.

He asked anyone in the public with information related to the case to contact investigators.

"Think of the whole canyon," Captain Nathan Kamerman said at the news conference. "If you saw something weird in the canyon area, or in town with his truck, please reach out to us."