Montana camper found dead was killed, but not by a bear, authorities say: NPR

Dustin Kjersem, 35, was found dead in his tent at a campsite in Montana earlier this month. Authorities are investigating his death as a homicide and are asking the public for help.

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office

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Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office

More than two weeks after a Montana camper was found murdered in his tent, authorities are asking locals to be on the lookout for a large ax and several weapons they believe were taken from the crime scene.

It’s the latest development in a case that has captivated the public since mid-October, when a friend reported that 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem was dead from a possible bear attack. But investigators quickly ruled the case a homicide – and still haven’t taken anyone into custody.

“People have asked me if there is a threat to this community, and the answer is, we don’t know,” Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said at a meeting press conference earlier this month. “We don’t have enough information to know at this point, but we do know that there was someone who killed someone in a very gruesome way.”

In a social media update Posted Thursday, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office thanked the community for providing information and said “several leads are being investigated.”

Here’s what we know so far.

Kjersem was found dead from “multiple lacerations” during a camping trip.

Kjersem, of Belgrade, Mont., was last seen on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 10, when he drove to a makeshift campsite in Moose Creek to spend the weekend with a friend.

The area – just north of Big Sky – is “fairly remote,” but officials say it is usually busy with hunters and campers. They say Kjersem set up a wall tent measuring approximately 8 by 10 feet and filled it with essential items.

“He was well prepared for a weekend of camping and had plans to meet a friend on Friday afternoon,” said research leader Nathan Kamerman at the press conference. “But he never had that meeting.”

The yet-to-be-identified friend went looking for Kjersem and found his body around 10 a.m. local time on Saturday.

The sheriff’s office said this in its statement initial statement that “the caller indicated the death may have been caused by a bear attack.”

But wildlife officials — including a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent with “expertise in bear attacks” — found no signs of bear activity at the scene, prompting investigators to treat the case as a homicide.

“Evidence collected through an autopsy further indicated that this was a homicide,” the report said.

Kamerman said the autopsy showed Kjersem suffered “multiple lacerations” that led to his death.

Springer said at the news conference that the murder weapon was still undetermined, but authorities “know it was something hard enough to cause significant damage to the skull and some flesh parts of the body.”

Authorities are asking the public for information, including about possible weapons

Last week, the sheriff’s office asked the public to be on the lookout for a number of items believed to have been removed from the crime scene: an Estwing camp ax (likely with a 26-inch handle), a Remington ax shotgun, a Ruger Blackhawk revolver and an orange Yeti brand cooler.

They said anyone with information about the items – or about the case at all – should contact their office by phone or email.

Researchers and Kjersem’s family are pleading with people to come forward with information that could be helpful, no matter how small it may seem.

The sheriff said the remote location of the crime scene — with its limited cell phone service — and the delay between when the killing occurred and when it was reported make it extremely difficult to piece together what happened.

“Think of this as a big jigsaw puzzle,” Springer said. “Maybe it’s that little piece that puts this together for us.”

They have shared a photo van Kjersem’s black 2013 Ford F-150 and are asking anyone who has seen him or the vehicle to come forward.

They are also urging anyone who was near Moose Creek or Gallatin Canyon between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning to come forward with information, especially if they saw anything unusual or happened to have wildlife or vehicle cameras in that area.

They can do that by calling 406-582-2121 during business hours or 406-582-2100 (and selecting option one) to reach a coordinator for after-hours or urgent tips.

“There is someone in our valley who is capable of truly heinous things,” Kjersem’s sister, Jillian Price, said at the news conference. “If you were in Moose Creek from Thursday through Saturday, please call us even if you don’t think you saw anything.”

Kjersem was a beloved father and outdoorsman

Price described her brother as a “hard-working, skilled tradesman” who was born in Bozeman and worked all over the area.

“He could have framed your house, he could have poured your foundation, he could have installed your countertops,” she said. “He was a loving, helpful and admiring father who in no way deserved this.”

Kjersem adored his daughter and stepson, according to his obituaryand could sit with them for hours and do crafts together.

“His house looked like an elementary school because he hung up everything they made,” it reads. “Dustin sent pictures of their work, as if his children had just painted the Mona Lisa.”

He loved fishing from an early age and developed a passion for snowboarding as a teenager. According to his obituary, it was rare for people to call him by name; he went by a series of nicknames over the years, including Duct Tape, Cupcake and Kage.

“If you’re a fish or an antelope, the world just became a safer place,” it says. “Kage and his best friend Matt will no longer hunt you together. But for the rest of us, there will be a hole, a space in our world that will never be filled.”

Kjersem is survived by his parents, two children, three sisters, grandfather and ‘many’ uncles and aunts.