WASHINGTON — Investigators are asking for the public's help in solving a homicide that was so "heinous" that it was initially thought to have been caused by a bear attack in the Big Sky area in Montana.
A friend found Dustin Kjersem, 35, dead in his tent on Saturday, Oct. 12, approximately 2.5 miles up Moose Creek Road in a remote camping area, according to the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy found Kjersem suffered "multiple chop wounds," including to his skull, that led to his death, according to investigators.
Kjersem was last seen on Thursday, Oct. 10, as he was leaving to go camping for the weekend. He planned to have a friend join him on Friday afternoon, but Kjersem never showed up to the meet up spot, the sheriff said.
According to the sheriff, that friend then went searching for Kjersem and found his body Saturday morning.
The initial 911 call indicated the death may have been caused by a bear attack, the sheriff's office explained in a Facebook post.
When investigators responded, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent with expertise in bear attacks didn't find any signs of bear activity at the scene. That's when investigators began treating it as a homicide, which was further confirmed by an autopsy.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said they are working to find the killer and warned the public that there's a person out there that "killed someone in a very heinous way."
"He was brutally killed at his camp site and we need your help," Springer said.
While there have yet to be any arrests, authorities are following up on leads and asking anyone in the area who may have seen something from Oct. 10 to Oct. 12 to reach out.
Kjersem's sister also spoke at the press conference and described her brother as a "loving, helpful and adorning father, who in no way deserved this."
"There is someone in our valley that is capable of truly heinous things," she added.
