Montana Father Killed in ‘Heinous’ Attack While Camping Alone in Big Sky

Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, Lisa M Anderson/iStock

What was supposed to be a friendly camping trip ended up with one man dead in Big Sky, Montana. The father planned to meet up with a friend for a weekend camping trip. Unfortunately, he never met up with his friend, who later found him dead in his tent.

Initially, authorities believed that the man died after a bear attack, but soon, investigators ruled his death a homicide. The police and the man’s family are coming together to ask the community to help find the killer.

The man was found fatally injured.

Dustin Mitchell Kjersem, left his home to meet a friend for a camping trip in Moose Creek, Montana, on Thursday, October 10. The men were supposed to meet up on Friday, but Kjersem didn’t show. When Kjersem hadn’t appeared by Saturday morning, his friend went looking for him, and found his body in his tent that morning, Gallatin County Captain Nathan Kamerman explained in a press conference.

Initially, first responders thought he was attacked by a bear.

KBZK reported that initially, first responders thought Kjersem was the victim of a bear attack. There are “Beware of Bear” signs around the parking lot of the camping area. But Sheriff Dan Springer says a bear didn’t cause Kjersem’s fatal injuries.

“We had Fish, Wildlife and Parks come in, and their bear expert came down. He did an investigation of the area and did not believe it was a bear attack,” Springer shared.

An autopsy gave more insight into his death.

An autopsy report showed that Kjersem’s body had multiple chop wounds that ultimately led to his death.

Springer explained that investigators are still trying to figure out what kind of weapon the attacker used, but “we do know that it was something hard enough to cause significant damage to the skull as well as the flat areas of the body.”

The investigation is ongoing, and police don't have a suspect.

During the press conference, Kamerman said that police need the help of the community to find the attacker. “Anyone who saw something out of place, out of the ordinary, in the area surrounding Moose Creek — think of the whole canyon. If you saw something weird in the canyon area or in town with this truck, please reach out to us,” he said.

“People have asked me if there was a threat to this community, and the answer is, we don’t know. We don’t have enough information to know at this time,” Springer said. “But we do know that someone was out there who killed someone in a very heinous way. So if you’re out in the woods, I need you to be paying attention. You need to remain vigilant.”

Kjersem's sister spoke out about the loss.

Also speaking at the press conference was the victim’s sister, Jillian Price.

“Dustin was a great kid,” she said. “He was born here in Bozeman, and he worked all over the valley … He was a hard working, skilled tradesman.” She added: “He was a loving, helpful, and adoring father who in no way deserved this. There is someone in our valley that is capable of truly heinous things.”