911 caller reports bear killed a camper, but it was actually a homicide, cops say

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 a Tuesday news release.

The man from Belgrade was found dead around 10 a.m. Saturday, along Moose Creek Road north of Big Sky, deputies said. He was last seen last Thursday.

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.

An autopsy also indicated his death was from a homicide, deputies 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 and saw anything unusual can contact the sheriff’s office.

“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.