On October 10, in the afternoon, Dustin Kjersem got into his black Ford F-150 and drove to a remote campsite in the Montana mountains. That was the last time anyone heard from him.
He was all set to spend the weekend hiking and doing other fun things outside with a friend. They were meeting the next day. His friend went looking for him when he didn’t show up and found something horrible.
The friend called 911 early Saturday morning to say that he had found Kjersem’s bloody body in a tent about two and a half miles up Moose Creek Road, east of Big Sky. He told the dispatcher that Kjersem looked like he had been attacked by a bear.
However, the police now say they believe Kjersem was killed.
Kjersem was found in a rugged area with little cellphone service
His sister, Jillian Price, said that Kjersem was a skilled builder and hard-working handyman who could dig foundations, frame houses, and put in countertops.
She begged anyone with information to help her find the person who killed her brother.
She broke down in tears at the news conference and said, “This weekend, we lost our brother, our son, our uncle, our best friend, and our dad in the worst way possible.” “He was a wonderful, loving, and caring dad who had nothing to do with this.”
People like to fish and camp in the Moose Creek area, even though it is out in the middle of nowhere. Authorities say Kjersem’s body was found on US Forest Service land east of Highway 191.
The police don’t have a lot of information to work with. Some cellphones don’t work in the area of the crime scene, which makes the investigation harder, said Springer.
“People have asked me if the community is in danger, and I’ve told them that we don’t know.” “Right now we don’t have enough information to know,” he said.
Investigators are hoping that someone will come forward with important camera footage or other information that will help them figure out what happened.
Springer said, “It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle.” “When you work on these cases, you’ll get bits and pieces here and there. Eventually, they’ll add up to a big picture that makes sense.”
Investigators are examining a key two-day window
Kjersem left his home in Belgrade, Montana, last Thursday in his truck, which has a black topper and a silver aluminum ladder rack, authorities said. He last contacted his family that afternoon, then he went quiet.
The police said he brought a lot of gear for his weekend camping trip. The friend of Kjersem, who the police did not name, told them he found his body around 10 a.m. Saturday.
A bear expert from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks was one of the investigators who went to the scene after the 911 call but did not find any signs of bear behavior.
Officer Springer said that they don’t know what kind of weapon was used, but they do know that it was something hard enough to seriously hurt the head and some body parts.
Anyone who was in the area between Thursday and Saturday is being asked to help the police.
“Please come forward if you have trail or game cameras in the Moose Creek area, even if the footage doesn’t seem important,” Sheriff’s Capt. Nathan Kamerman said.
“Also, anyone with a car camera who was in the Moose Creek area during this time frame or who saw the victim’s truck,” he said. “Please get in touch with us if you saw something strange or out of the ordinary in the area.”
He said that investigators are following up on a number of different lines.
Wyoming’s western part is bear country. The man, who was 72 years old, killed a grizzly bear that attacked him while he was picking huckleberries near Glacier National Park in July. The bear charged at the man, who was hurt and taken to the hospital.
Investigators have not yet found out when Kjersem died and have not made any charges.
His sister told the news stories, “Please help us find out who did this.” “Someone in our valley is truly evil.”
