A 911 caller found his friend’s body and thought he was the victim of a bear attack. Police now say it was a homicide

Dustin Kjersem’s battered body was discovered October 12 in a tent near Big Sky, Montana. A 911 caller said it looked like a bear attack. But police now suspect Kjersem was murdered.

The last time anyone heard from Dustin Kjersem was the afternoon of October 10, when he climbed into his black Ford F-150 and headed to a remote campsite in the Montana wilderness. He had made plans to meet a friend the next day for a weekend of camping and other outdoor activities. When he didn’t show up, his friend went looking for him — and made a gruesome discovery. On Saturday morning, the friend called 911 and said he’d found Kjersem’s bloodied body in a tent about two-and-a-half miles up Moose Creek Road, east of Big Sky. He told the dispatcher that Kjersem appeared to be a victim of a bear attack. But authorities are now saying they think Kjersem was murdered. An autopsy determined the 35-year-old suffered “multiple chop wounds,” sheriff’s deputies say.  And they’re urging anyone with information to come forward. “This is a homicide, and we are working all hours of the day and night to find his killer,” Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said at a news conference Wednesday.