A 35-year-old man named Dustin Kjersem, a father to a young child, was murdered in his camping tent earlier this month near Big Sky, Montana. At first, authorities thought a bear attacked Kjersem based on reports from the person who found the body. An investigation revealed a different cause of death—homicide—and now, authorities say they have apprehended a suspect in this heinous crime.
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The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office has kept the public updated on the ongoing investigation with multiple Facebook posts, including the latest news announcing they have a suspect. The posts also identify the victim as Dustin Kjersem of Belgrade, Montana.
“At 10:07 a.m. on Saturday, October 12, 2024, a caller reported discovering a deceased male in a tent approximately 2.5 miles up Moose Creek Road,” the Sheriff’s Office reported on October 15. “The caller indicated that the death may have been caused by a bear attack [. . .] A Montana FWP agent with expertise in bear attacks responded and did not find any signs of bear activity at the scene. This prompted investigators to treat the case as a homicide. Evidence gathered through an autopsy further indicated that this was a homicide.”
In fact, evidence suggests the murderer may have used Kjersem’s ax to kill him, and the autopsy reportedly showed that Kjersem sustained “multiple chop wounds, which led to his death.”
UPDATE 11/2/24: Police have arrested Daren Christopher Abbey for Kjersem’s murder. Learn more.
See some of the latest updates the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office has shared about Dustin Kjersem’s murder here:
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