A 35-year-old man camping in a remote Montana forest was found killed in his tent following a vicious attack initially suspected of being a bear mauling, authorities said. Victim Dustin Kjersem went camping northeast of Big Sky, Montana, on Oct. 10 with plans to meet a friend the next day, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said.

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.

When Dustin Kjersem was found dead inside his tent at a remote Montana campsite, the victim had injuries so brutal that it was initially reported as a possible bear mauling.

A man recently found his friend’s body and assumed he had been attacked by a bear, only to realize it was far worse than that. Dustin Kjersem hopped in his black F-150 and headed to a remote campsite out in the wilderness of Montana on October 10—the last time anyone would ever hear from him.

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.

The death of 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem, initially reported as a bear attack, is now being investigated as a homicide by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office in Montana. Kjersem was found dead in his tent on October 12 in a remote camping area approximately 2.