Man charged with murder of fellow camper in Montana, initially reported as bear attack

A man has been arrested and charged with the alleged murder of a camper in Montana, America, after the incident was initially reported as a bear attack.

Dustin Kjersem, 35, was found dead on October 12 at a campground northeast of Big Sky, Montana, by his girlfriend and a friend, who initially thought he had been attacked by a bear.

When no bear was found in the area, the case turned into a murder investigation.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office has now confirmed that Daren Abbey, 41, has been arrested and charged in connection with Mr. Kjersem’s death.

Mr. Kjersem had set up camp in the Moose Creek area and would pick up his girlfriend later so she could join him.

Mr Abbey, 41, had planned to camp in the same area but when he arrived he found Mr Kjersem already there.

Mr. Kjersem welcomed him to the location and offered him a beer, Sheriff Dan Springer said.

“At some point, this individual struck Dustin Kjersem with a piece of solid wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and ultimately hit him with the axe,” Sheriff Springer told a news conference.

“The motives for this attack are still unknown.”

Sheriff Springer described it as a “heinous crime” and claimed Allen removed items from the campsite that he believed could be used as evidence against him.

“By all accounts, this murder appears to be a chance encounter,” he said.

“There does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect.”

Sheriff Springer said detectives collected DNA from a beer can left at the campsite and found it was a match to Mr. Abbey.

He was located and arrested this week in Butte, Montana, Sheriff Springer said.

Abbey is being held on $2.2 million bond, according to sheriff’s records.