When Dustin Kjersem was found dead inside his tent at a remote Montana campsite with extensive injuries to his skull and body, it was initially reported as a possible bear mauling.

A brutal killing in the Big Sky area in Montana has investigators searching for answers. WASHINGTON — Investigators are asking for the public's help in solving a homicide that was so "heinous" that it was initially thought to have been caused by a bear attack in the Big Sky area in Montana.

Dustin Kjersem, 35, was found dead in his tent with “chop wounds” on Saturday, the authorities said. No arrests have been made.

A Montana camper believed to be mauled by a bear turned out to be a victim of a brutal homicide, authorities said Wednesday. Dustin Kjersem, 35, of Belgrade, about an hour-and-half drive southeast of Helena, went camping northeast of Big Sky on October 10, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said at a news conference Wednesday.

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.

Dustin Kjersem sustained "multiple chop wounds," including to his skull, an autopsy revealed. His killer has not been found.

A man’s death that was previously reported as a bear attack is now being investigated by Montana authorities as a homicide. On Oct. 12, the body of 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem of Belgrade was discovered inside a tent in the wilderness north of Big Sky in Gallatin County.