Axe taken from crime scene after Montana camper's brutal murder, authorities say, as killer remains at large

Two weeks after a camper in Montana was savagely killed in his tent, authorities say they are looking for a large axe and other items that were likely taken from the crime scene.

Dustin Kjersem, 35, was found dead in his tent earlier this month by a friend who reported Kjersem appeared to have been killed by a bear — but officials soon discovered the camper was actually the victim of a brutal murder.

In a social media post, the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office said it's continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the homicide and asked the public to be on the lookout for a large axe and several items that are "believed to have been removed from the scene of the crime."

Specifically, authorities said they were looking for a blue and silver Estwing camp axe, likely with a 26" handle, as well as a Remington 11-87 12ga shotgun and Ruger Blackhawk .44mag revolver. The sheriff's office said it was also looking for an orange Tundra 45 cooler made by YETI.

"If you see these items, don't touch them and immediately report them," the office said in the post, which included images of the axe and cooler.

"We appreciate the information that has been provided by the community and multiple leads are being investigated," the office added.

Earlier this month, a friend discovered Kjersem's body in a tent at a makeshift campsite along Moose Creek Road and called 911, telling responders the death appeared to have been caused by a bear attack, the sheriff's office previously said.

But a state wildlife official found no signs of bear activity, and investigators said they soon found evidence of a "vicious attack." An autopsy later showed Kjersem sustained "multiple chop wounds," including to his skull.

"He was brutally killed at his campsite and we need your help," Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said previously, adding that his detectives were working "all hours of day and night to find his killer."

No suspects have been identified, and Springer said the remote area of the crime scene, where there is no cellphone service, was making the investigation more difficult than most cases.

"People have asked me if there's a threat to this community and the answer is we don't know. We don't have enough information to know at this time," he said.

Kjersem's sister Jillian Price said her brother was a skilled tradesman and a doting father.

"I don't understand why the world's just not stopping and looking for who did this to him," Price told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. "Please, I mean he deserves that. I need that."

A GoFundMe set up for Kjersem's children has raised more than $24,000.

In:
• Homicide
• Montana
• Camping