A 911 caller reported that his friend was killed by a bear in his tent. It was indeed a brutal murder.

Authorities in Montana say a 911 caller discovered his friend dead in a tent in what appeared to be a fatal bear attack. However, officers soon discovered that the camper was actually the victim of a brutal murder.

Dustin Kjersem, 35, was found dead Saturday morning in his tent on Moose Creek Road north of Big Sky, Montana, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said at a news conference Wednesday. A friend who was supposed to have met Kjersem went looking for him when he didn’t show up as planned on Friday.

The friend eventually discovered Kjersem’s body in a tent at a makeshift campsite and called 911. He told emergency responders that the death appeared to have been caused by a bear attack, the sheriff’s office said.

However, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Agency agent who visited the site found no signs of bear activity and investigators said they soon found evidence of a “vicious attack” that is being investigated as a homicide.

Kjersem, who was last seen Thursday afternoon, suffered “multiple lacerations,” including to his skull, an autopsy showed.

“He was brutally killed at his campsite and we need your help,” Springer said, adding that his detectives were “working day and night to find his killer.”

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

“People have asked me if there is a threat to this community and the answer is we don’t know. We don’t have enough information to know at this point,” he said.

The sheriff urged residents to be careful.

“We know there was someone out there who killed someone in a very heinous way. “So when you’re out in the woods, you have to pay attention and stay alert,” Springer said.

Kjersem was driving a black 2013 Ford F-150 with a black roof and a silver aluminum ladder rack, and police have asked the public to share any information they have.

“Think about the whole canyon,” Capt. Nathan Kamerman said at the news conference. “If you have seen anything strange in the canyon area or around town with his truck, please contact us.”

Kjersem’s sister, Jillian Price, called her brother a skilled craftsman and a loving father.

“I asked our community to find out who did this,” she said. “There is someone in our valley who is capable of truly despicable things.”