BOZEMAN — Over the weekend, a Belgrade man was found viciously killed while camping near Big Sky. Wednesday afternoon, a press conference was held at the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center where the man's sister talked about him and asked the public for help.
“This weekend we lost our brother. Our son. Our uncle. Our best friend. And our dad—in the most unimaginable way,” says Jillian Price.
Jillian is the older sister of 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem, the Belgrade man found brutally murdered at his campsite Saturday morning. Holding back tears, Jillian described her brother.
“Dustin was a great kid. He was born here in Bozeman. And he worked all over the valley. He could've framed your house. He could've poured your foundation. He could've installed your countertops. He was a hard-working, skilled tradesman,” says Jillian.
Earlier on Wednesday, Jillian shared photos of Dustin with me. She told me Dustin was a great father. He was also loved by many friends around the valley.
The last time Dustin was seen was Thursday afternoon when he was leaving to go camping in his truck, a black 2013 Ford F-150, with a black topper.
“He was well prepared for a weekend of camping and had plans to meet with a friend on Friday afternoon. But he never made that meeting,” says Nathan Kamerman, Investigations Captain with Gallatin County Sheriff's Office.
That concerned friend went searching for Dustin Saturday morning. He was the one to find him dead in his tent in a campsite to the east of Highway 191, up Moose Creek Road.
Dustin’s injuries were so intense his friend reported the incident as a bear attack, but upon investigation?
“This is a homicide. And we are working all hours of the day and night to find his killer,” says Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer.
WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man found dead camping near Big Sky, investigated as possible homicide
Detectives say Dustin sustained multiple “chop” wounds, from a weapon that remains undetermined. Gallatin County detectives have followed a few different leads but there is currently no one in custody.
“We’re asking the community members to help us in this way: anyone who was present in the area between the evening hours of Thursday October 10 and the early morning hours of Saturday October 12, to reach out to us,” says Kamerman.
Detectives are asking anyone with trail cameras in the area, car cameras who traveled through the area, or anyone who saw Dustin's truck around the time to reach out. No matter how small and irrelevant you may think the information is, detectives say anything helps.
“There is someone in our valley that is capable of truly heinous things. Please, if you were in Moose Creek at any time from Thursday to Saturday, please call and talk. Even if you think you didn't see anything,” says Jillian.
If you have information, Sheriff Dan Springer says:
During the Sheriff’s Office business hours, call (406)-582-2121. You can leave a message if it’s not immediate.
If it is immediate and needs to be discussed outside of business hours, call (406)-582-2100, option 1. That brings you to dispatch and they will transfer you to a deputy.
