On Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, 35-year-old Dustin Mitchell Kjersem was found dead in his tent while camping near Big Sky.
At a camping spot off the beaten path, flags remain that mark areas of the investigation.
As detectives work the case, the chilling details of the Moose Creek homicide have gone viral.
“Something like this, because it's a fairly unusual case, they have been reaching out from across the country. We have, the New York Times, Good Morning America, and some other places reach out,” says Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer.
Sheriff Springer says despite the cross-continental traction, this is a localized issue: “On the same side, it is probably a local issue, there is nothing to indicate that this is nothing but a local issue.”
WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sister of Dustin Kjersem asks community to help find his killer
Springer goes on to say the details surrounding this case are unusual.
“Certainly, the location and the violence are the two things that are the most concerning," he says. "On the same side, I need the public to know we have excellent detectives on the case. I know that this sheriff's office has an interest in finding who committed this murder.”
The sheriff understands why the public may feel unsafe.
“Now that we have more information, I understand why they feel that way. At this time, it goes back to what we said before: they have to remain vigilant. If they see something suspicious, call us; don't feel like we are too busy,” Springer says.
I went up to the wooded camping site where Kjersem was found; it took about 50 minutes to get there from Bozeman.
The sheriff says many agencies have scoured the site for evidence.
“The Department of Justice, Department of Criminal Investigation, a number of them helping with different scene processing capabilities,” says Springer.
The sheriff is adamant that with the right amount of resources, they will catch the person responsible for the brutal murder of Kjersem, a local Belgrade man and father.
“The more resources we can put on it, the more information we can gather and the more the public is involved the better off we are, and the better chance we have to solve it.”
