A Montana man has been charged in the slaying of a fellow camper that was so brutal it was initially reported by a 911 caller as a possible bear attack.

Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, of Basin, Montana, has been charged with first degree murder in the slaying of Dustin Kjersem, authorities announced at a news conference Thursday night.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said Abbey confessed to the killing after investigators zeroed in on him based on DNA collected from a beer can in the slain man’s tent.

The sheriff said it did not appear the two men knew each other and had met in a “chance encounter” while Abbey was looking for a campsite.

“There does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect,” Springer told reporters Thursday.

Kjersem’s body was found dead in a tent on October 12 in a fairly remote campground in the Moose Creek area.

The sheriff said Kjersem arrived in the Moose Creek area on Oct. 10 for a camping trip and set up a wall tent, complete with a wood stove, beds and lamps.

That same night, Abbey was also in the area looking for a campsite and noticed Kjersem had already taken the campsite, the sheriff said.

Abbey told investigators Kjersem “met him at the campsite” and offered him a beer, the sheriff said.

Then, at some point, Abbey hit Kjersem with a piece of wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and then hit him with an axe, the sheriff said.

The motive for the attack is still unknown, the sheriff said.

“We have some of his story, but … we don’t really know what the real story is,” Springer said.

The sheriff said Abbey later returned to the crime scene to remove items from the campsite that he believed might have evidence linking him to the murder, including a refrigerator, firearms and an axe.

Kjersem was last heard from on October 10, when he left for a weekend camping trip. He was going to pick up his girlfriend the next day and take her camping, the sheriff said. When he didn’t show up, she became concerned and went camping with a friend and found his body in his tent.

The initial 911 call reported a possible bear attack.

When investigators responded to the crime scene, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent experienced in bear attacks found no signs of bear activity at the scene, prompting investigators to treat the incident as a homicide, according to the sheriff’s office. .

An autopsy determined that multiple injuries led to his death. Kjersem’s injuries included “significant damage” to his skull, Springer previously said.

Abbey’s DNA was identified on the beer can by Montana State Crime Lab analysts on Oct. 25, authorities said. The Abbey was located in the Butte area. He was originally arrested on Oct. 26 for a probation violation.