DNA taken from a discarded beer can has led to the arrest of a man accused of killing 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem while he was camping. Gallatin County police identified the suspect as 41-year-old Daren Christopher Abbey in a news conference today.

Kjersem had set up a campsite on Thursday, October 10, near Butte, Mont. According to police, Abbey had intended to stay at the same campsite that evening. As he approached, he realized that Kjersem was already settled there. Kjersem welcomed Abbey to the campsite and even offered her a beer.

Police do not know the details of what happened next, although they have questioned Abbey. But at one point he hit Kjersem with a solid piece of wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver, then hit him with an axe.

Kjersem planned to drive into town on Friday to pick up his girlfriend and return to the scene for the weekend. When he didn’t show up, she became worried. On Saturday morning, she and a friend drove to the campsite and discovered Kjersem’s body inside the tent.

“By all accounts, this homicide appears to be a chance encounter,” Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said at the news conference. “There does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect.”

Police said Abbey removed items from the site that he believed could link him to the crime. They said he also returned on Friday to remove more items.

“This is the behavior of a guilty subject who thought he could get away with murder,” Springer said.

No reason yet known

Despite Abbey’s best efforts to hide the evidence of his crime, he left the can of beer he had been drinking from at the scene. Police collected it and were able to identify it through the Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS).

The Butte Civilian Sheriff’s Office and Montana Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole officers worked with Gallatin County Sheriffs to locate Abbey. On October 26 they discovered he was still in the Butte area.

Police arrested him as he was leaving a local establishment. He was taken into custody and interviewed by detectives, at which point he confessed to Kjersem’s murder.

However, after interviewing Abbey, the police do not understand the motive behind this murder. Investigators said they are still trying to piece together what they can to build a better picture of the events of that evening.

Abbey is currently in custody in Butte, Mont.

Dustin Kjersem: “A Montana Boy”

Kjersem was well known and loved in the Butte community where he lived. He was an avid outdoorsman and a savvy businessman.

Jillian Price, Kjersem’s sister, said Bozeman Daily Chronicle“He loved the outdoors. He loved to fish, he loved to hunt, he was an amazing snowboarder. He was just, he was a boy from Montana.”

Price said he had never seen a grown man spend so much time doing arts and crafts with his children. His friends said he was easy going, easy to understand and fun. When he went on camping trips, it wasn’t unusual for him to get out early and set up the site for everyone before they got there, his friend Chris Anderson told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Kjersem’s family has created a GoFundMe titled “Support Dustin Kjersem’s Children Through This Tragic Loss.” The funds aim to cover funeral expenses and help care for his children now and in the future.

“Born and raised in the Gallatin Valley, Dustin was dearly loved by many in this community,” the GoFundMe page reads. “He was a loving, supportive and adoring father.”

The campaign has raised more than $30,000 so far. If you want to contribute, visit GoFundMe webpage.

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