GLACIER NAT’L PARK - A new report is sharing more details into a missing man that was killed by a grizzly bear in Glacier National Park in May.
The hiker, Anthony Pollio, was planning on hiking up Mt. Brown to watch the sunset before heading back down and finding a camping spot.
During his hike, Pollio was messaging family and friends, with his last message being to his girlfriend around 8:20 pm, saying he had “climbed over 2,000 ft and 3 miles” and that he had “2,400 ft to gain.”
The next day Pollio was reported as an overdue hiker and a search was launched to find him.
Teams found a can of bear spray just off the trail and found Pollio’s body shortly after.
Pollio was ultimately found several feet below the trail, having suffered from fatal injuries consistent with a bear attack.
An investigation found he was killed by an adult male grizzly bear, and evidence indicates he surprised the bear while going down the mountain in the dark.
Several items were found in the area, including Pollio’s phone, a charging bank and cable, a closed pocket knife and the plastic holster for the bear spray.
The bear was not in the area, however it was identified using hair, scat and measured bite marks.
According to the report, there were no signs of predation from the bear, and it does not have a conflict history.
Search resources included personnel from North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead County, US Forest Service, US Geological Survey and aircraft from Alert, National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, and Minuteman Aviation.