Overview
- Anthony Pollio, 33, began a multi‑day trek on May 3 and search teams found his remains about 70 feet below the Mount Brown Trail on May 6 after he was reported overdue.
- The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee and National Park Service published a 17‑page review on July 20 that concluded the killing was a brief defensive surprise attack, not a predatory incident.
- Investigators used hair, scat, DNA and bite‑mark analysis to identify a single adult male grizzly at least 15 years old that is a life‑long park resident with no known conflict history.
- The report details terrain and visibility hazards on the steep trail, says Pollio was hiking alone at night, and notes he discharged bear spray but investigators could not confirm it struck the bear or was used effectively.
- The death is Glacier National Park’s first fatal bear attack since 1998 and it followed a large multi‑agency search and forensic review, a development that park officials say underscores safety risks for night hiking in grizzly country.