Body of Missing Hiker Found in Glacier National Park After Suspected Bear Attack

Anthony Pollio, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was reported missing to park officials on May 4.

Published: 5/8/2026, 11:47:28 PM EDT

Body of Missing Hiker Found in Glacier National Park After Suspected Bear Attack — Mount Brown, second peak from left, is tucked behind Bearhat Mountain, far left, at Glacier National Park in West Glacier, Mont., on Aug. 1, 2018. (Desiree Brooks/AP Photo)

Officials in Montana have recovered the body of a hiker believed to have been killed in a bear attack, days after he was reported missing in Glacier National Park.

Search and rescue crews located the hiker's remains around noon on May 6 in a wooded area off of Mt. Brown Trail near Lake McDonald, the National Park Service shared on May 7. Officials said the man's injuries were "consistent with those sustained by a bear encounter."

Anthony Pollio, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was reported missing to park officials on May 4 after he failed to return from a hike the previous evening. His vehicle was later found at the Lake McDonald Lodge at the base of the trail, officials said.

A large-scale search was initiated, with rangers focusing their efforts in the Mt. Brown and Snyder areas, along with nearby trail corridors. Multiple agencies assisted with the search, including Flathead County Search and Rescue, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, the Civil Air Patrol, the Montana Army National Guard, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, and Border Patrol, among others.

Pollio, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, had planned to hike toward the Mt. Brown Fire Lookout, a roughly five-mile trek from the lodge, and sent his last known message at around 8:20 p.m. on May 3.

His brother, Nicholas Pollio, told Local 10 News that he had gone to the park to watch the sunset from the fire lookout tower.

"We think on the way down he encountered a grizzly bear," his father, Arthur Pollio, told the outlet.

"I believe he was probably accosted by the bear. Used the bear spray. He might have ran from there," Arthur Pollio added. "I think the bear may have chased him down, grabbed him by the shoulder."

The National Park Service said the last known fatal bear attack in Glacier National Park occurred in 1998 in Two Medicine Valley, located in the southeastern corner of the recreation area. The most recent bear-related injury to a human was in August 2025.

Following the latest incident, the agency said the section of the trail where the suspected bear attack occurred was temporarily closed as the investigation into the fatal encounter continues.

The agency said wildlife officials and law enforcement personnel were assessing the area for signs of bear activity to determine if there were any ongoing public safety concerns. Authorities have asked park visitors to stay off the closed trails pending further notice.