Missing Glacier hiker found dead in apparent bear attack
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 1 week, 1 day AGO
A bear strolls through the brush in Glacier National Park. (Daniel McKay/Whitefish Pilot file)
A Florida man missing in Glacier National Park was killed in an apparent bear attack, officials said Thursday.
Anthony Pollio, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida was reported missing Sunday evening after he failed to return from a hike up to the Mount Brown Lookout on the west side of the park, Glacier Park officials said Monday.
Search and rescue crews scouring the rugged peak found the victim Wednesday about 2.5 miles up the Mount Brown trail, roughly 50 feet off the path in a densely wooded area with downed trees, according to a press release issued Thursday evening.
The man's injuries appeared to be sustained by a bear encounter, officials said.
Wildlife and law enforcement staff on Thursday were assessing the area for bear activity and public safety concerns. The section of trail where the incident occurred was closed while the investigation continued.
The last fatality caused by a bear occurred in 1998 on the Scenic Point Trail in the Two Medicine Valley. There have been 11 fatal bear attacks in the park's history, not including this week's incident, according to a park fact sheet.
The last time a bear injured a human was in August 2025.
Numerous agencies assisted in the search and rescue and recovery effort, including Flathead County Search and Rescue, North Valley Search and Rescue, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Minuteman Aviation, Civil Air Patrol, Montana Army National Guard, Flathead County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Wildland Fire Service, Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, U.S. Geological Survey, ALERT, Border Patrol, Malmstrom Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force Rescue and Park Service staff.