Body of missing hiker found after suspected bear encounter in Glacier National Park

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK — The body of a missing hiker was located in Montana’s Glacier National Park this week, with injuries suggesting a suspected bear encounter, officials said.

The National Park Service announced temporary trail closures in Glacier National Park following the suspected bear encounter, just days after similar closures were implemented at Yellowstone National Park when two hikers were injured in a bear attack.

Park officials said search and rescue crews discovered the body of the missing hiker at around 12 p.m. on May 6. The remains were located some 2.5 miles up the Mt. Brown Trail, about 50 feet off the trail in a densely wooded area with downed timber.

Park officials said they were withholding the identity of the victim until 72 hours after family notification; however, previous releases indicated a search was underway for 33-year-old Anthony Pollio of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who had been missing since Sunday evening.

Wildlife and law enforcement personnel are searching the area for bear activity, and the investigation is ongoing.

All trails originating from the Sperry Trailhead at Lake McDonald Lodge to Mt. Brown, Snyder Lake, Sperry Chalet and the Lincoln Lake Trail Junction were temporarily closed. The Lincoln Lake Trail from the Snyder Ridge Trail junction to Lincoln Lake was also closed.

Park officials say the last fatality caused by a bear at Glacier National Park was in 1998 at Two Medicine Valley. The last time a human was injured by a bear was in August 2025.