Final moments of hiker prior to fatal bear attack at Glacier National Park revealed

Anthony Polio, 33, from Florida, who died of a fatal bear attack this year, has chilling details emerging.

Pollio went missing after he didn’t come back from a trek to capture the sunset in Glacier National Park in May, 2026.

The probe led by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) has determined the cause of his death in a latest report.

Rangers said at the time Pollio went missing, he was attacked by a bear, which resulted in his death.

The report compiled by the Board of Review revealed Pollio’s final moments and his apparent encounter with an adult male grizzly bear, per Billings Gazette and SFGate.

Officials concluded that the bear paused its attack, allowing Pollio to climb back up about 18 feet before it “re-engaged and killed Mr. Pollio with crushing bites to the head.”

“The attack was likely brief and intense and not prolonged,” the report described, adding that Pollio “appears to have been the victim of a defensive attack by a surprised grizzly bear.”

DNA samples indicate the bear, at least 15 years old, is “a life-long resident of the park and does not have a conflict history, capture history, or known history of aggression towards people.”

Pollio’s death was the first fatal bear attack in Glacier National Park since 1998.

Pollio began a multi-day trek when he entered Glacier National Park in Montana on May 3, according to the Interagency Bear Committee.

Three days after he vanished, search team discovered his remains nearly 70 feet below the Mt. Brown trail on May 6, 2026.