A suspect has been arrested nearly three weeks after a Montana camper was found brutally killed in an attack that was initially reported as a bear attack, authorities late Wednesday.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office said it had identified a suspect in the murder of Dustin Kjersem, who was found dead in his tent earlier this month. The suspect, who was not identified, was in custody on unrelated charges, authorities said.

“The suspect is cooperating with our detectives and has led us to the evidence we have identified in prior press releases,” the sheriff’s office said.

Kjersem, 35, was found dead earlier this month by a friend who reported Kjersem appeared to have been killed by a bear — but officials soon discovered the camper was actually the victim of a brutal murder.

The sheriff’s office said Wednesday the investigation is ongoing but “it is believed the suspect acted alone and there is no longer a threat to the community.”

Last week, authorities said they were are looking for a large axe and other items that were likely taken from the crime scene. Authorities said they were looking for a blue and silver Estwing camp axe, likely with a 26″ handle, as well as a Remington shotgun and Ruger Blackhawk revolver. The sheriff’s office said it was also looking for an orange Tundra 45 cooler made by YETI.

Earlier this month, a friend discovered Kjersem’s body in a tent at a makeshift campsite along Moose Creek Road and called 911, telling responders the death appeared to have been caused by a bear attack, the sheriff’s office previously said.

But a state wildlife official found no signs of bear activity, and investigators said they soon found evidence of a “vicious attack.” An autopsy later showed Kjersem sustained “multiple chop wounds,” including to his skull.

Kjersem’s sister Jillian Price said her brother was a skilled tradesman and a doting father.

A GoFundMe set up for Kjersem’s children has raised more than $27,000.

Pennsylvania was a pivotal state in the 2020 presidential election, sealing Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump after four days of vote counting. So it’s no surprise the Keystone State is again front and center this election cycle, with both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump investing time and resources there ahead of Election Day.

In the past few weeks, the presidential candidates have been regulars in Pennsylvania, often joined on the campaign trail by celebrities and fellow politicians. They’ve made some memorable pit stops — from Harris snapping selfies at Famous 4th Street Deli to Trump donning an apron during a campaign event at a McDonald’s in Bucks County, which Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro calls the “swingiest of all swing counties in the swingiest of all swing states.” Trump also returned to Butler for a rally at the same fairgrounds where he survived an assassination attempt in July.

CBS News’ Battleground Tracker shows an effectively tied race in Pennsylvania a week before Election Day. The state is part of the Democrats’ “blue wall” along with Michigan and Wisconsin, considered crucial for the party’s path to the White House. 

Here’s what you need to know ahead of Election Day:

Pennsylvania Election Day fast facts

• Polls open: 7 a.m. ET
• Polls close: 8 p.m. ET
• Mail-in ballot deadline: 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024
• Where to vote: Look up your polling place here
• Electoral votes: 19
• Voter turnout: 76% of registered voters cast ballots in 2020, government data shows

Pennsylvania vote-counting rules

Every state has its own rules when it comes to vote counting. In Pennsylvania, state law requires county election workers to wait until polls open on Election Day (7 a.m. ET) to start processing — removing ballots from envelopes — and counting mail-in ballots. 

Pennsylvania counties also can’t begin to record or release mail-in ballot results until after the polls close at 8 p.m. ET. That means there will be a lag in announcing the final tallies and, in turn, projecting the state’s winner. How long of a delay, however, is unclear.

Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes

Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, making it an important prize in the presidential race. The state had 20 electoral votes in the 2020 race but lost one in the congressional redistricting that followed the 2020 Census.

When will we know who won Pennsylvania?

In 2020, Mr. Biden was named the projected winner of Pennsylvania late morning on Saturday, Nov. 7 — the fourth day of vote counting — after taking an insurmountable lead in the state. Winning the state’s then-20 electoral votes helped him top the 270 needed to win the presidency.

But it’s hard to draw any conclusions from 2020 when more voters opted for mail-in voting for the first time due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19. It was the first year Pennsylvania allowed no-excuse mail-in voting, leading to a record 2.6 million mail-in ballots. In 2020, 38% of Pennsylvanians voted either early or by mail, compared to 4% in 2016, according to CBS News’ records.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court also ruled in 2020 that mail-in ballots couldn’t be rejected over signature mismatches.

Kathy Boockvar, former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, told CBS News that 2024 will likely look different since election officials have had four more years of practice, bought new equipment and have a better idea of how much staffing they’ll need.

“Nobody knows on election night who wins or loses. What we hope to do is count the ballots securely, accurately, and then after that as quickly as humanly possible,” Boockvar said.

In 2020, about 54% of total votes cast were reported by 12 a.m. ET after Election Day, according to the Associated Press. The “overwhelming majority of ballots” were counted by Thursday night into Friday morning in 2020, according to Boockvar.

Boockvar estimates this year, given all of the lessons learned from 2020 and improvements made to the counting system, that the majority of ballots will be counted by the end of Wednesday instead of Thursday, which may help speed up the process of projecting a winner.

However, if the race is close, then that may delay things further. Pennsylvania has an automatic recount if the margin in any statewide race is 0.5% votes or less. The state also allows losing candidates to file a request for a machine recount if they pay for it. A refund may be available depending on the findings. 

Could Latino voters in Pennsylvania decide the election?

In order to secure a Pennsylvania victory, both Harris and Trump may need to win over Latino voters. There are nearly 580,000 eligible Latino voters in Pennsylvania, according to the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute’s latest data. Pennsylvania’s share of eligible Latino voters has more than doubled since 2000, the data shows.

Roughly about half of the Latino population lives in the center part of the state called the “222 Corridor” — a stretch of small cities including Reading, Allentown, Lancaster and Bethlehem, where the presidential candidates and their running mates have visited frequently.

A recent poll from the Hispanic Federation and Latino Victory Foundation found that 66% of Latino respondents said they’d vote this year in Pennsylvania.

Who won Pennsylvania in past presidential elections?

Pennsylvania has voted for the presidential winner dating back to 2008, when Barack Obama was elected president. Here’s a look at who has claimed the state over the years:

• 2020: Democrat Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump
• 2016: Republican Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton
• 2012: Democrat Barack Obama defeats Mitt Romney
• 2008: Democrat Barack Obama defeats John McCain
• 2004: Democrat John Kerry defeats George W. Bush
• 2000: Democrat Al Gore defeats George W. Bush