Anthony Pollio, a 33-year-old Catholic deacon from Florida, was found dead on Montana's Mt. Brown Trail on May 6, his body lying roughly 50 feet off the path with injuries consistent with a bear attack. Before he set out on that hike, he left his father a voicemail, the last words his family would ever hear him speak.

The death, first reported by the New York Post, marks what would be the first fatal bear attack in Glacier National Park since 1998 if the ongoing investigation confirms the cause. A formal autopsy has not yet been completed. Park officials issued a news release stating that Pollio's body was discovered about two and a half miles into the trail, in a densely wooded area surrounded by fallen timber.

Arthur Pollio, Anthony's father, told the Sun Sentinel that his son had called and left a voicemail during the hike. Anthony sounded out of breath, his father recalled, offering a play-by-play of his day. The message ended simply: "Love you."

A two-week road trip across America's parks

Anthony Pollio had been on a two-week road trip with a friend before the fatal hike. His father said the pair traveled through some of the country's most iconic landscapes, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park, Starved Rock State Park in Illinois, and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The friend parted ways with Anthony when they reached Montana.

Throughout the trip, Anthony consistently left voicemails for his father, Arthur said. That habit made the final recording all the more meaningful, and all the more painful.

Arthur Pollio described his son as "fearless." He called him a "motorhead" who could be found cruising around Florida when he wasn't clearing trails at parks across the country or preaching at his local Catholic church. Anthony graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in hospitality.

His father also said Anthony was an experienced hunter who was likely caught off-guard by a particularly aggressive bear. No specific bear species has been identified publicly in connection with the investigation.

Park officials confirm injuries consistent with bear encounter

The National Park Service said in a written statement that Pollio's injuries were "consistent with those sustained by a bear encounter," AP News reported. If confirmed by autopsy, the death would be the first fatal bear attack in the park in nearly three decades.

Glacier National Park officials identified the missing hiker as Anthony Pollio, a 33-year-old from the greater Miami area who was last seen on Sunday before his body was found Wednesday. Trails in the area were temporarily closed while authorities investigated safety concerns, the Washington Times reported.

The park's last recorded bear-related injury occurred in August 2025. But a fatal mauling is a different order of magnitude, and raises questions about trail conditions, bear activity, and whether solo hikers receive adequate warnings in areas with known grizzly populations.

A life packed into 33 years

Arthur Pollio spoke about his son with the pride of a father who knew the young man had lived fully. Anthony served as a Catholic deacon, an unusual calling for someone his age. He hunted. He worked trails. He traveled.

"His life experiences in 33 years, some people don't get to do 'til they're 90 or their whole life."

That line from Arthur Pollio captures something about the kind of person Anthony was, someone who didn't wait for permission to go see the country, serve his faith, or call his dad from a mountain trail just to say he loved him.

Tragic animal attacks have taken other lives in recent months. An Arizona mother died shielding her young son from a dog attack in Southern California, a reminder that encounters with animals, whether in the wild or at home, can turn fatal in seconds.

Anthony Pollio's family confirmed his death to outlets in his Florida community. The park's investigation remains open, and no further details about the bear involved have been released.

Questions that remain

Several basic facts are still missing. Investigators have not disclosed the species of bear suspected in the attack. The exact date and time Anthony began his hike on the Mt. Brown Trail have not been made public. And the formal autopsy, which would establish an official cause of death, has not been completed.

Those gaps matter. Glacier National Park draws millions of visitors, many of them solo hikers. If a bear in the area was "particularly aggressive," as Arthur Pollio believes, the public deserves to know what the park knew and when it knew it.

For now, what remains is a father's voicemail from a son who hiked hard, preached on Sundays, and never forgot to check in. That voicemail ended the way every last conversation should, and almost none of them do.