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Disturbing new details emerge about murders of high school friends aged 17 and 18
Nearly a year after two Arizona teenagers set out on what was meant to be a Memorial Day camping trip, disturbing new details about their killings have emerged.
Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were found dead on May 27 last year after they were murdered in a remote hiking area of the Tonto National Forest near Mount Ord. Both of the teens' deaths were ruled homicides.
Newly released reports from the Maricopa Medical Examiner's Office shed further light on the horrific deaths.
According to the report, Kjolsrud suffered multiple gunshots to the head and upper body. Clark was also shot multiple times in the head, per AZ Family. No other injuries were listed in the available records.
Key portions of the report remain hidden from public view as only a single page of the document was released to reporters after a judge ordered it be partially sealed due to privacy and investigative concerns.
Suspect Arrested Months After Killings
Months after the teenagers’ bodies were discovered, Thomas Brown was arrested in connection with their deaths.
The 31-year-old, who served in the Arizona Army National Guard from October 2013 to December 2022 and deployed to Djibouti from July 2020 to April 2021, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty, the Daily Mail reported.
Investigators say he had been camping on Mount Ord the same weekend the teenagers were killed.
He had allegedly been there with his wife before she left the camping trip a day early.
The suspect later contacted authorities after the murders, claiming he had captured drone footage on the mountain during the same time period.
Suspicious behavior and key evidence
Witnesses who encountered Brown during that time told investigators he appeared unusual. They recalled him acting "strange" during their interaction.
Court paperwork revealed that Brown told authorities he met two young people near a campsite who were driving a silver SUV. Detectives said his description of the victims and their vehicle matched.
He claimed to have never had "physical contact" with the two, but investigators later discovered that he had gone through their belongings at the campsite before putting their things back, according to ABC 15.
His DNA was found inside one of the teens' cars, on a pair of bloody gloves, and on additional evidence found at the crime scene that led to his arrest.
“Despite stating he was never inside [the victims’] vehicle, Thomas Brown’s DNA evidence was recovered from inside the vehicle, directly contradicting that claim,” court paperwork read.
In addition to this, officials followed drag marks and said the victims had been shot several times before their bodies were dragged into the brush and hidden.
Authorities believe Brown acted alone and described the killings as a random attack.
Kjolsrud and Clark were both students at Arcadia High School in Phoenix.
Clark's mother, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, had reportedly been worried about the pair's camping trip because the teens would be off-grid. Her worst fears became a reality when the pair failed to return home as planned on May 26.
Simone contacted law enforcement, prompting a search by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies at the campsite just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord.
During the investigation, Gila County Sheriff’s deputies discovered the bodies of the two teenagers roughly a mile and a half from their vehicle.
Brown’s arrest months later brought an end to what had been an agonizing wait for the victims' families.
In a statement, Clark's mother said the arrest finally gave her the "closure I desperately needed," adding: "The past four months, I've been haunted every night by the murder of my son. I hope now that they have someone in custody, everyone can sleep safe knowing this person can't harm anyone else."
Meanwhile, Sweeney also spoke about the sense of relief she felt: “I am so happy that no one has to worry anymore.
"This, as everyone knows, has not just wreaked havoc in my life but for everybody,” she continued, per KCBD. “Now, everyone can rest easy and know that he’s not going to harm anyone else.”
Still, she remembered the son she lost. “He was the light of my life. He was my world,” Sweeney said.
Pandora’s mother has continued to fight for justice while honoring her daughter’s memory.
“My daughter, Pandora, was a beautiful, brilliant light in this world. She was so full of life and joy and love,” she said.
“I will forever be grateful for their tireless efforts to bring justice for my daughter. She deserves justice," she added.
Simone said the "darkness" her late daughter "encountered on that day that she met her killer will not her life... is darkness will not overcome her light".