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Authorities in Arizona have arrested and charged a man in connection with the shooting deaths of two teenagers found in a remote area earlier this year.
Thomas Brown, 31, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of high school students Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
“Murder is one of the most heinous crimes that can be brought on a person and their family,” Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. David Lee said at a Friday press conference. “In a way, it’s the ultimate theft.”
The teenagers were found dead on May 27 near Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest, north of Mesa, after law enforcement received a report that they had not returned from a camping trip.
“The complainant advised [the Gila County Sheriff’s Office] that her daughter was out camping with friends, and her last known location was on Mount Ord,” Lee said. “The complainant also provided pictures for us of her daughter’s camping trip, which she had received.”
In the weeks following the discovery, detectives received numerous tips, including from other campers who said they saw a man behaving “very strangely.”
When questioned, Brown allegedly told investigators he had been camping on Mount Ord with his wife, and said he had also been flying a drone and had encountered a young male and female matching the victims’ description.
However, investigators allege Brown’s account was inconsistent with the evidence they had collected.
“Thomas Brown provided false and misleading information regarding his involvement,” Lee said.
Brown was arrested and booked into Maricopa County jail. He did not turn himself in voluntarily, and there is no evidence suggesting that Brown knew either victim before the killings, according to Lee.
“They were, as far as we know, complete strangers,” Lee said.
At Friday’s news conference, Pandora Kjolsrud’s mother, Simone Kjolsrud, described her daughter as “a beautiful, brilliant light in this world.”
“We are all devastated, and we miss her every day,” Simone Kjolsrud said. “All of life’s beauty feels less bright without her here, but the light and love and beauty she gave us will be in our hearts forever. And the darkness that she encountered on that day, when she met her killer, will not define her life.”
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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