Suspect captured 4 months after 2 teens found fatally shot in Arizona national forest

[ad_1]

A suspect has been busted greater than 4 months after two teenagers had been discovered gunned down in a distant part of an Arizona nationwide forest.

Thomas Brown, 31, was apprehended by legislation enforcement on Thursday after a months-long murder investigation into the deaths of Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, in Tonto Nationwide Forest.

Brown was recorded being escorted from a deputy’s cruiser into the sheriff’s workplace headquarters, the place he was processed and positioned in a holding cell, based on video shared by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Workplace.

Thomas Brown was apprehended within the murder investigation of two Arizona teenagers discovered lifeless on Could 27, 2025. Maricopa County Sheriff's Workplace

It was not clear what led cops to Brown, not how he was linked to the case. Extra particulars on the arrest and costs are set to be introduced later Friday, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.

The kids had been associates who each attended Arcadia Excessive Faculty in Phoenix, roughly 64 miles southwest of the nationwide forest.

They had been discovered with deadly gunshot wounds to the pinnacle close to Mount Ordo on the morning of Could 27.

Officers on the time described their deaths as suspicious as they opened up the murder investigation.

“Presently, the circumstances surrounding their deaths are being handled as suspicious,” Maricopa County Sheriff’s Workplace Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez mentioned, based on Fox 10 Phoenix.

Thomas Brown sits inside a holding cell after being processed into jail by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Workplace on Oct. 2, 2025. Maricopa County Sheriff's Workplace

Pandora Kjolsruds was discovered shot to dying within the Tonto Nationwide Forest in Maricopa County, Arizona on Could 27, 2025. GoFundMe

Evan Clark along with his mother, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, earlier than his dying on Could 26, 2025. GoFundMe

Fundraisers had been set as much as assist each teenagers’ households fund celebrations of life after they held personal funerals.

Kjolsrud was remembered for her “vivacious character” and smile.

“She was a wonderful human being and a shiny mild on this world who liked each single particular person she met and had a singular potential to make each particular person really feel particular,” Kathryn Leonard mentioned on GoFundMe. “The outside is the place she actually felt at dwelling. She liked tenting, horseback using, kayaking and mountain climbing with family and friends.”

Brown is escorted inside by a sheriff’s deputy after his arrest on Oct. 2, 2025. Maricopa County Sheriff's Workplace

The kids had been found close to Mount Ord off State Route 87. 12 Information

Kjolsrud’s mom, Simone Kjolsrud, mentioned her coronary heart was shattered into one million items after studying of her daughter’s dying.

“Relaxation in peace my lovely lady,” the grieving mom wrote on Fb.

Clark’s mom, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, penned a touching tribute to her son on a separate GoFundMe.

Kjolsrud was remembered for her “vivacious character” and smile. GoFundMe

Kjolsrud and Clark had been associates and attended Arcadia Excessive Faculty in Phoenix, roughly 64 miles southwest of the nationwide forest. Google Maps

The kids’ associates created a makeshift memorial close to Mount Ord, the place the 2 would go and watch the sundown. AZ Household

“Evan Clark was my solely youngster and my beloved son. This final week Evan was taken from me, and my degree of grief feels insurmountable. I discover myself at a whole loss to think about a life with out him. It's a small consolation to share some issues about this boy who was on his solution to turning into an exquisite man,” Sweeney wrote.

Sweeney described her son as an “previous soul who was delicate and loving.

“Evan wrote me letters, the final of which he gave me on Mom’s Day that was so touching it made me each chuckle and cry. He was particular. He deserved a protracted life,” she mentioned.