Suspect arrested months after 2 teens found murdered in remote Arizona hiking area

In this screen grab from a video released by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Thomas Brown is shown after his arrest. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

(MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz.) — A suspect has been arrested after two teenagers were found fatally shot in May on an isolated hiking trail in Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said Thomas Brown, 31, has been arrested in connection to the murder investigation at Mount Ord, a remote hiking and camping area.

Law enforcement officials said they would provide more details at a Friday press conference.

On May 27, deputies responded to Mount Ord, between the cities of Mesa and Payson, to find “two deceased individuals,” according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office at the time said the deaths were being treated as “suspicious.”

The victims were identified as 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud and 17-year-old Evan Clark, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The two teens were students at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, according to a letter the principal wrote to parents at the time.

“This last week Evan was taken from me, and my level of grief feels insurmountable. I find myself at a complete loss to imagine a life without him,” Sandra Malibu Sweeney, Clark’s mother, said in a statement. “It is a small comfort to share some things about this boy who was on his way to becoming a wonderful man.”

She continued, “Evan wasn’t a typical teenager. He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul who was sensitive and loving. Evan wrote me letters, the last of which he gave me on Mother’s Day that was so touching it made me both laugh and cry. He was special. He deserved a long life.”

In May, the sheriff’s office said they were conducting a “comprehensive and meticulous investigation to ensure justice for the victims and their loved ones.”

“We are coordinating closely with our law enforcement partners and ask for patience and respect for the investigative process as we work through the facts,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.