Police arrested a suspect Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of two teens found near Mount Ord after a months long investigation, officials said.
Detectives arrested Thomas Brown, 31, following a homicide investigation that began May 27, 2025, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in a post shared to its verified Facebook page. The post included Brown’s mug shot as well as a video of the suspect being processed and placed in a holding cell.
Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and a 17-year-old were found dead May 27 off State Route 87 near Mount Ord, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The minor was identified as Evan Clark, ABC 15 Arizona reported. On May 30, the MCSO said the teens passed from gunshot injuries and that their deaths were “being treated as suspicious,” according to FOX 10.
The teens went on a Memorial Day weekend camping trip at Tonto National Forest and never came back. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner determined the cause of their deaths to be “homicides,” ABC 15 reported.
Brown’s DNA was allegedly discovered in a vehicle belonging to one of the victims and in gloves discovered at the scene of the incident, according to court documents. Police charged him with two counts of first-degree murder. (RELATED: Toddler’s Startling Discovery In Family’s Yard Triggers Bomb Squad Response)
Sandra Malibu Sweeney, the mother of Clark, told AZ Central her son’s death has been a “nightmare.”
“It’s been a nightmare. He was my everything, Evan was my everything,” Sweeney said. “To have this is closure for me, and I don’t wish anything bad for the person that did this.”
Brown lives in Phoenix and spent a decade in the military, according to 12 News. He has no criminal history, his attorney said during his initial court appearance. Brown was camping and hiking in the same region as the victims when the incident allegedly took place and doesn’t deny coming into contact with them, according to his attorney.
Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan is scheduled to hold a press conference Friday to share more details about the case, the MCSO said.