A 31-year-old Arizona military veteran, Thomas Brown, is accused of murdering two teenagers in the state’s remote wilderness. Allegedly, Brown provided tips to the police that eventually led to his arrest.
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As reported by AZCentral, the case began on May 27 after the bodies of 17-year-old Evan Clark and 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud were found at a campsite off State Route 87, northeast of Phoenix. Both teens, who had gone on a trip to the wilderness, had suffered gunshot wounds to their heads.
For months, no suspect was identified or arrested. However, it all changed on Thursday, October 2, when Brown was arrested. Reportedly, his arrest came about after authorities received a series of tips, some of them coming from Brown himself.
The Daily Mail reported, citing a press conference held by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), that Brown had been camping with his wife at the same campsite from May 23 through May 26. However, on May 25, his wife left the area, leaving Brown, a military veteran, alone.
Allegedly, Brown told the authorities that he had seen Clark and Kjolsrud in their vehicle on the day they died. Furthermore, according to the MCSO, Brown even provided drone footage of the area. Other tips from a separate camping group placed a man who was “acting strange” in the area.
Eventually, however, Thomas Brown was tied to the murders after his DNA was allegedly found on the victims’ vehicle, found in a separate location from their bodies. Additionally, a pair of gloves, according to the authorities, contained DNA that belonged to the victims and the suspect.
Brown had no connection with Clark and Kjolsrud, and a motive has not been revealed by the police. Furthermore, it is unknown whether Brown’s wife knew about her husband’s alleged killings.
Closure
Brown’s arrest has brought some degree of relief to the victims’ families, with Clark’s mother saying that she was “elated” and that the 31-year-old’s arrest brought closure to her, AZCentral reported.
A GoFundMe was launched to support Even Clark’s family through this difficult time.
“Evan wasn’t a typical teenager,” the fundraiser read. “He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul who was sensitive and loving.”
Similarly, another GoFundMe, now deactivated, was launched to support Pandora Kjolsrud’s family.
“She was a beautiful human being and a bright light in this world who loved every single person she met and had a unique ability to make every person feel special,” the fundraiser read.