Thomas Brown ex military veteran arrested in the slaying of 2 Phoenix area teens, Pandora Kjolsrud and Evan Clark who were killed during remote camping trip. Arrest follows after Arizona authorities linking his DNA to the crime scene after suspect initially sharing drone footage of the camping site with investigators after asking for tips from the public.
A former military veteran is accused of killing two young teens in an apparent ‘random attack’ while they camped in the remote Arizona wilderness earlier this summer.
The man’s arrest follows him sharing drone footage of the camping area after authorities initially asking for tips from the public after the two victims’ bodies were found.
Thomas Brown, 31, was arrested Thursday on first-degree murder charges for the May 26 killings of Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, in the Mount Ord area of Tonto National Forest, near Phoenix.
Arcadia High School teens go missing while camping in remote area
Brown has no known connection to the victims but was allegedly camping with his wife in the area at the time – before she left the trip early, leaving him alone to allegedly kill.
Kjolsrud and Clark – who both attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix – had decided to go on a camping trip together over the Memorial Day weekend to ‘celebrate the start of summer vacation,’ Kjolsrud’s mother Simone Kjolsrud told AZCentral.
Clark’s mother Sandra Malibu Sweeney told the outlet she had been wary about the trip because it meant the teens would be off grid.
Her worst fears became a reality when the teens failed to return home as planned on May 26.
How Thomas Brown implicated himself in murder of Arizona camping teens
Kjolsrud contacted law enforcement and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies searched the campsite just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord.
In the early hours of May 27, deputies found the bodies of the two missing teens.
Both had suffered gunshot wounds to the head.
The sheriff’s office said the victims’ vehicle was found in a different location to their bodies.
For four months, no arrests were made – before Arizona authorities identifying Brown as the man they believed murdered the camping teens and bringing him to custody this week.
In a press conference Friday, Maricopa County Captain David Lee revealed how officials were able to identify the suspected killer.
Following the murders, several tips had come in from the public. Among them were tips from Brown himself, Lee said.
Suspect admitted seeing the victims on the day of their disappearance
Brown came forward and told investigators he had been camping with his wife in the area from May 23 through May 26.
But, his wife left on the morning of May 25 while he remained until the following day, he told investigators.
It is not clear why Brown’s wife allegedly left the camping trip early – and police would not comment on whether or not she might have any knowledge of her husband’s alleged crime.
Brown also allegedly told investigators he had drone footage of the area and handed it over.
Lee said the 31-year-old even admitted to seeing the two victims inside their car around on the day of the murders.
Detectives asked Brown if his DNA would be found on the victims, which he replied, not that he knew of. Brown also denied going inside the teen’s SUV. He was then released pending the DNA results.
Thomas Brown military vet suspect had no prior criminal record
Tips also came in to law enforcement from another group of campers who said they had encountered a man ‘acting strange’ in the area. That group left on May 26, Lee said.
With suspicion mounting over his possible involvement, Brown was ultimately tied to the murders when his DNA was found in the victims’ SUV, according to court records.
A pair of gloves found near the scene was also found to contain DNA belonging to Brown, Kjolsrud, and Clark – as well as the victims’ blood according to arrest records.
The motive for the double homicide remains a mystery.
Investigators have found no evidence of any connection between the suspected killer and the teenage victims.
‘As far as we know they were complete strangers,’ Lee said.
The suspect is also believed to have acted alone, with officials assuring the community there is no ongoing danger.
Brown served 10 years in the military and has no known criminal history.
Two grieving families find closure
Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan called the murders a ‘senseless violent act’ during a Thursday briefing as he said the remote location and terrain of the crime scene had slowed the investigation.
Brown’s arrest now brings an end to the victims’ families months-long agony over not knowing who was responsible for the doomed camping trip.
Speaking at Friday’s press conference, Kjolsrud’s mother, Simone Kjolsrud said, ‘We are all devastated and miss her every day. All of life’s beauty feels less bright without her here.’
Clark’s mother Sweeney released a statement to 12News saying the arrest finally gave her the ‘closure I desperately needed’.
‘The past four months, I’ve been haunted every night by the murder of my son. I hope now that they have someone in custody, everyone can sleep safe knowing this person can’t harm anyone else,’ she said.
Brown is now facing two counts of first-degree murder.
He appeared in court overnight Thursday where a judge ordered him to be held on $2 million cash bond.
He is next due in court for a status conference hearing on October 8.
