Causes of death revealed for Arcadia High School students killed on camping trip

New details on Valley teen killed in Tonto National Forest

Arcadia High School students Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and 17-year-old Evan Clark were found shot to death last year in the Mount Ord area of the Tonto National Forest. Thomas Brown, 31, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

PHOENIX - We're learning new details about two Valley high school students who were killed during a camping trip in the Tonto National Forest.

The backstory:

The bodies of Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and 17-year-old Evan Clark were found in the Mount Ord area on May 27 of last year. The Arcadia High School students were said to be on a camping trip when they were killed. Both victims had gunshot wounds.

Evan Clark

Months after the bodies were found, 31-year-old Thomas Brown was arrested in connection with their deaths. Brown is accused of first-degree murder. He's currently jailed on a $2 million bond.

Dig deeper:

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Brown contacted them following the murders, saying he had taken video on the mountain the same weekend that the teens were killed.

Ultimately, it was Brown's DNA that was found inside one of the teen's cars, on a pair of bloody gloves, and on additional evidence found at the crime scene, that led to his arrest.

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Thomas Brown, a former standout athlete and U.S. Army staff sergeant from Minnesota, was arrested & accused of 2 counts of premeditated 1st-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17.

Witnesses came forward, who say they came across Brown on the mountain. They recalled Brown acting "strange" during their interaction.

Investigators said they looked at Brown as a suspect from the beginning, as he had made multiple social media posts that he was camping at Mount Ord the same weekend that Clark and Kjolsrud were killed. They also say Brown acted alone, and this was a random attack.

Thomas Brown

Update:

Kjolsrud and Clark died from gunshot wounds to the head, according to reports released by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office on March 3. Kjolsrud also suffered gunshot wounds to her upper body. Both deaths were ruled homicides.

Map of Mount Ord