Mount Ord deaths: Celebration of life held for Evan Clark in Scottsdale

Celebration of life held for Evan Clark

Family and friends gathered in Scottsdale to celebrate the life of a teen who was shot and killed while on a camping trip. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas reports.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Several people gathered to remember Evan Clark, a teen whose life was taken way too soon.

"I'm Evan's mom, and he was my world," said Sandra, Evan's mother.

17-year-old Evan Clark's life was cut short. He was found shot to death near Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest on May 26. 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud was also found dead.

"I was also one of those people who begged my son not to go on that camping trip, and it wasn't the first time I begged him not to go. I was very, very against it. Very against it," said Sandra.

What they're saying:

While his family and friends wait for answers, a month after the tragic death, they held a celebration of life on June 26 at the Scottsdale Civic Center.

"Thank you so much for loving my son. I never wanted to have a party like this... I will never recover from this. He was my everything. And thank you for loving him," said Sandra.

Evan's grandmother spoke about her grandchild.

"I wanted to thank my daughter for being not one of the best mothers that I've ever known but for being the best mother I've ever known. She taught Evan from the beginning."

Evan's friends took the mic, sharing their favorite memories of the last time they spoke to him.

"I hope what I can get from all of this is some of the last words I said to him was that I love you, and I'm excited to see you again when you come home," one friend said.

"Overall, he was an amazing person and I loved him and still love him so, so much," said another friend.

"We spent every single day in 8th grade just making fools of ourselves in every single class," another friend shared.

Shortly after the speeches, they all released balloons with one last message to Evan.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone. Everyone from...TESSSERACT," said Sandra.

What's next:

We reached out to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to find out if there are any leads in the case. They told us there were no new updates.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office at 602-876-TIPS.

What you can do:

Both families have set up GoFundMe accounts.