Third teen death in national forest raises alarm as two high schoolers found shot during camping trip

Fox News

6 hours ago

High school students Pandora Kjolsrud and Evan Clark were found dead in a remote area of Arizona on May 27, marking the second and third teenagers found dead in Tonto National Forest since February.
Kjolsrud, 18, and Clark, 17, were both found shot to death on May 27 near Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest, north of Mesa, Arizona. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital that the deaths are being investigated as homicides.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said it's "actively" investigating the deaths, but didn't release additional details. According to Fox 10, the Arcadia High School students were on a camping trip when they were found shot to death.
The remains of Emily Pike, 14, were found on Feb. 14 in Tonto National Park, 19 miles north of Globe, Arizona. She went missing from a group home in January, according to Fox 10, which reported her death was treated as a homicide. Her body was found dismembered more than 70 miles away from the group home she was reported missing from.
No arrests have been made in connection with Pike's death. The FBI and several local law enforcement agencies are investigating her death.
There has not been any connection made between the two cases, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
A GoFundme for Kjolsrud's family says the 18-year-old "had a vivacious personality with an infectious smile that brought joy to so many."
"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 GoFundme stated.
In a message attached to a fundraiser, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, Clark's mother, said that he "wasn't a typical teenager."
"He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul who was sensitive and loving. Evan wrote me letters, the last of which he gave me on Mother's Day that was so touching it made me both laugh and cry. He was special. He deserved a long life."
A community member who spoke with Fox 10 said she wants answers about Kjolsrud and Clark's deaths.
"It's really scary that it's just so close to home and then their family. That's the next thing you think about. It's like, what are they going through? What happened to them? Are they going to get answers?" one community member said.