Latest news with #PandoraKjolsrud
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
2 teens killed northeast of Phoenix add to list of murders at campsites since 1970s
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office continued to investigate the shooting deaths of two Phoenix area teenagers found dead near a campsite northeast of the Valley. The two were shot and killed by an unknown assailant on May 26, their bodies found by deputies the next day, according to the families of the two victims. Until investigators could identify a lead in the rapidly growing cold case, the two untimely deaths became part of Arizona's list of unsolved murder cases involving campers just beyond the Phoenix metro area. Here's what we know about two past murder cases involving teenage victims — one in 1973, another in 2003 — and now, a third in 2025. Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were found with gunshot wounds just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord, north of Sunflower, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, who found the bodies May 27. Parents of the two victims told The Arizona Republic that the teenagers were on a planned camping trip. An investigation remained ongoing, with the Sheriff's Office asking for the public's help in solving the case. "Your help could be critical in bringing answers and justice to the victims and their families," said Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office asked anyone with information about the case to call 602-876-TIPS (602-876-8477). Since the early 1970s, at least six documented murders have involved young people who were shot while enjoying the outdoors just outside the Phoenix area. In 2003, Lisa Gurrieri, 19, and Brandon Rumbaugh, 20, were shot and killed in a still-unsolved double homicide off a road near the Interstate 17. The Scottsdale couple were found dead in the back of a pick-up truck parked off Bumble Bee Road near Black Canyon City, just north of Phoenix. They were found lying inside their sleeping bags, each with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Investigators ruled out a murder-suicide, said there was no evidence of robbery or sexual assault, and that neither drugs nor alcohol were involved. Family said the couple were celebrating a one year anniversary together. Initially, they planned to go to Disneyland, but that was too pricey for the young couple, so they settled on a camping trip about 30 miles north of Phoenix off of I-17. In March 1973, Shawn Jensen, shot and killed two teenagers picnicking northeast of Phoenix. Kathy Kroger, 17, and James Burgoyne, 19, were killed when Jensen, a Vietnam combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, had an alleged flashback and shot both of the teenagers in the head. Just like Kjorsrud and Clark, the two teens killed in 1973 were students of Arcadia High School, according to KKTV 11. Jensen was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the shooting, but his case later came under scrutiny by the American Civil Liberties Union. According to the ACLU of Oklahoma, Jensen had tried to get help mental health treatment in the months prior to the shooting. Since his imprisonment, Jensen was denied parole in both 2018 and 2019, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections. As of May 2025, he remains incarcerated in Eloy. The Arizona Republic's Laurie Roberts and former reporter Jason Pohl contributed to this article. Reach reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@ Follow him on X, Threads and Bluesky @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Unsolved murders have happened before at Phoenix area campsites
Fox News
07-06-2025
- Fox News
Third teen death in national forest raises alarm as two high schoolers found shot during camping trip
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.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2 Teens Shot Dead on National Park Camping Trip
Authorities in Arizona are in the middle of a mysterious case involving two teens who were found shot to death on a popular national park camping site. According to multiple reports, 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud and an unidentified 17-year-old male were found dead on May 27 off State Route 87 at Tonto National Forest. "At this time, the circumstances surrounding their deaths are being treated as suspicious," the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Friday in a statement. As Fox 10 in Phoenix reported, the two teens left for a Memorial Day weekend camping trip, but they never returned. Friends and family have since set up a memorial overlooking a valley on the famed Camelback Mountain. It's reported that the two teens often visited the spot with friends to watch the this moment the MCSO is asking anyone with information to call them at 602-876-TIPS. At 2.9 million acres, Tonto National Forest is the largest of six national parks in Arizona. The park is famous for its hiking trails, Sonoran Desert Saguaro cacti, camp sites and expansive bike trails. These national parks are popular, especially this time a year. The teen's deaths come just days after authorities at another popular park, California's Sequoia National Park, continues searching for a woman who was swept away in a river following a trip with friends and family also on Memorial Day weekend. 2 Teens Shot Dead on National Park Camping Trip first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 3, 2025
New York Times
02-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
Police Seek Answers in Fatal Shooting of Teen Campers in Arizona National Forest
Nearly a week after two teenagers were found fatally shot in what police believed to be homicides at a remote camping spot in Arizona, it was still not clear what had led to their deaths, deputies said on Monday. The teenagers — Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17 — were high school friends who just finished the 11th grade and had gone camping at Tonto National Forest after the end of the school year, according to relatives. On May 27, deputies in Maricopa County responding to a call found their bodies off State Route 87 between Mesa and Payson, Ariz., the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the medical examiner's office said on Monday. They 'lost their lives due to gunshot wounds,' a statement from the sheriff's office said. 'At this time, the circumstances surrounding their deaths are being treated as suspicious,' the statement said, adding that they were treating the killings as homicides. Medical examiner's records said that Ms. Kjolsrud and Mr. Clark had died on May 26. There were no further details. A spokesman for the sheriff's office, Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, said in an email on Monday that the bodies were found near Mount Ord, a mountain in Tonto National Forest on the northeastern edge of the county. People camp in the wilderness in that area because there are no developed campgrounds. There was no further information on Monday as the homicide investigation continued, a separate statement from the sheriff's office said. Simone Kjolsrud said in a brief telephone conversation that her daughter had been a student at Arcadia High School in Phoenix. A representative for the family said in a statement that Pandora loved camping and being outdoors and that they were 'heartbroken' by her loss. Sandra Sweeney, Evan's mother, said in a phone call on Monday that her son had left for to the remote area on May 25 at the start of summer break at Arcadia High School. She added that after she did not hear from him for several days, she drove up to the mountain to search. 'I decided to go to the location where my son was, drove to the top and saw nothing,' she said. She learned on Tuesday that he had died, she said. Ms. Sweeney said she and her son were close. In his last letter to her on Mother's Day, he wrote: 'You are the best mother and I'm forever in debt and grateful to you.'
Newsweek
02-06-2025
- Newsweek
Pandora Kjolsrud and Evan Clark Deaths: What We Know as Teens Found Shot
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A murder investigation is underway after two teenagers were found dead with gunshot wounds in a remote section of central Arizona forest. The bodies of 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud and Evan Clark, 17, were discovered in the Tonto National Forest near Mount Ord on May 27, although the story did not hit the news until Friday when police released further details. The teenagers attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix, around 64 miles to the southwest of the forest. The pair are thought to have died last Monday, and Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office reportedly listed both deaths as homicides. Sergeant Joaquin Enriquez, of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), has confirmed that police are investigating the "suspicious" deaths. Newsweek has reached out to the sheriff's office for further information and comment. The Tonto National Forest outside of Superior, Arizona. The Tonto National Forest outside of Superior, Arizona. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images Why It Matters Relatives and friends of the pair have been left reeling by the grim discovery, with both families paying tribute to the teenagers as they set up separate fundraisers to help finance their funerals. Kjolsrud was described as "a vivacious personality with an infectious smile that brought joy to so many." She was a talented musician who "enjoyed playing violin, cello and guitar," the GoFundMe page set up for her family said. Clark was described on a separate GoFundMe site as "funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial," by his mother Sandra Malibu Sweeney. He had several passions including "going to concerts, photography, cars and trips to Malibu, CA," she said, adding that he "was on his way to becoming a wonderful man." What To Know The teenagers had set off for a Memorial Day weekend camping trip, but never came home, according to local news station Fox 10 Phoenix. Their bodies were found off State Route 87, which runs from Phoenix to Payson, north of Tonto forest, last Tuesday, with Enriquez releasing a brief statement to Fox 10 Phoenix on Friday, saying: "At this time, the circumstances surrounding their deaths are being treated as suspicious." He did not reveal further information about the crime or the investigation, which has sparked fear among Arizona's hiking community, according to the New York Post. Friends of the pair have now set up a memorial at a viewing spot on Camelback Mountain, where the group would often visit to watch the sunset together. What People Are Saying In a statement to Newsweek, the sheriff's office said: "The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is actively working this case, which involves two victims who tragically lost their lives due to gunshot wounds… "MCSO is seeking the community's assistance. If you have any information—no matter how small—that may be relevant to this case, we strongly encourage you to come forward. Your help could be critical in bringing answers and justice to the victims and their families." Iara Rosales, who worked with Evan Clark, told Fox 10: "You just cherish all the memories and the laughs. His life was cut very short, and so was Pandora's. They were very young, and it was just so sudden and a tragedy that you wouldn't even imagine." What Happens Next The fundraisers for the teenagers remain active, with both nearing their targets; a $30,000 goal for Kjolsrud's funeral expenses and $25,000 to help Clark's family. Both accounts have so far received around $22,000 in donations. In the meantime, the investigation into the deaths continues and anyone with information is urged to call Maricopa County Sheriff's Office at 602-876-TIPS.
