Pandora Kjolsrud and Evan Clark, both high school students, were discovered dead in a remote part of Arizona on May 27, making them the second and third teenagers found dead in Tonto National Forest since February.
Kjolsrud, 18, and Clark, 17, were discovered shot to death on May 27 on Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest, north of Mesa, Arizona. A spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that the deaths are being investigated as homicides.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office stated it is “actively” investigating the deaths, but did not provide any other information. According to Fox 10, the Arcadia High School classmates were found shot to death while on a camping trip.
Emily Pike’s remains, aged 14, were discovered on February 14 in Tonto National Park, 19 miles north of Globe, Arizona. She went missing from a group home in January, according to Fox 10, and her death was investigated as a homicide. Her body was discovered dismembered more than 70 miles from the group home where she was reported missing.
There have been no arrests in relation with Pike’s death. The FBI and many local law enforcement organisations are looking into her death.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says there is no connection between the two cases.
According to a GoFundMe page for Kjolsrud’s family, 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 fund’s description said.
In a message attached to a fundraising, Clark’s mother, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, stated that son “wasn’t a typical teenager.”
“He was witty, clever, friendly, and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul, sensitive and compassionate. Evan wrote me letters, the last of which he gave me on Mother’s Day and was so moving that it made me laugh and cry. He was unique. “He deserved a long life.”
A community member who talked with Fox 10 expressed her need for answers regarding Kjolsrud and Clark’s deaths.
“It’s very worrisome since it’s so close to home and their family. That is the next thing you think about. What are they going through? Whatever happened to them? “Are they going to get answers?” one community member said.