Two teenagers, identified by officials as Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were discovered fatally shot in what the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is calling a suspicious incident. The grim discovery was made in a remote area of the Tonto National Forest near Mount Ord, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. Arcadia High School, where both victims were students, has since offered counseling and support to those affected by the tragedy.
As the community grapples with the loss, there’s an underlying anxiety given the opaque nature of the ongoing investigation. “If there’s something going on in the area. I’m here with my child. I’d like to know if we’re safe,” a community member told FOX 10. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has called for patience while they conduct what has been described as a “comprehensive and meticulous investigation” into the deaths, which have been deemed homicides by the county medical examiner. Information from the public is sought as every small detail may be critical in piecing together the events that led to this tragedy.
The families of the two deceased teenagers have expressed their heartbreak and appealed for privacy as they mourn. “She was a bright light in this world who loved every single person she met and had an unusual ability to make every person she met feel special and loved,” Kjolsrud’s mother conveyed in a statement obtained by ABC15. In a touching remembrance, Clark’s mother, Sandra Sweeney, shared his uniqueness, stating, “Evan wasn’t a typical teenager. He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial.”…