A man accused of killing a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old who were camping in the Mount Ord area of Tonto National Forest in Arizona earlier this year was a former member of the Minnesota National Guard. 

According to CBS affiliate KPHO, 31-year-old Thomas Brown was linked to the deaths of 17-year-old Evan Clark and 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud, both of Phoenix, Arizona, through DNA found on bloody evidence and the car belonging to the teens. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held on a $2 million cash bond.

The teens' parents told police they had left for a day-long camping trip on May 25 and were supposed to return the next day. However, a parent of one of the teens called the police after they didn't return from the trip. A vehicle was found near their campsite, which was close to the top of Mt. Ord, according to authorities. 

During a search of the vehicle, authorities found one vehicle door that was unlocked, as well as a bloody pillowcase. 

Deputies found a campsite and drag marks, which they followed for about a mile and a half. That's where they found Clark and Kjolsrud's bodies. Authorities say they had been shot multiple times. Meanwhile, several shell casings and gear were found at the campsite, and bloody gloves were found near their vehicle. 

KPHO says community members gave tips to deputies, who say Brown was one of the people who provided information about the case. He told law enforcement he had been camping on Mt. Ord in late May and wanted to share footage he had taken with his drone with them. Investigators say Brown told them he came across a campsite and two young people who had a silver vehicle, but never had "physical interaction" with them. 

Brown also told authorities he found a gray tote that had camping equipment and an air rifle while hiking back to a campsite. Although he rummaged through the tote and picked up the rifle, he put the items back and left them there, according to court documents. 

Authorities say Brown denied going inside the teens' vehicle, and also told them he didn't think his DNA would be on the victims. 

However, his DNA matched a swab found on the teens' bodies, their vehicle and the bloody gloves, according to deputies. 

A spokesperson for the U.S. Army told KPHO that Brown had also served in the Arizona Army National Guard, adding he was an infantryman (11B) in both the Minnesota and Arizona Army National Guard from Oct. 2013 to Dec. 2022. He had been deployed from July 2020 to April 2021 to Djibouti and was a Staff Sergeant when he left the Army National Guard.