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Friday May 30, 2025
(MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz.) -- Officials are investigating a possible homicide after two teenagers were found dead in an isolated area of Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
On Tuesday morning, deputies responded to a call for service in the area of Mount Ord, a remote hiking and camping area between the cities of Mesa and Payson.
Once on the scene, officials located "two deceased individuals," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Officials said they are thoroughly looking at the circumstances surrounding this incident as part of a homicide investigation.
"At this time, our focus is conducting a comprehensive and meticulous investigation to ensure justice for the victims and their loved ones. We are coordinating closely with our law enforcement partners and ask for patience and respect for the investigative process as we work through the facts," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The victims were identified as 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud and an unnamed 17-year-old, the sheriff's office said. At a memorial for the two teenagers, friends and family identified the 17-year-old as Evan Clark, according to ABC Phoenix affiliate KNXV.
In a statement, a representative for Kjolsrud told KNXV the family is "heartbroken to confirm the tragic loss of our beloved Pandora, whose life was taken from us far too soon."
Kjolsrud's mother said her daughter 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."
"She was a friend to many and a beloved daughter. She lived life in a big way and was always up for an adventure," her mother told KNXV on Thursday.
The two teens were students at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, according to a letter the principal wrote to parents on Thursday. The school said it is providing a team of psychologists and counselors on campus to offer support and resources for students.
Authorities said anyone with any additional information regarding this incident should contact the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office at 602-876-TIPS.
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(WALKER, Iowa) -- More than 40 years after a 24-year-old man was killed in rural Iowa, a suspect has now been arrested in connection to his murder through DNA research, according to the Linn County Sheriff's Department.
Michael Schappert, 64, was arrested on Wednesday for the 1983 murder of Ronald Lee Novak, who was brutally killed on Dec. 23, 1983, in rural Walker, Iowa, officials announced on Wednesday.
At the time of the incident, a friend of Novak found him "deceased in an unheated room in his home" after "what appeared to be an apparent robbery and/or burglary," officials said in a press release.
Novak had been beaten, shot in the chest and was found with his hands bound behind his back, officials said. At the time, the medical examiner ruled that Novak "died from a combination of those injuries, shock and hypothermia," officials said.
Over the course of the last 10 to 12 years, investigators have tested DNA on Novak's clothing and a hammer believed to have been used in the attack. The testing eventually led to the identification of Schappert as the suspect, Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Officials said genetic genealogy -- the process of taking unknown DNA and identifying it by comparing it to family members who voluntarily submitted their DNA samples to a database -- "assisted in Schappert's identification." Through testing, investigators were able to narrow the DNA down to three brothers, and did further testing to allow them to determine it was Schappert.
The investigation revealed that Schappert, who now lives in Fairview, Oregon, and others "likely went to Novak's home with the intent to rob him of money and marijuana," officials said. The investigation still remains open as officials said they believe at least one more suspect was involved in Novak's murder.
"By naming a suspect, it may cause other people to now come forward that maybe weren't willing to do so previously, or maybe this has jogged their memory some 41 years later," Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said during the press conference.
Patti Wilson, Novak's sister, told reporters on Wednesday that the investigation has been "a long ride" for the family and she "didn't know if I would ever see this day come."
"You start to give up hope that there will be an answer. I wanted it so bad. We look forward to the trial," Wilson said.
Wilson said her brother was "a little elusive" and they are not sure who he was spending time with when he died, but she said the family did not recognize Schappert.
"We recognize the pain and trauma that Mr. Novak's loved ones have endured for more than 40 years while his murder went unsolved. It takes strength to endure such hardship and to remain hopeful that someday the person or persons responsible would be caught and brought to justice," Gardner said in a statement.
Schappert has been charged with first-degree murder and is currently being held in the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, Oregon, "pending an extradition hearing to be returned to Linn County, Iowa," officials said.
It was not immediately clear whether Schappert has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Officials said anyone with more information related to the investigation or additional potential suspects related to this case should contact the Linn County Sheriff's Office.
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(STONE COUNTY, Ark.) -- The manhunt continues for Grant Hardin, the escaped former Arkansas police chief serving a 30-year sentence for murder and rape, as officials enter their fourth day of search efforts.
Grant Hardin, 56, who has been in prison since 2017 for first-degree murder and rape, escaped the Calico Rock North Central Unit on Sunday at approximately 2:50 p.m., the Stone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Hardin escaped custody through a sally port by impersonating a corrections officer "in dress and manner," which caused another corrections officer "operating a secure gate to open the gate and allow Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News. Officials said during a press conference on Wednesday that Hardin was not wearing an official uniform from the department of corrections and it had to "have been homemade or brought in somehow."
Surveillance footage shows Hardin pulling a cart, which was found abandoned outside the gates of the prison.
Hardin remains at large, with officials saying during a press conference on Wednesday they are "confident he is still in the area" of the prison. On Thursday, the FBI announced it is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Hardin's arrest.
Officials said citizens in Izard County and surrounding counties should "stay vigilant, lock your house and vehicle doors and report any suspicious activity by calling 911 immediately," according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office.
The U.S. Marshals and Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force are also assisting in the search efforts, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals said on Tuesday.
"I am very scared that this guy is going to hurt or kill somebody before this is over with," Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long told ABC News.
Hardin, who was the former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, worked in the prison kitchen, according to a spokesperson from the department of corrections, but it is unclear whether this job involved any access to the sally port he used to escape. He has had no significant disciplinary issues during his time at the prison, and there is no reason to believe anyone aided him in this escape, officials said.
Nathan Smith, the former Benton County prosecutor who helped put Hardin behind bars, told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS the escaped inmate is "a sociopath."
"He has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything," Smith told KHBS.
Hardin is "considered to be extremely dangerous and should not be approached," officials said.
Authorities are using helicopters, drones, K9 officers and ATVs in their search for Hardin. Rugged terrain, densely wooded areas, hills and days of rain have been "hindering the ongoing search," a spokesperson with the department of corrections said. Deputies are continuing to monitor the roadways near the prison and are conducting security checkpoints in the area, officials said. The department of corrections said they are in contact with neighboring states, since Hardin grew up on the Missouri border.
Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, according to The Associated Press.
He was also convicted of the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, a crime highlighted in the 2023 television documentary "Devil in the Ozarks."
Cheryl Tillman, the mayor of Gateway, Arkansas, and Appleton's sister, told KHBS that Hardin is "an evil man" and said his escape is "almost like déjà vu all over again."
Hardin is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 259 pounds.
Authorities said anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.
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