Alleged Devil's Den killer investigated in multiple unsolved murders across US that have one thing in common
Arkansas State Police allege Andrew James McGann killed Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, and Clinton David Brink, 43, while the couple was taking their children hiking at Devil's Den State Park in Washington County, Arkansas. McGann is due in court Thursday morning to be arraigned on capital murder charges.
Col. Mike Hagar, Arkansas State Police director, said McGann confessed to the killings, adding they were stabbed to death in a "completely random event."
"We have no reason to believe there was any known association between our suspect and our victims," Hagar said. "During an interview with investigators, the suspect admitted to committing the murders. We also executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered items consistent with the crime."
Hagar said DNA was used to link McGann to the couple's death.
McGann, who has held several schoolteacher positions in the Southeast over several years, is also being looked at for possible involvement in the murders of people in Vermont and Wisconsin.
A detective from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin told Fox News Digital his agency has received tips regarding a "possible connection" between the July 26 incident and a separate Oct. 14, 2020, incident in Devil's Lake State Park, where John Craig Schmutzer was stabbed while hiking on the Grottos Trail.
The detective said police are trying to determine if there's any link between McGann and the death of Schmutzer.
"We've received many tips, both from citizens in Arkansas and Wisconsin, regarding the Devil's Den Homicide and the possible connection to our homicide from October 2020," Det. Sgt. Drew Bulin told Fox News Digital. "We've been in contact with Arkansas investigators and will be working to determine if the similarities are a coincidence or if there is something more."
According to ABC 7 News, McGann grew up in Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood, which is about three hours from Devil's Lake State Park.
The Sauk County Sheriff's Office said Schmutzer's killer was roughly 6 feet tall with a "slender to average build." Jail records from Washington County, Arkansas, indicate McGann is 6 feet tall.
The Vermont State Police said in an Aug. 7 press release that detectives reached out to law enforcement in Arkansas to discuss the death of Honoree Fleming, whose body was found on the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail in Castleton.
"After the Vermont State Police learned of the recent double homicide of a couple on a hiking trail in Arkansas and the arrest of a suspect, VSP detectives took the routine step of contacting their counterparts in Arkansas to discuss the case," the Vermont State Police wrote. "At this time, there is no known link between the suspect in that case and the Honoree Fleming homicide, or to Vermont in general."
Shane Wilkinson, a criminal defense attorney and former chief deputy prosecutor of Benton County, Arkansas, told Fox News Digital he thinks law enforcement agencies with unsolved hiking murders are likely taking a look at McGann.
"I think anybody that has an unsolved hiking trail murder, they're probably taking note of this right now," Wilkinson said.
Former homicide Det. Ted Williams told Fox News Digital McGann's alleged murder has "raised a great deal of red flags all over the country."
"I would have to believe not only are law enforcement in Wisconsin and Vermont interested in McGann. But they also interested him all over this country because of the manner in which he was alleged to have stabbed this couple to death," Williams said. "And the manner in which he stabbed this couple there in Devil's Den State Park would lead any law enforcement agency that has a similar situation, where someone has been stabbed to death, to definitely wanna look into Andrew McGann."
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Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Alleged Devil's Den killer investigated in multiple unsolved murders across US that have one thing in common
The man accused of killing a married couple while they were on a hiking trip with their kids in Arkansas July 26 is being looked at for possible involvement in other murders. Arkansas State Police allege Andrew James McGann killed Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, and Clinton David Brink, 43, while the couple was taking their children hiking at Devil's Den State Park in Washington County, Arkansas. McGann is due in court Thursday morning to be arraigned on capital murder charges. Col. Mike Hagar, Arkansas State Police director, said McGann confessed to the killings, adding they were stabbed to death in a "completely random event." "We have no reason to believe there was any known association between our suspect and our victims," Hagar said. "During an interview with investigators, the suspect admitted to committing the murders. We also executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered items consistent with the crime." Hagar said DNA was used to link McGann to the couple's death. McGann, who has held several schoolteacher positions in the Southeast over several years, is also being looked at for possible involvement in the murders of people in Vermont and Wisconsin. A detective from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin told Fox News Digital his agency has received tips regarding a "possible connection" between the July 26 incident and a separate Oct. 14, 2020, incident in Devil's Lake State Park, where John Craig Schmutzer was stabbed while hiking on the Grottos Trail. The detective said police are trying to determine if there's any link between McGann and the death of Schmutzer. "We've received many tips, both from citizens in Arkansas and Wisconsin, regarding the Devil's Den Homicide and the possible connection to our homicide from October 2020," Det. Sgt. Drew Bulin told Fox News Digital. "We've been in contact with Arkansas investigators and will be working to determine if the similarities are a coincidence or if there is something more." According to ABC 7 News, McGann grew up in Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood, which is about three hours from Devil's Lake State Park. The Sauk County Sheriff's Office said Schmutzer's killer was roughly 6 feet tall with a "slender to average build." Jail records from Washington County, Arkansas, indicate McGann is 6 feet tall. The Vermont State Police said in an Aug. 7 press release that detectives reached out to law enforcement in Arkansas to discuss the death of Honoree Fleming, whose body was found on the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail in Castleton. "After the Vermont State Police learned of the recent double homicide of a couple on a hiking trail in Arkansas and the arrest of a suspect, VSP detectives took the routine step of contacting their counterparts in Arkansas to discuss the case," the Vermont State Police wrote. "At this time, there is no known link between the suspect in that case and the Honoree Fleming homicide, or to Vermont in general." Shane Wilkinson, a criminal defense attorney and former chief deputy prosecutor of Benton County, Arkansas, told Fox News Digital he thinks law enforcement agencies with unsolved hiking murders are likely taking a look at McGann. "I think anybody that has an unsolved hiking trail murder, they're probably taking note of this right now," Wilkinson said. Former homicide Det. Ted Williams told Fox News Digital McGann's alleged murder has "raised a great deal of red flags all over the country." "I would have to believe not only are law enforcement in Wisconsin and Vermont interested in McGann. But they also interested him all over this country because of the manner in which he was alleged to have stabbed this couple to death," Williams said. "And the manner in which he stabbed this couple there in Devil's Den State Park would lead any law enforcement agency that has a similar situation, where someone has been stabbed to death, to definitely wanna look into Andrew McGann."
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Key questions in Arkansas couple's killing remain unanswered as suspect is set to appear in court
Even though Andrew James McGann is sitting in jail accused of the ghastly double murder of parents who were hiking at a state park in the Ozark Mountains, several key questions linger about why they were killed. The former teacher, who fled after the July 26 attack, was arrested after a dayslong manhunt while he was mid-snip at a hair salon in Springdale, Arkansas, about 30 miles north of Devil's Den State Park. McGann, 28, faces two counts of capital murder and is being held without bond, according to police and jail records. He is being held at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville. His attorneys declined to comment on the case. As McGann is set to be arraigned Thursday, here are some of the key questions about the fatal stabbing that remain unanswered: While McGann admitted to killing Cristen Brink, 41, and her husband Clinton Brink, 43, during an interview with investigators, why he allegedly did it remains a mystery. Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar previously said the killings appeared to be 'a completely random event' because there's 'absolutely no indication, no reason whatsoever to believe there was any connection at all' between the Brinks and McGann. McGann had recently been hired as a 'teacher candidate' by Springdale Public Schools, according to a district spokesperson, but had not yet started working there. State records show he is currently licensed to teach elementary and middle school grades in at least three states: Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Most recently, he was a fifth-grade teacher in the Sand Springs Public Schools in Oklahoma, just west of Tulsa, according to the district. The couple and two of their daughters were hiking at the 2,500-acre Devil's Den State Park in northwest Arkansas when McGann approached them, police said. The park has thick vegetation and little to no cell phone service. Clinton Brink was first ambushed by McGann, police said, and after witnessing the attack, Cristen Brink ran away with her daughters, ages 7 and 9. The mother returned to help her husband, Arkansas State Police Maj. Stacie Rhoads said during a news conference, but she lost her life, too. 'They (the Brinks) absolutely protected those girls to their fullest extent, to the point that it cost them their lives,' Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter said. 'We're in awe of this mom and dad. We're also in awe of these girls.' At some point, a hiker on the trail saw the Brink children and found the bodies of their parents, according to a probable cause document filed by prosecutors. It's unclear how much time passed before the hiker was able to call 911 and report the deaths due to the lack of cell phone service in that area of the park. The couple's bodies were found on the Devil's Den Trail, audio from first responders indicated. While searching the trail, first responders heard shouts, scanner audio indicates, though it's not clear from whom. Authorities obtained a photo of a suspect and later, items seen in that photo were found during a search of McGann's home, along with knives, Rhoads said. However, it is unclear if the weapon used in the crime was among the collected items, Rhoads added. Officials have also not said what weapon they believe McGann used in the stabbing. Authorities launched an intense manhunt for McGann that ended four days after the murders when he was quietly apprehended at a hair salon. But it's unclear what may have led authorities to the hair salon. The information needed to track down the suspect 'all started with those two little girls,' said Hagar, the police chief. At first, the only description of the suspect police had was provided by the children who bore witness to the gruesome attack. But McGann was injured in the ordeal, resulting in blood loss, which allowed investigators to establish a DNA profile, officials said. The Brinks' daughters were not harmed and are safe with relatives, police have said. The Brinks also have a third daughter who was not on the trail with them that day, authorities said. The family had recently moved from another state to Prairie Grove, a small town in northwest Arkansas near the Oklahoma state line, according to police. Their relatives asked for privacy in a statement before McGann was arrested. 'Clinton and Cristen died heroes, protecting their little girls and they deserve justice. They will forever live on in all of our hearts,' their relatives said. Next month the Prairie Grove community is slated to host a community fundraiser to support the Brink family, Prairie Grove Mayor David Faulk told CNN affiliate KTHV. The money raised from the event will go directly to the Brink children in an effort to give them 'a breath of fresh air' and can be 'one less thing they have to worry about,' he said. 'No matter what, there's going to be a stigma in the back of their mind that they will remember this is the place that they've lost their parents,' Faulk said, adding he hopes the Brink girls also remember Prairie Grove was a place where the community came together and supported them. CNN's Dianne Gallagher, Andy Rose, Dalia Faheid, Rebekah Riess and Hanna Park contributed to this report.
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
Mother tried to save family before deadly Devil's Den attack, police say
The Arkansas State Police conveyed additional information on July 30 regarding the arrest of James Andrew McGann for the deaths of Clinton and Cristen Binks at Devil's Den State Park during a press conference in Little Rock. Witnesses to a 'Horrific thing' 'This all started with two little girls who witnessed the most horrific thing that you could ever imagine,' said Maj. Stacie Rhoads, Arkansas State Police criminal investigation division commander. "That was the basis of everything that we had, so we had to be careful about relying solely on that information." The daughters were alone in the state park on July 26, 2025, before hikers found them about an hour after the attack. The state police responded to a call for service at the state park after the two children were found, and indicated that something had happened to their parents on the trail. The children, ages 7 and 9, were the initial witnesses to the crime that took the lives of their parents in the Northwest Arkansas state park. 'Our estimation that the crime scene was about half a mile into the park," Rhoads said. "The mother did not return to the car with the kids. We believe that the mother took them to safety and then returned to help her husband.' That was the initial information given to the state police and the starting point for the description of a suspect. It was nearly four hours before the State Police released any information, as they looked for a suspect and the car. The public provided approximately 500 images and videos, including cell phone footage, home security footage, and business security footage, which advanced the investigation by giving ASP a starting point to move forward. Hagar said that the images and videos led to McGann being brought into custody on July 29 in Springdale. Civilian personnel were tasked with triaging the tips and ensuring they were directed to the appropriate investigators. Another witness at the park provided the state police with additional information about the suspect, including a particular vehicle he was seen leaving the park in. 'We started from there. We had a pretty good description of our suspect. We did our initial release, and other witnesses came forward who were on the trail during the time the murders occurred,' said Rhoads. 'They didn't see murders, but they provided video footage and photographs. From that, the investigators interviewed witnesses and were able to compile a composite sketch of what the investigators believed the suspect looked like. Keying in on the Kia With the initial vehicle information, investigators began with a description of a black sedan. One initial description said that it was 'sporty.' Working from that, investigators looked at close to 10 videos of this particular car from the homes and businesses along the routes in and out of the park. They were able to ascertain a 'pretty good description' of the vehicle. 'That description became critical in identifying our suspect. When we got those tips, we had something to compare them with. Did they have a black vehicle? Did they meet a certain criterion for vehicles? As we began to hone in on the vehicle, it became clear that it was a Kia Stinger,' Rhoads said. 'We used that information to vet various owners, and our suspect was identified. With that, we sought him out and located him at a barber shop in Spingdale, and we took him into custody.' DNA matching Law enforcement located the suspect's Kia at Lupita's Salon and Barbershop in Springdale. They entered the establishment, identified themselves, and made a general inquiry as to the ownership of the vehicle parked outside the shop. McGann indicated he was the owner. As the investigators spoke with McGann, they noticed he had several cuts on his hands. McGann was detained and provided consent for investigators to enter his vehicle. Once inside, they observed a substance that appeared to be blood. Because of the significant blood found at the crime scene and the wounds on his hands, the investigators seized and transported the Kia to the state police headquarters. McGann was arrested at that point. The state police executed a search warrant on his house and vehicle. They're still awaiting additional testing from the state crime lab, but the initial DNA tests from the crime and McGann's car were a match. There were articles found in McGann's that were consistent with being involved in the crime at Devil's Den. Col. Mike Hagar, secretary of public safety and director of the ASP, added that the state police investigators believed McGann acted alone and don't anticipate any other arrests beyond the suspect. 'I believe he was injured. I do not know the specifics of those injuries,' Rhoads said. 'I do know that his injuries resulted in blood loss, and it was that blood loss that allowed us to establish a DNA profile to begin with, and it was that DNA profile that was matched today against our suspect.' The investigators also found items that were consistent with what was seen in the photograph released by the state police. Rhoads added that knives were collected from the residence, but they won't know if any of them were the murder weapon until they're tested. McGann's admission During an interview with the investigators, the suspect indicated that he did commit the murders at Devil's Den. 'The defendant in this case is innocent until he's proven guilty. The public doesn't need to worry going forward,' said Brandon Carter, prosecuting attorney for Washington County. 'In this case, the public doesn't need to worry going forward. Someday, they're going to open Devil's Den State Park, and I'll be on the trail myself. When that happens, the defendant will be spending time in Washington County Circuit Court over the coming days. It's my full intention to use the full weight of my office to bring this defendant to justice for the Brinks family. 'This case certainly has the aggravators that exist where a jury should get to decide what the punishment for this defendant should be. I intend to pose that to a jury, so the state will not be waiving the death penalty in this case.' Collaboration at every level 'The amount of time, effort, and energy that goes into an investigation like this… you can see it on their face,' said Mike Hagar, secretary of public safety and the director of the Arkansas State Police. 'When we walked into headquarters last night and had the opportunity to talk and thank them in person, we could see that they were absolutely exhausted. They put every bit of their heart and soul into this investigation. To get this suspect brought into custody and taken off the streets, and I cannot thank them enough for that.' Hagar expressed that the law enforcement agencies from the local to the state level share an unprecedented level of coordination that's 'second to none.' 'This is not always common, and that's unfortunate,' Hagar said. 'There was an incredible amount of cooperation and collaboration that went into this investigation. No part is less than any other part. In every case, we worked within the state police to have that partnership with them, which is valuable.'
