Arrest made in the killing of a couple hiking in Arkansas with their young daughters
James Andrew McGann, 28, was arrested at a Springdale, Arkansas, business and faces two counts of capital murder, police said.
The deaths of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, are being investigated as a double homicide after their bodies were found Saturday on a walking trail in Devil's Den State Park in northwest Arkansas, state police said, without saying how they were killed. The couple had been hiking with their two young daughters.
The Brinks' daughters, ages 7 and 9, weren't harmed and are safe with relatives, police said. Law enforcement presence was increased at state parks across Arkansas in response to the killings.
CNN is working to determine whether McGann has an attorney.
Police in Arkansas had released a photo and a sketch of a man seen Saturday in the Devil's Den State Park and said they wanted to question him in connection with the deaths. They also asked the public to watch out for a medium-build White male who may have driven a Mazda near the park and to send them any photos or videos from the area that day.
On Saturday afternoon, 'Washington County received a call from the visitor center,' police audio captured by Broadcastify.com says. 'Two children are there. They advised that their parents were assaulted. One was possibly stabbed. The parents are missing.'
The Brinks had recently moved from another state to Prairie Grove, a small town in northwest Arkansas near the Oklahoma border, according to police.
Their family has asked for privacy. 'Clinton and Cristen died heroes, protecting their little girls and they deserve justice. They will forever live on in all of our hearts,' relatives said in a Monday statement.
The killings happened in a part of 2,500-acre Devil's Den State Park with thick vegetation and no cell phone service, police said. The park is known for its rugged natural scenery, with waterfalls, caves and rock formations.
The couple's bodies were found on the Devil's Den Trail, audio from first responders indicates. The 1.5-mile loop of 'moderate' difficulty is one of 11 trails in the park, and its trailhead is close to the park's visitor center.
While searching the trail, first responders heard shouts, scanner audio indicates, though it's not clear from whom.
'I hear yells calling for help. We're walking down,' a first responder says.
'Try to relay to the office that we found the victims down here,' a first responder says. 'They're on the lower Devil's Den Trail. … I think I see you right there. I've got two bodies down here.'
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A Jury Found Tesla Partially Liable for Fatal 2019 Crash Involving the Brand's Autopilot Feature
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A Florida jury ruled that Tesla was partly to blame for a fatal 2019 crash that killed a 22-year-old woman, according to . Lawyers for the woman's family argued that Tesla's Autopilot system should have avoided the crash. The case was the first fatal accident involving Autopilot to go to a jury; Tesla has settled several cases outside of court. A Florida jury ruled that Tesla was partially responsible for a crash in 2019 that killed a 22-year-old woman and left her boyfriend seriously injured, according to The New York Times. Specifically, the jury awarded $59 million in compensatory damages to the family of the woman and $70 million to her boyfriend. The jury also awarded $200 million in punitive damages. The jury found Tesla 33 percent to blame for the crash, and the company will be forced to pay one-third of the compensatory damages. It will also be forced to pay the entirety of the punitive damages. According to the NYT report, the jury placed the rest of the blame on the driver, George Brian McGee, who previously settled with the families outside of court for an undisclosed amount of money. The 19-year-old Naibel Benavides, who was a college student at the time, died on April 25, 2019, after being struck by a Tesla Model S sedan driven by George Brian McGee. McGee had dropped his phone while approaching a T-intersection with Tesla's Autopilot software activated. The NYT report states that he drove through the intersection at more than 50 mph, crashing into the legally parked SUV of Benavides and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, on the other side. It was also reported that McGee's foot was on the accelerator pedal as he approached the intersection, thereby overriding a function of Autopilot that is capable of stopping for objects in the road. The lawyer representing Benavides' family said that data and video from the crash showed that the Autopilot system recognized the parked SUV and at least one pedestrian before the collision. While this particular case was the first fatal accident involving Autopilot to go to a jury, Tesla has settled several cases outside of court. A 2023 study by the Washington Post found that between 2019 and 2023, Tesla's Autopilot system was involved in 736 crashes, 17 of which were fatal. At the time, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated during an interview that he found the name misleading. "I don't think that something should be called, for example, an Autopilot, when the fine print says you need to have your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times," he said. According to the NYT report, Tesla plans to appeal the verdict. "Today's verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla's and the entire industry's efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology," the company said in a statement. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Man at large after allegedly killing 4 family members, leaving baby alive
A manhunt is underway for a 29-year-old man who allegedly killed four people and left their baby alive, Tennessee authorities said. Austin Robert Drummond is considered armed and dangerous following the killings of 38-year-old Cortney Rose, Rose's children 20-year-old Adrianna Williams and 15-year-old Braydon Williams, and Adrianna Williams' boyfriend, 21-year-old James "Michael" Wilson, according to authorities and family. The victims were killed on Tuesday and found along a road in Lake County, in northwest Tennessee near the state's borders with Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky, authorities said. The same day, Wilson and Williams' baby was left in a car seat in a "random individual's front yard" in nearby Dyer County, according to the Dyer County Sheriff's Office and Danny Goodman, district attorney for Dyer and Lake counties. The infant was treated by paramedics and is now safe and being cared for, authorities said. MORE: Teacher charged in Arkansas couple's murder held without bond The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the killings were not random. Investigators believe Drummond knew the victims, Goodman said. Drummond is wanted on four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, the TBI said. "While this was an extremely tragic and violent event," the TBI said on social media, "there was a sign of compassion ... that tells us there's a possibility that Austin may have a sense that there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened." TBI Director David Rausch said authorities believe Drummond is still in the area. Drummond's white 2016 Audi has been found in Jackson, Tennessee, and Drummond has ties to Jackson, officials said. Goodman said Drummond had been out on bond for an attempted murder charge, which stemmed from an alleged incident while he was in prison for attempted robbery. A $15,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his arrest. Authorities urge anyone with information to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Florida Executes Machete Killer of His Wife and Children, Breaking Decade-Long Record for Capital Punishment
Edward Zakrzewski and his wife Sylvia had been going through marital problems; he had told a neighbor that he would rather kill his family than go through a divorceNEED TO KNOW Edward Zakrzewski, 60, was executed by lethal injection in Florida for the brutal 1994 murders of his wife and two young children After committing the murders, Zakrzewski fled to Hawaii, changed his identity, and lived on a religious commune His execution marked Florida's ninth this year, the highest number since 2014A man convicted of killing his family with a machete three decades ago was put to death in Florida on Thursday, July 31, setting the state's record for the highest number of annual executions since the restoration of the death penalty. Edward Zakrzewski, 60, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Bradford County, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE. Zakrzewski and his 34-year-old wife Sylvia had been going through marital problems; he had told a neighbor twice that he would rather kill his family than go through a divorce, according to the court documents. On the morning of Jun 9, 1994, when Zakrzewski found out Sylvia wanted a divorce, he purchased a machete on his lunch break. His day went on as usual, then went home and waited for his family, the court documents said. When his family got home, Zakrzewski first approached Sylvia, knocking her unconscious and strangling her with rope as she was sitting alone in the living room, per the court documents. He then approached his 7-year-old son Edward and killed him with the machete. According to the court documents, he then confronted his 5-year-old daughter Anna, striking her with the machete as she was in the bathroom. Following the murders, Zakrzewski drove to Orlando and took a flight to Hawaii, where he changed his name and lived with a family who ran a religious commune for four months, per the court documents. One day, the family was watching the television show 'Unsolved Mysteries' and saw Zakrzewski's picture, the court documents said. The next day, he turned himself in to local police. Over the years, Zakrzewski's lawyers filed numerous appeals but they were all denied, court documents show. On the day of his execution, Zakrzewski woke up at 5:15 a.m. and had fried pork chops, root beer and ice cream as his last meal, CBS News reported, citing state Department of Corrections spokesman Paul Walker. According to Walker, he had one visitor and 'remained compliant' as he awaited to be its lethal injection, Florida uses a combination of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, the outlet reported, citing the state Department of Corrections. This year, Florida has executed more people than it has in any year since 2014. Zakrzewski was the ninth person to be executed in the state, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Read the original article on People
