Couple killed at Arkansas' Devil's Den State Park 'died heroes protecting their little girls,' family says
A manhunt remains ongoing Monday for the suspect wanted in the deaths of Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, who were found dead Saturday afternoon on a walking trail. Their young daughters, ages 9 and 7, were uninjured and are safe with family members, police said.
"The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult time as they grieve and learn how to navigate this new reality. They ask that if anyone has any information at all that will help in the investigation to please contact the proper authorities immediately. Clinton and Kristen died heroes protecting their little girls and they deserve justice," read a statement fromthe family provided to ABC News. "They will forever live on in all of our hearts."
The Brinks were new to the area, having recently moved to Prairie Grove, Arkansas, from another state. It is still unclear how they were killed.
ARKANSAS COUPLE KILLED AT DEVIL'S DEN STATE PARK WHILE HIKING WITH YOUNG DAUGHTERS; SUSPECT AT LARGE
Police are now searching for a White male with a medium build, who was seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark ballcap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves. He was also carrying a black backpack, police said.
The suspect was also seen driving toward a park exit in a black, four-door sedan – possibly a Mazda with tape covering the license plate. The vehicle may have been traveling on State Route 170 or 220, police said.
"Investigators are asking those who visited the park on Saturday to check cellphone photos and videos or GoPro camera footage for images of the suspect," read a statement from Arkansas State Police. "They are also asking residents of the area surrounding the park to notify ASP if they have access to security and game camera footage."
2 CAMPING IN MICHIGAN ON REMOTE WILDERNESS ISLAND ARE FOUND DEAD
Arkansas State Police did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
"We're just really hoping that anybody who captured any video or pictures or anything suspicious, just let us know," State Police spokesperson Nick Genty told The Associated Press. "We're investigating any and all tips that we get."
In 911 recordings obtained by KNWA and KFTA, an operator was heard saying that first responders "received a call from the visitor's center, two children are there, they advised that their parents were assaulted" and missing.
"I hear yells calling for help, we're walking down…," the station also quoted an officer as saying on Saturday.
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"Try to relay to the office that we found the victims down here. There are on the lower Devil's Den Trail … I think I see you right there. I've got two bodies down here," said another.
Fox News Digital's Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.
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Cristen Brink witnessed the unthinkable. Then she did the unimaginable. While on a family hike at Devil's Den State Park on Saturday, Cristen's husband Clinton was ambushed and stabbed by an attacker, according to Arkansas State Police. First, investigators say, she ran away with their young daughters to get them out of danger. Then Cristen Brink went back to try to save Clinton. 'The mother did not return all the way to the car with the kids,' said state police Maj. Stacie Rhoads in a news conference Thursday. 'We believe that the mother took them to safety and then returned to help her husband.' Investigators say the suspected attacker – identified as 28-year-old Andrew McGann – killed the parents as their girls, ages 9 and 7, told other adults at the park what happened. McGann faces two counts of capital murder. 'They 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.' A hiker on the trail saw the Brink children and took them to safety, then found the bodies of their parents, according to a probable cause document filed by prosecutors. More time passed before the hiker was able to call 911 and report the deaths because that part of the park has no cell service. Four days after the murders, an intense manhunt ended 30 miles from where it started, with McGann quietly taken into custody at a hair salon. State police say he admitted to the crimes during police questioning. McGann, who has no known adult criminal history, made his first court appearance Friday morning in Fayetteville. He wore a striped jail uniform and did not speak except to acknowledge his name. A judge granted McGann a public defender and ordered him to remain jailed without bond pending his arraignment on August 25. While investigators are releasing more details about the circumstances of the grisly crime, they are still trying to determine why the killings happened. 'We have no reason to believe that there was any known association between our suspect and our victims,' said Carter. 'There's nothing to indicate that at all. It appears to be a completely random event.' At first, the only description of the suspect police had was provided by the children who had just seen their parents attacked. 'All the information that we're working off of started with two little girls that witnessed the most horrific thing that you could ever imagine,' Carter said. But another witness, who saw a man leaving the trail with blood on his face, was able to identify the suspected killer's car, a Kia Stinger, despite tape on the vehicle that investigators believe was designed to obscure the model. Searching Arkansas registration records ultimately led them to make McGann their chief suspect, according to Rhoads. 'Everyone speculates that there was a lot of thought that went into this to conceal his identity,' she said. 'I will say that, on the other side of that, he was also very sloppy.' The same car described in public advisories as the suspect's vehicle was parked in front of Lupita's Beauty Salon & Barber Shop, where a lanky man with stringy blonde hair walked in and asked for a fade. 'Something felt off about him. He looked pretty scary,' stylist Adriana Ruiz told CNN affiliate KFSM Thursday. 'He didn't look like he was okay. He was very timid. His eyes just looked sunken. Kind of like, soulless.' When officers arrived, McGann acknowledged the car was his, according to police. 'Investigators noticed in speaking with McGann that there were several cuts on his hands,' a court document states. Surveillance video shared with CNN by the salon showed McGann did not put up a fight as he was handcuffed. 'He was completely cooperative,' Rhoads said. 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At Donald Elementary in Flower Mound, Texas, McGann 'was placed on administrative leave in the spring of 2023 following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism,' the Lewisville Independent School District said in a statement to CNN. 'An internal investigation found no evidence of inappropriate behavior with students,' the district said. 'The teacher resigned from the district in May 2023.' Later, McGann worked at Plano Independent School District for four days in August 2024. He resigned before the first day of school, the district told CNN. 'All district employees must undergo strict hiring processes and procedures as prescribed by law, including background checks and fingerprinting, to which there were no findings upon the time of his hire,' the district said. Despite understandable concern being raised by McGann's proximity to young students, the prosecutor said they had no evidence of any intention to physically harm the Brinks' daughters. 'From what we know right now, we have no indications that suggest the girls were his target,' Carter said. In addition to McGann's admission of killing the Brinks, state police say his DNA matches blood evidence they collected. 'The defendant in this case is innocent until he's proven guilty, but I am confident that we have the right defendant in this case and that the public need not worry going forward,' said Carter. 'We have absolutely no reason to believe there was anyone else involved,' added Col. Mike Hagar, director of the Arkansas State Police. The lead prosecutor says he will not shy away from pursuing the death penalty if McGann is convicted. 'This case certainly has the aggravators that exist where a jury should get to decide what the punishment for this defendant is. It is my intention to pose that to a jury,' Carter said. 'The state will not be waiving the death penalty in this case.' As the wheels of justice begin their slow turn in the case, officials say their immediate thoughts are to make sure the daughters who witnessed the attack – along with a third daughter who was not at the park on Saturday – get what they need as they move forward without their mom and dad. 'They have very, very strong family support in place,' Hagar said. 'I have no doubt that those three girls are going to be well taken care of.' CNN's Dianne Gallagher, Caroll Alvarado and Stephen Watts contributed to this report.
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Teacher accused in Arkansas double homicide resigned from Plano ISD after only 4 days in 2024, officials say
The 28-year-old man accused of killing a married couple at Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas was employed by Plano ISD for just four days in 2024 before resigning, according to district officials. Andrew James McGann, who is accused of killing Clinton and Cristen Brink, held a teaching position in the North Texas district from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9, 2024. He resigned voluntarily before the first day of school on Aug. 13 and did not have direct contact with students, a district spokesperson said Thursday. Lesley Range-Stanton, Plano ISD's chief communications officer, said McGann passed all required background checks and fingerprinting at the time of hire. "Our deepest sympathies are extended to those whose lives have been impacted by this heinous crime," Range-Stanton said in an email to CBS News Texas. 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"I was shocked and horrified and saddened, but also angry," said Sierra Marcum, whose son was in McGann's class. "Honestly, there were signs that not all was right with Mr. McGann." In August 2022, McGann introduced himself to families at the Lewisville ISD elementary school in a now-deleted Facebook post. Marcum said her son had expressed discomfort with how McGann treated female students, claiming he gave them extra treats and kept some in his classroom alone during recess. "Really, the tipping point for him, I think, was when he overheard Mr. McGann tell one of the little girls, 'If you were older, I would love to marry you,'" Marcum said. "That was the day he came home and started crying." Marcum, however, remains unconvinced by the district's findings. "You drop off your kids every day, and you're entrusting these people," she said. "And we were literally dropping our kids off to a monster. The fact that he was allowed to continue teaching is what blows my mind." Marcum said her son was upset by the news but proud that he spoke up. "He does not care if people think he is a tattletale or a whistleblower or whatever else," she said. "And I hope that's the lesson he takes away — to keep doing that, even if it upsets people and he faces backlash." Lewisville ISD referred all other questions to law enforcement. "Our hearts are with the victims and all those affected by this tragic situation. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority, and we are committed to supporting our school community during this time," the district said in the statement. "So, it really does seem like that the ball was dropped here," said Brandon Hall, a member of the Texas State Board of Education representing District 11. Hall said the case highlights a gap in the system, noting that because McGann wasn't charged with a crime, nothing appeared on his teaching record, making it easier for him to be hired again. "And so a thorough investigation needs to take place. What red flags were seen that prompted that investigation in Lewisville ISD?" Hall added. Hall said Texas has passed laws to improve educator reporting, including Senate Bill 571, which was signed into law in May. The legislation expanded access to the state's Do Not Hire registries and strengthened the Texas Education Agency's authority to investigate misconduct. However, Hall said more can be done to flag teachers with any allegations or history of misconduct. "But no matter what systems we have in place, our ISDs really have to do their due diligence as they're in the hiring process for teachers or any school employee to really dig into their background and make sure that our students are protected," he said. McGann was a teacher at a small Oklahoma school district until May of this year, and then resigned to take a job in another state, according to a statement from Sand Springs Public Schools, which is near Tulsa. It added that McGann had passed all background checks. McGann had not yet started his new job in Arkansas at Springdale Public Schools, said Jared Cleveland, the district superintendent. He said the district could not provide more information, citing the investigation. Law enforcement in Arkansas say McGann is responsible for the murders of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, were found dead on July 26 at Devil's Den State Park in Washington County. The couple was hiking with their two daughters, ages 7 and 9, when they were attacked, state police said. Their daughters were not hurt and are being cared for by family members. State police arrested McGann on Wednesday after a five-day manhunt roughly 30 miles north of the park where the killings took place.
