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Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Yahoo
Couple slain while hiking with daughters in Arkansas state park, police say
A man and a woman who had recently moved to northwest Arkansas were apparently killed as they hiked in a state park with their school-age daughters, authorities said Sunday. Arkansas State Police identified the victims as Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41. The agency said in a statement that the couple had recently moved to Prairie Grove from out of state. Facebook pages for each, verified by NBC News, say that they have lived in inland California and eastern Montana. Public records place them in Miles City, Montana. State police said the agency was notified of the double homicide in Devil's Den State Park shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday. The park is about 12 miles east of Prairie Grove and about 25 miles south of Fayetteville. "We are heartbroken by today's horrific news from Devil's Den State Park and are in close contact with State Police and the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism as they work to apprehend the suspect," Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Saturday evening on X. She said "law enforcement will not rest" until the killer is found and prosecuted. The victims' daughters, ages 7 and 9, were not harmed and were in the custody of family members, the agency said Sunday. It's not clear whether they witnessed the homicides. A manhunt led by state police is underway. An FBI representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State police said the killer is a man with a medium build who was wearing a dark, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark baseball cap and fingerless gloves. He may have been seen driving toward a park exit in a black sedan, possibly a Mazda, with tape obscuring its license plate number, state police said. Investigators believe the man may have driven on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 nearby. No information about the type of weapon used or a motive was available. The Arkansas State Crime Lab will confirm the manner and cause of death, state police said. Detectives hope cellphone and security video can help them crack the case. They called for anyone at the park Saturday with cellphone or GoPro-style imagery to step forward. The area of the park where the homicides took place was off-limits Sunday as the investigation continues, state police said. The couple's bodies were found on a walking trail, the agency said. It described the area as "remote and rural," a region "where the terrain is rugged, vegetation is thick and there is no cellphone service." A state parks spokesperson said all trails at Devil's Den were off-limits until further notice. Last month, a dedication was staged for a newly renovated campground at the park. Arkansas State Parks describes Devil's Den as "a favorite destination for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians." It is not clear how the double homicide was initially reported. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
7NEWS
28-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Couple slain while hiking with daughters in Devil's Den State Park, Arkansans, in the US south
A US couple have been apparently killed as they hiked in a state park with their school-age daughters. Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, have been identified by Arkansas State Police as the victims. The family had recently moved to Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas, from out of state. Their Facebook pages say that they have lived in inland California and eastern Montana. Public records place them in Miles City, Montana. A double homicide in Devil's Den State Park was reported to police shortly before 3pm on Saturday. The park is about 12 miles east of Prairie Grove and about 25 miles south of Fayetteville. 'We are heartbroken by today's horrific news from Devil's Den State Park and are in close contact with State Police and the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism as they work to apprehend the suspect,' Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Saturday evening on X. 'Law enforcement will not rest' until the killer is found and prosecuted, she said. The victims' daughters, ages 7 and 9, were not harmed and were in the custody of family members, the agency said Sunday. It is not clear whether they witnessed the homicides. A manhunt led by state police is underway. An FBI representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State police said the killer is a man with a medium build who was wearing a dark, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark baseball cap and fingerless gloves. He may have been seen driving toward a park exit in a black sedan, possibly a Mazda, with tape obscuring its license plate number, state police said. Investigators believe the man may have driven on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 nearby. No information about the type of weapon used or a motive was available. The Arkansas State Crime Lab will confirm the manner and cause of death, state police said. Detectives hope cellphone and security video can help them crack the case. They called for anyone at the park Saturday with cellphone or GoPro-style imagery to step forward. The area of the park where the homicides took place was off-limits Sunday as the investigation continues, state police said. The couple's bodies were found on a walking trail, the agency said. It described the area as 'remote and rural', a region 'where the terrain is rugged, vegetation is thick and there is no cellphone service'. A state parks spokesperson said all trails at Devil's Den were off-limits until further notice. Last month, a dedication was staged for a newly renovated campground at the park. Arkansas State Parks describes Devil's Den as 'a favourite destination for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians'. It is not clear how the double homicide was initially reported.
NBC News
28-07-2025
- NBC News
Couple slain while hiking with daughters in Arkansas state park, police say
A man and woman who had recently moved to northwest Arkansas were apparently killed as they hiked in a state park with their school-age daughters, authorities said Sunday. The victims were identified by Arkansas State Police as Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41. The agency said in a statement the couple had recently moved to Prairie Grove, Arkansas, from out of state. Facebook pages for each, verified by NBC News, say that they have lived in inland California and eastern Montana. Public records place them in Miles City, Montana. State police said the agency was notified of the double homicide in Devil's Den State Park shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday. The park is about 12 miles east of Prairie Grove and about 25 miles south of Fayetteville. "We are heartbroken by today's horrific news from Devil's Den State Park and are in close contact with State Police and the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism as they work to apprehend the suspect," Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on X on Saturday evening. She said "law enforcement will not rest" until the killer is found and prosecuted. The victims' daughters, ages 7 and 9, were not harmed and were in the custody of family, the agency said Sunday. It's not clear whether they witnessed the homicides. A manhunt led by Arkansas State Police is underway. An FBI representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State police said the killer is a man with a medium build who was wearing a dark, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark baseball cap, and fingerless gloves. He may have been seen driving toward a park exit in a black sedan, possibly a Mazda, with tape obscuring its license plate number, state police said. Investigators believe the man may have driven on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 nearby. There was no information available on the type of weapon used or a motive. The Arkansas State Crime Lab will confirm the manner and cause of death, state police said. Detectives hope cellphone and security video can help them crack the case. They called for anyone at the park Saturday with cellphone or GoPro-style imagery to step forward. The area of the park where the homicides took place was off-limits Sunday as the investigation continues, state police said. The couple's bodies were found on a walking trail, the agency said. It described the area as "remote and rural," a region "where the terrain is rugged, vegetation is thick and there is no cellphone service." A state parks spokesperson said all trails at Devil's Den were off-limits until further notice. Last month, a dedication was staged for a newly renovated campground at the park. Arkansas State Parks describes Devil's Den as "a favorite destination for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians."
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
A Tahoe snowboarder was 'buried alive' on the slopes. Lawsuit says the resort is to blame
In late February 2023, a major blizzard dumped several feet of fresh powder across Northern California's mountains — dream conditions for many experienced snowboarders like Wesley Whalen. Instead, it turned into the worst-case scenario. Whalen, 46, suffocated to death underneath the deep snow at Heavenly Mountain Resort in Tahoe on March 1, 2023. His widow says the resort is to blame. In a recent lawsuit, Chanel Whalen claims that Heavenly made the extreme conditions even more dangerous and failed to warn visitors or increase safety patrols, causing her husband's death, which the complaint called an "unnecessary and preventable tragedy." The lawsuit, filed last month in El Dorado County's Superior Court and first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, claims that Heavenly increased the risk of sinking into the loose, deep snow by triggering an avalanche not long after the blizzard. The suit alleges that "blasting" the snow to spur controlled avalanches — a regular practice at ski resorts — not only increased the amount of powder, but also hid the natural signs of a loose snowpack by creating the appearance of a solid top layer of snow. "Combining this freshly loosened powder with the practically unheard of levels of precipitation created a significant increased risk of cave-in," the lawsuit said. "Heavenly further failed to warn guests that they had blasted, meaning that even skilled and experienced skiers and snowboarders would have no reason to believe the sink risk was as high as it actually was." The wrongful death lawsuit claims the resort was negligent and demands unspecified damages. Ashlee Lamber, a spokesperson for Vail Resorts, Inc., which owns and operates Heavenly, declined to comment on the case, saying that the company doesn't comment on pending litigation. On the day he died, Whalen — who was described in the complaint as a "skilled and experienced snowboarder" and active in the U.S. Deaf Ski and Snowboard Assn. — was going down a single black diamond trail when he pulled over to the side to stop, the lawsuit said. The attorney representing Whalen detailed what occurred after reviewing footage from a GoPro-style video camera Whalen had on him. "He started to slowly, but consistently sink into the snowpack" with "snow collapsing on top of him," the lawsuit said. "Wesley was buried alive." The lawsuit called the snow that day "deceptively loose" and also said that there was "insufficient ski patrol coverage." Read more: How L.A. snowboarder, with no phone and wearing a hoodie, survived 2 nights in frigid mountains The complaint noted that some reports after his death indicated that Whalen fell into a "tree well," a dangerous dip in deep snow that is known to trap skiers and snowboarders. But the lawsuit said "there were no warnings anywhere about the dangers of tree wells and cave-ins" and the resort should have installed temporary fencing and warning signs, if such dangers were present. The National Ski Areas Assn. warns that skiing off groomed trails increases the risk of having a deep snow or tree well accident, which can be deadly. But the suit claims that where Whalen pulled over was "well within the open trail," and how he died is not part of the inherent risks associated with snowboarding. "Being swallowed by snow as if sinking in quicksand is not intrinsic in snowboarding," the lawsuit said. "Wes was a leader in the deaf community and his wife, Chanel, was his entire world," Mike Guasco, the attorney representing his wife, said in a statement. "His death is an immeasurable loss, one which the community and Chanel still feel acutely. Worse, his death was entirely preventable." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
14-02-2025
- Los Angeles Times
A Tahoe snowboarder was ‘buried alive' on the slopes. Lawsuit says the resort is to blame
In late February 2023, a major blizzard dumped several feet of fresh powder across Northern California's mountains — dream conditions for many experienced snowboarders like Wesley Whalen. Instead, it turned into the worst-case scenario. Whalen, 46, suffocated to death underneath the deep snow at Heavenly Mountain Resort in Tahoe on March 1, 2023. His widow says the resort is to blame. In a recent lawsuit, Chanel Whalen claims that Heavenly made the extreme conditions even more dangerous and failed to warn visitors or increase safety patrols, causing her husband's death, which the complaint called an 'unnecessary and preventable tragedy.' The lawsuit, filed last month in El Dorado County's Superior Court and first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, claims that Heavenly increased the risk of sinking into the loose, deep snow by triggering an avalanche not long after the blizzard. The suit alleges that 'blasting' the snow to spur controlled avalanches — a regular practice at ski resorts — not only increased the amount of powder, but also hid the natural signs of a loose snowpack by creating the appearance of a solid top layer of snow. 'Combining this freshly loosened powder with the practically unheard of levels of precipitation created a significant increased risk of cave-in,' the lawsuit said. 'Heavenly further failed to warn guests that they had blasted, meaning that even skilled and experienced skiers and snowboarders would have no reason to believe the sink risk was as high as it actually was.' The wrongful death lawsuit claims the resort was negligent and demands unspecified damages. Ashlee Lamber, a spokesperson for Vail Resorts, Inc., which owns and operates Heavenly, declined to comment on the case, saying that the company doesn't comment on pending litigation. On the day he died, Whalen — who was described in the complaint as a 'skilled and experienced snowboarder' and active in the U.S. Deaf Ski and Snowboard Assn. — was going down a single black diamond trail when he pulled over to the side to stop, the lawsuit said. The attorney representing Whalen detailed what occurred after reviewing footage from a GoPro-style video camera Whalen had on him. 'He started to slowly, but consistently sink into the snowpack' with 'snow collapsing on top of him,' the lawsuit said. 'Wesley was buried alive.' The lawsuit called the snow that day 'deceptively loose' and also said that there was 'insufficient ski patrol coverage.' The complaint noted that some reports after his death indicated that Whalen fell into a 'tree well,' a dangerous dip in deep snow that is known to trap skiers and snowboarders. But the lawsuit said 'there were no warnings anywhere about the dangers of tree wells and cave-ins' and the resort should have installed temporary fencing and warning signs, if such dangers were present. The National Ski Areas Assn. warns that skiing off groomed trails increases the risk of having a deep snow or tree well accident, which can be deadly. But the suit claims that where Whalen pulled over was 'well within the open trail,' and how he died is not part of the inherent risks associated with snowboarding. 'Being swallowed by snow as if sinking in quicksand is not intrinsic in snowboarding,' the lawsuit said. 'Wes was a leader in the deaf community and his wife, Chanel, was his entire world,' Mike Guasco, the attorney representing his wife, said in a statement. 'His death is an immeasurable loss, one which the community and Chanel still feel acutely. Worse, his death was entirely preventable.'
