A 28-year-old schoolteacher admitted killing a couple who were hiking with their two young daughters at a state park in Arkansas, authorities said Thursday.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead Saturday on a walking trail at Devil’s Den State Park. Their daughters, who are 7 and 9, were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities have said.
State Police arrested Andrew James McGann after a five-day search and a flood of tips. He was found in Springdale, a city about a 40-minute drive from Devil’s Den.
Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said authorities are trying to determine a motive for the attack.
Here’s what to know about the case:
Family new to Arkansas
The Brinks had just moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas. Their water had been connected less than two weeks ago, Mayor David Faulk said.
Clinton Brink had been scheduled to start a job as a milk delivery driver Monday in the nearby Fayetteville area, according to Hiland Dairy, his employer. Cristen Brink had been licensed as a nurse in Montana and South Dakota before moving to Arkansas.
Officials said Clinton Brink was stabbed first then the Cristen Brink ushered her children to safety before returning to help her husband. She was also stabbed to death. Authorities have not said if the girls witnessed both their parents being killed.
The Brink family said the couple died “heroes protecting their little girls.”
Suspect is a newly hired teacher
McGann was charged with two counts of capital murder and was being held without bond Thursday.
Washington County prosecutor Brandon Carter said he did not know if McGann has a lawyer or will need a public defender. The Associated Press has left messages at a number listed for McGann.
Hager said police and have no reason to believe McGann knew the couple or their children.
Springdale Public Schools said it had hired McGann for the upcoming year but that he had not yet had contact with families or students.
He has active teaching licenses with no infractions or suspensions in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to government certification websites.
McGann was placed on administrative leave in spring 2023 while he was employed at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, “following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism,” according to a spokesperson for the Lewisville Independent School District. He resigned from the school in May 2023.
McGann was also a teacher at a small Oklahoma school district starting in the summer of 2024 until May.
Tips from the public
Police had urged those who were at the park on the same day to check their cameras for images that could help point to a suspect — and people responded.
Their tips, photos and footage were instrumental in capturing McGann, police said.
Police also released a composite sketch and a photo of a person of interest that showed him only from behind.
Tips came in from as far away as Washington state, said Col. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the state police’s criminal investigation division.
“It was overwhelming,” she said.
A park known for trails and rock formations
Devil’s Den is a 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) state park near West Fork, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, the state capital.
The park is known for its hiking trails and rock formations, and it is a short drive from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Walmart’s Bentonville headquarters. It was selected as a state park site in the 1930s.
The park’s trails, which lead to the surrounding Ozark National Forest, remained closed Thursday.
