Share and Follow
An Arkansas teacher has been arrested in connection with the death of a couple who was killed while hiking with their two young daughters at Devil’s Den State Park.
Andrew James McGann, 28, was taken into custody just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday July 30 at a business in Springdale, Arkansas, according to the Arkansas State Police, whose special agents made the arrest.
What is Andrew James McGann charged with?
McGann has been charged with two counts of capital murder in for the deaths of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41. The couple — who had recently moved to Arkansas from another state — were hiking with their daughters, ages 7 and 9, on Saturday June 26 when they were “fatally attacked” along a park walking trail.
The young girls were unharmed during the violence and are now safe with family members, authorities said.
“No news can heal the enormous harm done to the Brink family in last weekend’s crime, but this announcement is a comfort and reassurance for our state,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement after the arrest.
She added, “Let there be no mistake — we do not tolerate violent crime in Arkansas. If you target innocent people, law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
Arkansas State Police Major Stacie Rhoads said at a news conference Wednesday that authorities are still trying to determine a motive in the killings, CNN reported. The news out also reported that the arrest happened at a salon while McGann was in the middle of getting a haircut.
Who is Andrew James McGann?
McGann had recently moved from Oklahoma and secured a job at a local school in Arkansas, according to Rhoads.
While living in Oklahoma, McGann worked as a fifth-grade teacher at Spring Creek Elementary School during the 2023-2024 school year and left “on his own accord” to take a job in another state, a rep for Broken Arrow Public Schools told Oklahoma station FOX23.
The Broken Arrow spokesperson added that McGann “passed the required background checks” prior to his employment there.
What happened to Clinton and Cristen Brink?
The Brink family was hiking in Devil’s Den State Park on July 26 when Clinton and Cristen were attacked along a trail and killed.
“Clinton and Cristen died heroes, protecting their little girls and they deserve justice,” read a statement released by the victims’ family on July 28. “They will forever live on in all of our hearts.”
The assailant was described as a white male with a medium build, who was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, dark pants, a dark baseball cap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves, authorities said.
The suspect was seen driving toward the park’s exit in a black, four-door sedan with a license plate that had been covered by electrical or duct tape.
In the days following the killings, Arkansas State Police released a photo of the suspect from behind along with a sketch of the man’s face.
Rhoads said that authorities received an “overwhelming” number of tips that led them to take McGann into custody.
“A lot of the video footage that we received was instrumental in helping us identify this particular subject,” she noted at the news conference.
After the arrest, Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar thanked law enforcement officers for their “long hours and dedication” during the five-day manhunt.
“The collaboration between State Police, other state and local law enforcement agencies, and our federal partners has been second to none,” he said in a statement after the arrest. “Because of their hard work and investigative skill, we were able to take a monster off the streets, and bring relief to those two precious girls, and the rest of our citizens.”
