Arkansas police release sketch drawing in search for killer at Devil's
Den State Park
[July 29, 2025]
By ANDREW DeMILLO
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas police say the killer of a married
couple who had been hiking the remote Devil's Den State Park with their
young daughters was likely injured during the weekend attack and
released a sketch drawing of a man wanted for questioning.
The composite sketch, which was released Monday night and depicts a man
wearing a baseball hat, was the first image Arkansas State Police have
given to the public as the search for the killer entered a fourth day.
The man in the drawing was described by police as a person of interest
who was seen in the park Saturday.
Authorities have not provided a possible motive or elaborated on how the
couple was killed.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead
on a walking trail. Their daughters, who are 7 and 9, were not hurt and
are being cared for by family members, authorities have said.
Along the with drawing, state police released a statement saying the
suspect “likely sustained an injury while attacking the couple." It did
not go into further detail.
Authorities have asked the public for days to report tips and urged
trailgoers who were at Devil's Den on Saturday to look through their
photos and videos for possible images of the suspect. State police said
they have received “numerous calls” but have released few details about
the investigation.
The suspect may have fled the rugged 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) park,
which has weak cellphone service, in a car on with a license plate
partly covered by tape, state police have said. Authorities have not
provided a possible motive or elaborated on how the couple were killed.
The family had just moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie
Grove in northwest Arkansas, and 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.
“Clinton and Cristen died heroes protecting their little girls, and they
deserve justice,” the Brink family said in a statement.“ They will
forever live in all of our hearts.”
Officials described the suspect as a white male wearing dark shorts, a
dark ball cap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves. He was seen driving
toward a park exit in a black, four-door sedan with a license plate
partly covered by tape.
The car, possibly a Mazda, may have been traveling on State Highway 170
or State Highway 220.
“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 said. “We’re investigating any and all tips that
we get.”
The FBI said its Little Rock field office is assisting state police in
the investigation.
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This composite sketch released by the Arkansas State Police shows a
man seen in Devil's Den State Park, in Washington County, Ark., on
July 26, 2025, whom investigators are asking the public to help
identify in connection with a double homicide. (Arkansas State
Police via AP)
Devil’s Den is located 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 is a short
drive from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Walmart’s
Bentonville headquarters.
On Monday, few visitors were at the park and the trails remained
closed. Rangers had stepped up patrol at Devil's Den, said Shea
Lewis, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and
Tourism.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the deaths “horrific"
and said "law enforcement will not rest until the perpetrator is
brought to justice.”
Danikka Harrell, a nurse at a rehabilitation center in Montana, said
the Brinks had also lived in that state for several years starting
around 2018 and played on a recreational volleyball team. In the
summer, the Brinks would set up a volleyball net at a local park and
encourage people to play, she said.
Harrell said that when she struggled to find child care, the Brinks
allowed her daughter to stay with them “without a thought" and that
Cristen Brink would often bring a plate of food when she brought the
girl back home.
“They were selfless and unconditional with their love and support
for their friends,” Harrell said.
Investigators asked for potential witnesses to review their photos
and videos from the park south of Fayetteville. The bodies of the
couple were taken to the state crime lab, where the manner and cause
of death will be determined.
___
Associated Press writers Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, and John
Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report
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