Arkansas teacher charged with killing couple who were hiking in Devil's
Den with their kids
[July 31, 2025]
By ANDREW DeMILLO
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas police charged a 28-year-old
schoolteacher in the killing of a married couple who were hiking with
their children at Devil’s Den State Park, finding him in a nearby city
after a five-day search and public pleas for trailgoers to look through
their photos.
State Police arrested Andrew James McGann at a barbershop in Springdale,
said Col. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the department's criminal
investigation division. He was charged with two counts of capital murder
and was being held Thursday in the state's Washington County jail.
Police announced the arrest at a Wednesday night news conference but
would not discuss a motive. McGann had been hired at Springdale Public
Schools as a teacher candidate for the upcoming year but had not yet
come into contact with any of its families or students, the district
said in a statement.
A lawyer couldn't be located for McGann, and a message was left for a
number listed for him. It was not immediately clear when his first court
appearance was.
“If you commit a violent, senseless act here in our state, our law
enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice, because that’s
what the people of Arkansas frankly deserve,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah
Huckabee Sanders told reporters.
Springdale is roughly 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) north of the state's
remote Devil's Den park, where trails have remained closed since
Saturday's killings.
Police flooded with tips
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead
on a walking trail at Devil’s Den. Their daughters, who are 7 and 9,
were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities
have said.
The State Police have released few details about the investigation,
including how the couple was killed. In the days after the attack,
police released a composite sketch and then a photo of a person of
interest that showed them only from behind. Authorities urged trailgoers
who had been at the park to check their camera rolls for photos or video
that might help point to a suspect.
Rhoads said the public’s help and video footage they received was
instrumental in capturing McGann. Tips came in from as far away as
Washington state, she said.
“It was overwhelming,” she said.
Suspect taught in Oklahoma before Arkansas job
McGann was a teacher at a small Oklahoma school district until May and
then resigned to take a job in another state, according to a statement
fron 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 Sprindale Public
Schools, said Jared Cleveland, the district superintendent. He said the
district could not provide more information, citing the investigation.
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This undated photo provided by the Arkansas State Police shows
Andrew James McGann, 28, of Springdale, Ark. who was arrested in
connection to a double homicide that occurred on Saturday, July 26,
2025, at Devil's Den State Park. (Arkansas State Police via AP)
“Our entire team extends our deepest condolences to the Brink
family. Their children are especially in our thoughts and prayers,”
Cleveland said.
Sierra Marcum said three years ago, her son was a student in
McGann’s fourth grade classroom in Flower Mound, Texas, and
described him as the “most standoff teacher she had ever met.” Her
son’s yearbook includes a photo of McGann.
“Pretty cold. You could ask him a question and he would give you a
one word response,” she said. “Overall just pretty disinterested in
his students.”
Victims had recently moved before hike
Clinton and Cristen Brink 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.
The Brink family said the couple died “heroes protecting their
little girls.”
“Our entire state is grieving for the tragic loss and senseless and
horrific crime that’s taken place in this area,” Sanders said.
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 and the park's
trails lead to the surrounding Ozark National Forest.
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Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden contributed from Seattle.
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