After a local teacher, Andrew James McGann, confessed to fatally stabbing a couple while they were hiking in Devil’s Den State Park with their two young daughters, the town in Arkansas was left in shock. The 28-year-old McGann was apprehended inside a barbershop in Springdale after a five-day manhunt by State Police.
The attack happened while Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were touring the area with two of their three daughters after moving from South Dakota.
Col. Stacie Rhoads of the Arkansas State Police revealed during a press conference that he did confess to carrying out the killings. It’s what I’d call an admission.
About half a mile into the park, Clinton was assaulted first, then the rest of the family was attacked quite abruptly on the route. Before going back for her husband, Cristen attempted to save their girls and led them to safety, but she was also fatally stabbed.
Whether the youngsters saw both parents die has not been made public by the police. “In my 27 years with the State Police, this is probably one of the most heinous that we’ve had, especially the aspect of just how random it was,” Rhoads said when discussing the incident’s effects on law enforcement. Authorities stress that there is no proof McGann planned the attack or knew the victims.
When surviving family members told another hiker about the incident, the investigation gathered steam and public support was mobilized. Police identified McGann’s car, which had tape covering its registration plate, using a composite sketch and video footage, occasionally from nearby residences and businesses.
Officials said McGann was arrested within an hour of being identified as a suspect. Col. Rhoads made the following observation on the suspect’s behavior and arrest: He was cooperative throughout the arrest and shortly after confessed to killing the couple. The evidence against McGann was further strengthened when his DNA was discovered to match blood at the crime scene.
McGann was currently licensed to teach in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. Although his records showed no public offenses, he had previously been placed on administrative leave in Texas due to issues with professionalism and classroom management.
Sierra Marcum, a parent whose son had previously attended McGann’s fourth-grade class, said that he was distant, aloof, and uninterested in his pupils. McGann had recently accepted a new job offer in Arkansas but had not yet begun work there after another year of teaching in Oklahoma.
He passed all background checks before being hired, according to the school districts involved, and there had been no prior communication from law enforcement about the probe.
Clinton and Cristen were hailed as heroes by the Brink family, who said they died defending their young daughters. Now, family members are taking care of their two surviving kids, who are seven and nine years old. The mother had been a nurse in South Dakota and Montana, while the father had lately begun working as a milk delivery truck.
James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, has been taken into custody by Arkansas State Police Special Agents in relation to a double homicide that took place at Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday, July 26, 2025.89lGYoavm3 https://t.co/wjgOMPF942pic.twitter.com
July 31, 2025, Arkansas State Police (@ARStatePolice)
While the inquiry is ongoing, Devil’s Den State Park is still off-limits to visitors. Authorities told the public that such violence is uncommon in Arkansas state parks, despite the horrifying episode. The state may seek the death penalty at trial, according to Washington County prosecutor Brandon Carter, who added, “Someday they’re going to reopen Devil’s Den State Park and I’ll be on the trail once that happens.”
