Springdale, Ark. (KATV) — They were doing what so many families do: spending a summer afternoon in the beauty of nature.
Clinton David Brink and Cristen Amanda Brink—devoted parents, partners in life—had taken their daughters to Devil’s Den State Park, one of Arkansas’s most treasured natural escapes.
But sometime during that hike, in one of the most remote stretches of the trail, something went terribly wrong.
Authorities say the couple was brutally attacked—killed in front of their daughters.
Witnesses reported a car speeding out of the area—a black four door Mazda with the license plate tapped over.
The warning went out: this suspect could be anywhere.
The family, in a quiet statement, asked for space to grieve. But they wanted the world to know: Clinton and Cristen didn’t just die. They died protecting. Heroes to the end saying quote: “They deserve justice. They will forever live on in all of our hearts.”
Authorities release a picture of the suspect at the park – describing him as a white man, medium build, with long sleeves, and fingerless gloves.
- Wednesday — A Break in the Case
Then—after days of searching—an arrest. A 28-year-old James Andrew McGann of Springfield was taken into custody. He was at Lupita’s Beauty Salon and Barber Shop on Huntsville Avenue in Springdale.
Police aren’t revealing much. His motive, still unclear. But they believe he acted alone. And now, he faces two counts of capital murder.
In the press conference Wednesday night, authorities said McGann had recently moved to Arkansas from Oklahoma and accepted employment to work at a local school in the area.
The trails at Devil’s Den remain quiet.
The daughters, now with family, are safe. But their journey—one no child should ever walk—has only just begun.
And those who knew Clinton and Cristen say they were kind, grounded, full of faith. The kind of people who loved their girls more than anything else.
And so tonight, in the stillness of those woods, a reminder of both unimaginable cruelty and extraordinary love. A mother, a father—who used their final breath not to run but to protect. Their legacy now lives in the two little girls who survived. And in a community determined to carry them forward.
