Arkansas Couple Hiking With Daughters Were Stabbed To Death In 'random' Attack

An Arkansas mates killed Saturday while hiking successful a authorities parkland pinch their 2 young daughters were stabbed to decease successful what appears to person been a random attack, authorities said Thursday.

Investigators judge Clinton David Brink, 43, was attacked first astatine Devil’s Den State Park, and his wife, Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, took nan children to safety. She past “returned to thief her husband," authorities said astatine a news convention Thursday.

Andrew James McGann, a erstwhile coach from Oklahoma, was arrested Wednesday astatine a Springdale, Arkansas, barber shop aft a dayslong manhunt and booked connected charges of superior murder, jailhouse records show.

It’s not clear if McGann, 28, has an attorney.

The couple's children, who are 7 and 9 years old, were not injured and officials do not judge they were nan targets. A motive is unclear.

“That’s still a portion of nan investigation,” Mike Hagar pinch Arkansas State Police said. “I tin show you that we person nary logic to judge that location was immoderate known relation betwixt our fishy and our victims.”

Cristen Amanda Brink and Clinton David Brink.via Facebook

Clinton’s sister, Katrina Hutchins, said nan mates and their children had conscionable moved to nan authorities astir 3 weeks ago.

The family said Clinton and Cristen died “protecting their small girls.”

“They merit justice,” nan family said successful a little statement.

Arkansas State Police had released a sketch of nan fishy aft they were notified of nan deaths soon earlier 3 p.m. Saturday astatine Devil’s Den, wherever trails person remained closed since nan deaths. Authorities said witnesses described seeing a black, four-door sedan pinch portion partially covering its licence plate.

A constabulary sketch of nan Devils' Den State Park execution suspect.Arkansas State Police

Adriana Guadalupe Ruiz Avalos, a barber astatine Lupita’s Beauty Salon successful Springdale, said she had been cutting McGann's hairsbreadth for astir 5 minutes erstwhile a rule enforcement serviceman asked whose achromatic car was parked outside.

She told NBC News that McGann appeared to hesitate earlier answering that it was his. The serviceman asked McGann a fewer questions wrong nan shop, and past took him into custody, she said.

Ruiz Avalos said that because she watches a batch of true-crime documentaries, she made judge to time off his hairsbreadth connected nan floor.

“I cognize constabulary want to person hairsbreadth successful cases for illustration this, truthful I near it there,” she said.

McGann did not talk while getting his haircut and seemed “very reserved, very timid and very shy,” she said.

She said she was “really saddened" by nan deaths. "I’m reasoning astir what those 2 girls went through. … I was conscionable reasoning astir them. I had my hands connected that monster.”

Sprindale is astir 30 miles northbound of nan authorities parkland wherever nan mates was killed.

Arkansas State Police Maj. Stacie Rhoads said that McGann had precocious moved to Arkansas from Oklahoma, wherever he had worked astatine respective schools.

He was hired arsenic a coach astatine Springdale Public Schools successful Arkansas, but had not yet started, a territory administrator said. He did “not astatine immoderate clip travel into interaction pinch Springdale students aliases nan families we serve,” Superintendent Jared Cleveland said successful a statement.

McGann had worked for astir a twelvemonth astatine nan Sand Springs Public Schools successful Oklahoma but resigned successful May to move retired of state, nan territory said.

During nan 2023-24 schoolhouse year, he worked arsenic a fifth-grade coach astatine Spring Creek Elementary School successful Oklahoma. Broken Arrow Public Schools said McGann near astatine nan extremity of nan schoolhouse twelvemonth to activity retired of authorities and had faced nary disciplinary action while employed.

He had passed inheritance checks for his employment successful some Oklahoma districts arsenic good arsenic for nan Oklahoma State Department of Education.

One mother whose boy was successful McGann’s people astatine Spring Creek said nan coach was “awkward astir nan parents” and “struggled to make oculus interaction during parent-teacher conferences.” She said he was “pretty quiet, but each nan kids loved him,” including her son. While astatine nan school, he started a moving nine for students.

He was besides employed during nan 2022-23 schoolhouse twelvemonth pinch nan Lewisville Independent School District successful Texas, a spokesperson said Thursday.

He was placed connected administrative time off successful outpouring 2023 from Donald Elementary School, “following concerns related to schoolroom management, master judgement and student favoritism," nan Texas territory said.

Donald genitor Lindsay Camp Polyak said her boy was periodically taught by McGann. She said she was among parents who had concerns that he wasn’t decently school their children and that immoderate students were falling behind. She besides said she noticed “grooming” behavior.

The territory said successful a connection to nan schoolhouse organization shared Thursday pinch NBC News that an soul investigation “did not find immoderate grounds of inappropriate behaviour pinch a student."

Polyak said that her student told her that "Mr. McGann loves to play tag. He plays tag astatine recess each time pinch nan girls.”

She said her boy besides told her that he would springiness retired candy and typical prizes to female students.

Polyak recalled going to nan schoolhouse for events and seeing female students “flocking astir him.”

“In early May, precocious April, different parents commencement telling maine that he was having typical lunches during nan luncheon break, wherever each nan kids would spell to nan cafeteria, but past he would inquire immoderate of nan typical girls to enactment successful his schoolroom and person luncheon pinch him, which was weird,” Polyak said. “Other moms alleged that he had encouraged immoderate girls to beryllium successful his lap.”

She said parents raised their concerns to nan schoolhouse principal.

In its connection to nan schoolhouse community, nan territory said that its investgation wished that McGann's “classroom guidance and master judgment” was beneath nan district’s expectations, but that location was nary grounds of inappropriate behaviour pinch a student.

He resigned from nan territory successful May 2023.