Police say a suspect has admitted to a double homicide at a Northwest Arkansas park.
28-year-old Andrew James McGann is accused of fatally stabbing Clinton Brink, 43, and his wife Cristen Brink, 41, on a trail at Devil’s Den State Park Saturday. The couple were hiking with two of their three children, both young girls, who were unharmed in the attack.
In a news conference at Arkansas State Police headquarters in Little Rock Thursday, state police director Col. Mike Hagar said they’re confident they have the right person.
“Although everyone is innocent until proven guilty, we did confirm this morning that our suspect’s DNA has been a positive match to the DNA that we suspected to belong to our suspect at the scene,” Hagar said. “During an interview with investigators, the suspect indicated that he did commit these murders.”
McGann recently moved to the Northwest Arkansas area after stints living in Texas and Oklahoma, and was slated to begin teaching at an area elementary school. He was arrested Wednesday at a barbershop in Springdale, and is facing two counts of capital murder.
The Brink Family were also newcomers to the region, having moved to Prairie Grove from South Dakota. Clinton Brink was set to begin a job as a milk delivery driver, while Cristen Brink had worked as a licensed nurse in Montana and south Dakota.
Maj. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, credited the victims with saving their two daughters from the attacker.
“The information that we have is that the husband was attacked first. The mother did not return all the way to the car with the kids. We believe that the mother took them to safety and then returned to help her husband,” Rhoads said.
Police say they believe McGann acted alone, but did not indicate a possible motive behind the killing. Rhoads said investigators were able to identify his vehicle, a black Kia Stinger, through surveillance camera footage from nearby homes and businesses.
“We used that information to vet various owners, and our suspect was identified. And with that, we sought him out and we located him at a local barbershop there in Springdale,” Rhoads said. “We took him into custody, and with that we spoke to him and he made statements indicating that he had committed these heinous acts.”
News releases from Arkansas State Police said the suspect in the killing had been injured in the attack. Police on Thursday confirmed McGann’s DNA matched blood found at the crime scene, and that items seen in a photo of the suspect were found during a search of McGann’s residence.
Police say the received more than 500 tips from members of the public since Saturday’s killing. Rhoads used Thursday’s press conference to slam social media users for spreading misinformation about the investigation.
“Social media did nothing to help our investigation, I would say that it absolutely hindered our investigation… the hurt and just the emotional toil that social media gave to that family,” she said. “It’s so easy to be that keyboard warrior and question everything that law enforcement is doing… let us do our job. If you’ve got a tip, give it to us. Don’t spread it on social media unless you’re an expert, and if you’re an expert, you’re probably not on social media.”
An investigation, including forensic analysis of McGann’s residence and car, is ongoing. He’s expected to appear in court Friday in Northwest Arkansas.
