Teacher who ‘stabbed parents on hiking trail’ caught after five-day manhunt
Andrew McGann was arrested after five days on the run – Washington County Sheriff’s Office
A 28-year-old schoolteacher has been charged with the murder of a married couple stabbed to death in front of their children after a five-day manhunt.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead on a walking trail at Devil’s Den State Park, Arkansas on Saturday.
They had been out hiking with their daughters, aged seven and nine, who alerted authorities that their parents had been attacked. The girls were not hurt, police said.
Andrew James McGann was arrested at a barbershop in Springdale, some 30 miles from the park, after five days on the run.
He was charged with two counts of capital murder and was being held without bond in the state’s Washington County jail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
Police have declined to discuss a motive for the killings.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were with their children when they were attacked
“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,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas, told reporters.
Mr McGann, a fourth-grade teacher, had recently been hired at Springdale Public Schools for the upcoming year, but had not yet started in his position or come into contact with any of its families or students, a school district spokesperson said in a statement.
The trail has been closed since the incident – Michael Woods
“Our entire team extends our deepest condolences to the Brink family. Their children are especially in our thoughts and prayers,” Jared Cleveland, the district superintendent, said.
The suspect had previously taught at a small Oklahoma school district until May, before resigning to take a job in another state, according to a Sand Springs Public Schools spokesperson.
The statement added that Mr McGann had passed all background checks.
The Brink family said the couple had died as “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,” a spokesperson for the family said.
A lawyer for Mr McGann could not be reached.