The man came at them on a hiking trail in Devil’s Den State Park, out of nowhere, a knife already in his hand. Clinton Brink, 43, was walking with his wife Kristen, 41, and their two youngest daughters, ages seven and nine, on a Saturday afternoon in late July 2025. They had recently moved to Prairie Grove, Arkansas from California, and were still learning their way around the Ozarks. It was supposed to be a normal family hike by the lake.
The stranger attacked Clinton first. Kristen grabbed the girls and pushed them away, telling them to run. Their older daughter was back home, pregnant with the couple’s first grandchild. The two little girls were found uninjured about half a mile into the park.
Police believe their mother hid them somewhere safe and then went back to help her husband. She was killed on the trail trying to save him. The attack was vicious and fast. By the time anyone understood what was happening, both parents were dead from stab wounds, their daughters left orphaned in a state park.
The extended family would later say the couple died heroes protecting their little girls. It was hard to disagree. A witness saw the killer flee the park in a black Kia Stinger sedan. Arkansas State Police launched an area-wide manhunt.
They interviewed witnesses, built a composite sketch, and fielded hundreds of tips from the public. Major Stacy Rhodess said the break came when investigators honed in on the vehicle. Once they identified the Kia Stinger, they started vetting owners. That’s how they found Andrew James Mcan, a 28-year-old man who had recently moved to Springdale, Arkansas.
Andrew was born in Chicago in 1996 and raised in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood. He graduated from Fenwick High School in Oak Park in 2015 and went on to Oklahoma State University, where he earned a degree in 2022. He became a certified educator in Flower Mound, Texas, and taught elementary school in Broken Arrow and Sand Springs, Oklahoma. But his teaching record wasn’t clean.
According to an email shared with CBS News, Andrew was placed on leave in 2023 while complaints were investigated at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound. A parent who spoke anonymously said her daughter reported that Andrew was “very touchy with the girls,” had them on his lap, made comments to them, and kept them back from recess. The parent described him as the most standoffish teacher she had ever met. The issues followed him.
He resigned from the Lewisville School District the same year due to concerns about his classroom behavior. He resigned from the Plano School District in August 2024 after just four days on the job. At the time of the murders, he had been living in Springdale, Arkansas since June 2025, hired as a teacher for the upcoming school year. On July 30, four days after the Brinks were killed, Andrew was taken into custody without incident.
He was arrested at a barber shop in Springdale. He didn’t even get to finish his haircut. The stylist later told 5 News that something felt off about him from the moment he walked in. He kept his head down, long hair covering his face, eyes that looked sunken.
“Soulless,” was the word she used. He only wanted a fade on the sides, refusing to let her touch the top of his head so he could keep hiding his face. A few minutes into the haircut, police pulled up outside. When they asked who owned the black car, Andrew stood in silence.
The stylist saw the officers with evidence stickers and asked if it was related to the Devil’s Den incident. They said it could be. She couldn’t stop thinking about the little girls left behind. Andrew was charged with two counts of capital murder and booked into the Washington County Jail, held without bond.
The Arkansas State Police held a press conference the next day. Colonel Mike Hagar thanked the responding agencies and the public. He said they received about 500 tips through phone lines and social media. He confirmed that DNA recovered at the crime scene was a positive match to Andrew, that the suspect admitted to committing the murders, and that he had acted alone.
They found articles at his residence consistent with the crime. There was no reason to believe anyone else was involved. Major Stacy Rhodess walked through the investigation. Two young children were found at the park and indicated something had happened to their parents on the trail.
A witness gave them information about the suspect and the vehicle leaving the park. They compiled a composite sketch, received dozens of tips, and eventually identified the Kia Stinger. From there, they located the owner. Police found Andrew at the barber shop in Springdale and took him into custody, where he made statements indicating he had committed the acts.
Prosecutor Brandon Carter offered condolences to the Brink family. He acknowledged the three girls who lost their parents. He commended the cooperation between seven to nine different agencies. He assured the public they were safe and that he was confident they had the right defendant.
He made clear his intention: “The state will not be waiving the death penalty in this case. ”
A reporter asked about the motive. Police said there was no known association between Andrew and the Brinks. It appeared to be a completely random attack.
The weapon was a knife. The Brinks died by stab wounds. When asked if the girls were the target, Major Rhodess said, “From what we know right now, we have no indication to suggest that the girls were his target. ”
Andrew himself was injured during the attack.
He lost blood, and that’s how DNA was collected at the scene. The injury allowed investigators to build a DNA profile that matched the suspect. A reporter asked about Andrew’s past as a teacher and whether he was a predator. Major Rhodess said they hadn’t explored that background yet but fully expected other jurisdictions to reach out to see if there were connected cases across the country.
Other agencies did reach out. The Vermont State Police joined the investigation on August 7, 2025, looking into a possible connection to a murder in Castleton, Vermont. In 2023, 77-year-old retired university dean Horry Fleming was shot and killed while walking along the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail. Police described the suspect as a male with short red hair, about 5’10”, wearing a dark gray t-shirt and carrying a black backpack.
No link has been established. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin also joined in, hoping to find a connection to the stabbing death of 24-year-old John Schmutzer. On October 14, 2020, John was stabbed to death while hiking solo at Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. DNA was collected, but no arrest was made.
The only apparent link between the two Devil’s cases was the similar names. Andrew had no adult criminal history. He wasn’t making any attempts to conceal himself. He didn’t hide his car or anything else.
He just stayed in Springdale until police found him. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement: “No news can heal the enormous harm done to the Brink family in last weekend’s crime. This announcement is a comfort and reassurance for our state. I’m so proud of the Arkansas State Police, park rangers, local law enforcement, and others who have worked non-stop since last weekend to capture this suspect.
Let there be no mistake. We do not tolerate violent crime in Arkansas. If you target innocent people, law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice. ”
Colonel Hagar became emotional when he spoke about the arrest: “Because of their hard work and investigative skill, we were able to take a monster off the streets and bring relief to Clinton and Kristen’s precious girls and to the rest of citizens of Arkansas.
”
On August 14, 2025, Andrew pleaded not guilty to his charges. State prosecutors stated their intention to seek the death penalty. Prosecutor Carter said, “I anticipate this will be a lengthy litigation. The state is going to pursue the death penalty in this case.
I’ve never been involved in a death penalty case that didn’t last multiple years. ” Andrew is due back in court on November 14, 2025. Officials may seek a gag order due to the notoriety the case is receiving. He is being represented by public defenders Catherine Street and James Wyatt.
As of October 2025, police have yet to establish a motive. There is nothing linking Andrew to the Brink family. It may have been a completely random attack, which makes the idea of just living your life and enjoying nature even more frightening. A celebration of life was held for Clinton and Kristen Brink on August 18, 2025, at Grace Baptist Church in Bakersfield, California.
The couple was remembered as devoted to one another, devoted to their girls, and devoted to God. A GoFundMe was created to help lay them to rest and support their children. It raised nearly $98,000 of its $120,000 goal from over a thousand donations. Their shared obituary said it best: “They leave behind not just the legacy of a loving marriage and family, but a ripple of kindness, strength, and joy that will be felt for generations.
In their lives and in their passing, Clinton and Kristen were heroic, not for grand gestures, but for the everyday acts of love that changed the lives of everyone they touched. “
