What began as a peaceful family hike at Devil’s Den State Park ended in horror and the accused killer’s past is now under a troubling spotlight.
A Shocking Attack on the Trail
On July 26, Clinton Brink, 43, and his wife Cristen, 43, were hiking with their two young daughters in northwest Arkansas when they were allegedly ambushed by Andrew James McGann.
Investigators say McGann fatally stabbed Clinton as the father tried to fight him off. Cristen rushed her daughters, ages 7 and 9, to safety before returning to help her husband, only to be stabbed herself. Both parents were fatally stabbed during the attack.
The girls ran to the park’s visitor center for help, triggering a massive four-day manhunt.
The Arrest — Mid Haircut
On July 30, the search ended in an unexpected place: Lupita’s Beauty Salon and Barber Shop in Springdale, 35 miles from the park.
Witnesses say McGann, 28, walked in disheveled and asked for a haircut. Moments later, police stormed in and arrested him while he was still wearing the barber’s cape.
Arkansas investigators said McGann confessed to the killings during questioning. He is charged with two counts of capital murder and is scheduled to be arraigned on August 14. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.
Alarming Allegations From His Teaching Past
In the days following his arrest, disturbing claims emerged about McGann’s career as an elementary school teacher in Texas and Oklahoma.
At Donald Elementary in Flower Mound, Texas, parents accused McGann of inappropriate interactions with young girls, including tickling, asking them to sit on his lap, and keeping some in his classroom during recess.
The Lewisville Independent School District placed him on administrative leave in spring 2023, citing concerns about “classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism.” An internal investigation found no evidence of inappropriate behavior, and McGann resigned in May 2023.
He then taught fifth grade at Spring Creek Elementary in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, during the 2023–24 school year before voluntarily resigning to work out of state.
Parents Say They Were Kept in the Dark
Some parents claim they were never informed about the allegations from his past.
“It’s crazy,” said Gloria Blasdel, whose son Jack was in McGann’s fifth-grade class at Spring Creek Elementary. “We were both shocked at the news… When [my son] saw that he’d covered his license plate, he knew it had to be true.”
Blasdel said her family now feels “pretty weird about the situation,” even though she never had a strange interaction with him herself.
The Brinks’ New Beginning Cut Short
Clinton and Cristen had recently moved from South Dakota to Arkansas to be closer to family. Friends say they were excited to start fresh in their new community.
Now, those who knew them are left mourning and the couple’s two daughters face an unthinkable loss.
What’s Next
McGann had been hired by Springdale Public Schools in Arkansas for the 2025–26 school year but had not yet begun employment or come into contact with students.
Instead, he awaits trial for a crime that has stunned the state — one that took the lives of two parents on what should have been a simple summer hike.