Teacher arrested for brutal murder of parents in front of their young daughters at Arkansas' Devil's Den Park

Police have identified the man accused of killing a couple while they were hiking in Arkansas’ Devil’s Den State Park as a 28-year-old teacher. 

41-year-old Cristen Amanda Brink and 43-year-old David Brink were killed while on a hiking trip with their daughters on July 26. Arkansas State Police Director Col. Mike Hagar told reporters in a press conference that the Brinks had been killed from stab wounds, and that a knife was the alleged murder weapon, per Fox News. 

He said that the attack appeared to be random, and there’s no indication that the couple was targeted. "It appears to be a completely random event. We have no reason to believe there was any known association between our suspect and our victims."

Hagar said that DNA gathered from blood at the crime scene was used to link 28-year-old Andrew James McGann to the killings, and that McGann was injured during the attack. "Although everyone is innocent until proven guilty, we did confirm this morning that the suspect's DNA is a positive match to the DNA recovered at the crime scene," he said. 

Hagar said that McGann confessed to the killings. "During an interview with investigators, the suspect admitted to committing the murders. We also executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered items consistent with the crime." Authorities said McGann does not have a criminal history.

McGann had worked within Oklahoma’s Sand Springs Public Schools until May, when he resigned to start a job in another state. A spokesperson for the school district said that McGann had passed all background checks required to be employed in the district. 

Jared Cleveland, the Springdale Public Schools Superintendent, told Fox News that McGann had not yet started his new position in the district at the time of the killings. Cleveland said, "Our entire team extends our deepest condolences to the Brink family. Their children are especially in our thoughts and prayers."

The mother of a former student of McGann told the outlet that she had filed a complaint against him in 2024, alleging that her son had seen McGann acting inappropriately towards female students in his class. McGann was placed on administrative leave and an investigation was conducted into complaints of poor classroom management and professional judgment issues.

The teacher resigned from his role after the investigation concluded that McGann’s classroom management and judgment fell below district expectations, but no evidence on inappropriate behavior towards students was found. 

A school district email to parents stated, "Mr. McGann, on Wednesday afternoon, notified our Human Resources Department of his decision to resign his position, effective immediately. We will have a substitute teacher in his class for the rest of the school year."

Police said that there is no indication that the Brinks’ daughters, ages seven and nine, were targeted in the attack. Authorities believe their mother took the children to safety before returning to help her husband, where she was killed. 

McGann was arrested on July 30 in Springdale, Arkansas while he was in the middle of getting a haircut. He has been charged with two counts of capital murder and his next court appearance is on August 25.