Crime  | 

Suspect in Hiker Murders Arrested in Middle of Haircut

Andrew McGann, 28, is a schoolteacher
Posted Jul 31, 2025 6:29 AM CDT
Suspect in Hiker Murders Arrested in Middle of Haircut
This undated photo provided by the Arkansas State Police shows Andrew James McGann, 28, of Springdale, Ark.   (Arkansas State Police via AP)

Police have made an arrest in the horrific double homicide of a married couple hiking with their young daughters, but they haven't divulged much more about the suspect or an apparent motive. What is known so far:

  • Authorities arrested James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, Arkansas, about 5pm Wednesday at a Springdale barbershop on Wednesday. He was arrested in the middle of a haircut, reports 40/29 News. Authorities also towed away a black sedan. Witnesses described seeing a black car the day of the killings with duct tape over its license plate.
  • McGann is charged with two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, per the New York Times. Springdale is about 30 miles from the remote Devil's Den hiking trail where the couple was killed on Saturday. The couple's children, ages 7 and 9, were not harmed.

  • McGann is a schoolteacher, reports the AP. He had a new job lined up with Springdale Public Schools but had not started yet or had any contact with students. McGann had worked at a small school district in Oklahoma before resigning in May to take the new job.
  • Three years ago, he was a fourth-grade teacher in Flower Mound, Texas, and a parent there tells the AP he was "the most standoff teacher" she ever met. "Pretty cold. You could ask him a question and he would give you a one word response," she said. "Overall just pretty disinterested in his students."
  • Tony Brueski of the Hidden Killers podcast tells News Nation that he spoke to a couple who appear to have encountered the suspect on the same hiking trail Saturday. He was by himself, clad all in black, and gave them what the story characterizes as a "death stare." Said Brueski: "They could sense a bad energy coming off of the guy."

Read These Next
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X