Mother killed in Arkansas stabbings went back to help husband after getting her children to safety, police say

CNN Cristen Brink witnessed the unthinkable Then she did the unimaginable While on a family hike at Devil s Den State Park on Saturday Cristen s husband Clinton was ambushed and stabbed by an attacker according to Arkansas State Police First investigators say she ran away with their young daughters to get them out of danger Then Cristen Brink went back to try to save Clinton The mother did not return all the way to the car with the kids stated state police Maj Stacie Rhoads in a news conference Thursday We believe that the mother took them to safety and then returned to help her husband Investigators say the suspected attacker identified as -year-old Andrew McGann killed the parents as their girls ages and narrated other adults at the park what happened McGann faces two counts of capital murder Andrew McGann Washington County Sheriff s Office They absolutely protected those girls to their fullest extent to the point that it cost them their lives Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter revealed We re in awe of this mom and dad We re also in awe of these girls A hiker on the trail saw the Brink children and took them to safety then uncovered the bodies of their parents according to a probable cause document filed by prosecutors More time passed before the hiker was able to call and summary the deaths because that part of the park has no cell utility Four days after the murders an intense manhunt ended miles from where it started with McGann quietly taken into custody at a hair salon State police say he admitted to the crimes during police questioning McGann and casualties didn t know each other McGann who has no known adult criminal history made his first court appearance Friday morning in Fayetteville He wore a striped jail uniform and did not speak except to acknowledge his name A judge granted McGann a population defender and ordered him to remain jailed without bond pending his arraignment on August While investigators are releasing more details about the circumstances of the grisly crime they are still trying to determine why the killings happened We have no reason to believe that there was any known association between our suspect and our casualties declared Carter There s nothing to indicate that at all It appears to be a entirely random event At first the only description of the suspect police had was provided by the children who had just seen their parents attacked All the information that we re working off of started with two little girls that witnessed the greater part horrific thing that you could ever imagine Carter reported But another witness who saw a man leaving the trail with blood on his face was able to identify the suspected killer s car a Kia Stinger despite tape on the bicycle that investigators believe was designed to obscure the model Searching Arkansas registration records ultimately led them to make McGann their chief suspect according to Rhoads Everyone speculates that there was a lot of thought that went into this to conceal his identity she mentioned I will say that on the other side of that he was also very sloppy The same car described in society advisories as the suspect s wagon was parked in front of Lupita s Beauty Salon Barber Shop where a lanky man with stringy blonde hair walked in and sought for a fade Something felt off about him He looked pretty scary stylist Adriana Ruiz stated CNN affiliate KFSM Thursday He didn t look like he was okay He was very timid His eyes just looked sunken Kind of like soulless When officers arrived McGann acknowledged the car was his according to police Investigators noticed in speaking with McGann that there were several cuts on his hands a court document states Surveillance video shared with CNN by the salon presented McGann did not put up a fight as he was handcuffed He was perfectly cooperative Rhoads mentioned McGann s car was searched and blood was revealed inside according to the probable cause comment After being provided his Miranda warnings he made statements indicating that he had committed the two homicides the document states Learning more about the suspect s background The motive in the killings of Clinton Brink and Cristen Brink remains a mystery investigators say McGann had moved to Arkansas earlier this year and was set to become an elementary tutor in the Springdale Population Schools the district recounted CNN Statements from school districts in Oklahoma and Texas indicate McGann had been a lecturer in three different districts in those states in the past three years At Donald Elementary in Flower Mound Texas McGann was placed on administrative leave in the spring of following concerns related to classroom management professional judgment and scholar favoritism the Lewisville Independent School District reported in a report to CNN An internal probe discovered no evidence of inappropriate behavior with students the district disclosed The lecturer resigned from the district in May Despite understandable concern being raised by McGann s proximity to young students the prosecutor stated they had no evidence of any intention to physically harm the Brinks daughters From what we know right now we have no indications that suggest the girls were his target Carter mentioned McGann faces possibility of death penalty In addition to McGann s admission of killing the Brinks state police say his DNA matches blood evidence they collected The defendant in this scenario is innocent until he s proven guilty but I am confident that we have the right defendant in this scenario and that the community need not worry going forward declared Carter We have absolutely no reason to believe there was anyone else involved added Col Mike Hagar director of the Arkansas State Police The lead prosecutor says he will not shy away from pursuing the death penalty if McGann is convicted This episode certainly has the aggravators that exist where a jury should get to decide what the punishment for this defendant is It is my intention to pose that to a jury Carter explained The state will not be waiving the death penalty in this occurrence As the wheels of justice begin their slow turn in the scenario leaders say their immediate thoughts are to make sure the daughters who witnessed the attack along with a third daughter who was not at the park on Saturday get what they need as they move forward without their mom and dad They have very very strong family aid in place Hagar revealed I have no doubt that those three girls are going to be well taken care of