Arkansas authorities say the man accused of stabbing an Arkansas couple to death during a family hiking trip is being investigated for potential ties to multiple other unsolved murders across the United States, as reported by Fox News.
Andrew James McGann, a former schoolteacher with positions in several southeastern states, is charged with capital murder in the July 26 killings of Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, and her husband, Clinton David Brink, 43.
The couple was hiking with their children at Devil’s Den State Park in Washington County, Arkansas, when they were attacked.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of murder.
James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, Arkansas, has been arrested & charged with two counts of capital murder in the killings of Clinton David Brink, 43, & Cristen Amanda Brink, 41. The married couple were found… pic.twitter.com/KlnWbKedEJ
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) July 31, 2025
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Arkansas State Police Director Col. Mike Hagar said McGann confessed to the killings, describing the stabbings as a “completely random event.”
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“We have no reason to believe there was any known association between our suspect and our victims,” Hagar said. He confirmed investigators executed a search warrant at McGann’s home and found items linked to the crime.
DNA evidence was also used to connect McGann to the murders.
McGann’s case has drawn the attention of law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin and Vermont.
Authorities in Wisconsin are examining whether there is any connection between McGann and the unsolved October 14, 2020, killing of John Craig Schmutzer, who was stabbed while hiking on the Grottos Trail at Devil’s Lake State Park in Sauk County.
Wisconsin Police are investigating whether Devil’s Den suspect Andrew McGann is linked to the October 14, 2020, murder of John Schmutzer, a 24-year-old hiker stabbed to death on the Grottos Trail at Devil’s Lake State Park.
The attack, like the Arkansas case, was random. pic.twitter.com/TixJZhi60j
— Joseph Morris (@JosephMorrisYT) August 8, 2025
“We’ve received many tips, both from citizens in Arkansas and Wisconsin, regarding the Devil’s Den homicide and the possible connection to our homicide from October 2020,” said Sauk County Detective Sgt. Drew Bulin.
He said investigators are working with Arkansas officials to determine if the similarities between the cases are coincidental or related.
McGann, who grew up in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood, is about three hours from Devil’s Lake State Park. Jail records show he is six feet tall, matching the height description of Schmutzer’s suspected killer.
In Vermont, state police said they contacted Arkansas authorities after learning of the double homicide to see if there could be a link to the October 2023 killing of Honoree Fleming, whose body was found on the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail in Castleton.
VT police reached out to AR police to see if there is a connection between Devil’s Den murder suspect Andrew Mcgann and the ’23 murder of hiker Honoree Fleming.
Honoree’s killer had short red hair, approx 5’10”, wearing a dark gray t-shirt, and black backpack. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/V0Byo37Zne
— Chris Stewart (@CStewartNews) August 7, 2025
“At this time, there is no known link between the suspect in that case and the Honoree Fleming homicide, or to Vermont in general,” Vermont State Police said.
Former Benton County, Arkansas, prosecutor Shane Wilkinson told Fox News Digital that agencies with unsolved hiking trail murders are likely reviewing their cases for potential connections to McGann.
Former homicide detective Ted Williams added that McGann’s alleged actions have “raised a great deal of red flags all over the country,” saying the manner of the attack would prompt any law enforcement agency with a similar stabbing case to investigate him further.
McGann is scheduled for arraignment on Thursday morning in Washington County Circuit Court.
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