Arrest made in the killing of a couple hiking in Arkansas with their young daughters

Arrest made in the killing of a couple hiking in Arkansas with their young daughtersNew Foto - Arrest made in the killing of a couple hiking in Arkansas with their young daughters

A man has been arrested in connection with thedeaths of a married coupleattacked and killed while hiking with their two young daughters at a state park in the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas State Police announced on Wednesday. James Andrew McGann, 28, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at a barbershop in Springdale, Arkansas, and faces two counts of capital murder, police said. The deaths of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, are being investigated as a double homicide after their bodies were found Saturday on a walking trail in Devil's Den State Park in northwest Arkansas, state police said, without saying how they were killed. A motive for the killings is still being determined, Arkansas State Police Major Stacie Rhoads said during a news conference after Wednesday's arrest. McGann had recently moved to Arkansas from Oklahoma and secured a job at a local school, Rhoads said. Officials declined to provide specific details about what led to the arrest, citing the ongoing prosecution of the case. The Brinks' daughters, ages 7 and 9, weren't harmed and are safe with relatives, police said. Law enforcement presence was increased at state parks across Arkansas in response to the killings. CNN is working to determine whether McGann has an attorney. "No news can heal the enormous harm done to the Brink family in last weekend's crime, but this announcement is a comfort and reassurance for our State," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Wednesday. Since the weekend, state police had worked with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to track down the suspect and bring "justice to this family," Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said. "Because of their hard work and investigative skill, we were able to take a monster off the streets, and bring relief to those two precious girls, and the rest of our citizens," Hagar said. In dispatch audio around the arrest, officers can be heard saying, "It's going to be a haircut and beauty shop" and, "We're going to have one detained," according to a recording from Broadcastify.com. Officers also identify a vehicle belonging to McGann, and dispatch arranges for it to be towed "to headquarters," according to the recording. Police in Arkansas had released a photo and a sketch of a man seen Saturday in the Devil's Den State Park and said they wanted to question him in connection with the deaths. They also asked the public to watch out for a medium-build White male who may have driven a Mazda near the park and to send them any photos or videos from the area that day. Officials said Wednesday they received an "overwhelming" amount of tips from the public. "A lot of the video footage that we received was instrumental in helping us identify this particular subject," Rhoads said. On Saturday afternoon, "Washington County received a call from the visitor center," police audio captured by Broadcastify.com says. "Two children are there. They advised that their parents were assaulted. One was possibly stabbed. The parents are missing." The Brinks had recently moved from another state to Prairie Grove, a small town in northwest Arkansas near the Oklahoma border, according to police. Their family has asked for privacy. "Clinton and Cristen died heroes, protecting their little girls and they deserve justice. They will forever live on in all of our hearts," relatives said in a Monday statement. The killings happened in a part of 2,500-acre Devil's Den State Park with thick vegetation and no cell phone service, police said. The parkis known forits rugged natural scenery, with waterfalls, caves and rock formations. The couple's bodies were found on the Devil's Den Trail, audio from first responders indicates. The 1.5-mileloopof "moderate" difficulty is one of 11 trails in the park, and its trailhead is close to the park's visitor center. While searching the trail, first responders heard shouts, scanner audio indicates, though it's not clear from whom. "I hear yells calling for help. We're walking down," a first responder says. "Try to relay to the office that we found the victims down here," a first responder says. "They're on the lower Devil's Den Trail. … I think I see you right there. I've got two bodies down here." This is story has been updated with the latest developments. CNN's Diego Mendoza contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

 

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