Police are searching for a suspect after a couple was attacked and killed while hiking with their two young daughters at a state park in Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead on a walking trail in Devil’s Den State Park in northwest Arkansas, state police said in a statement. Investigators didn’t say how the couple was killed but noted their deaths are being investigated as a double homicide.
“Washington County received a call from the visitor center,” said police radio audio captured by Broadcastify.com. “Two children are there. They advised that their parents were assaulted. One was possibly stabbed. The parents are missing.”
Their daughters, ages 7 and 9, were unharmed and are now safe with family members, police said.
The Brinks had recently moved from another state to Prairie Grove, a small town in northwest Arkansas near the Oklahoma border, according to police.
The 2,500-acre Devil’s Den State Park is known for its rugged natural scenery filled with waterfalls, caves and rock formations, according to Arkansas State Parks. The killings happened in an area of the park with thick vegetation and “no cellphone service,” police said.
Audio from first responders indicates the couple’s bodies were found on the Devil’s Den Trail, a 1.5-mile loop with “moderate” difficulty, according to a guide from Arkansas State Parks. It’s one of 11 trails inside the park and its trailhead is close to the park’s visitor center.
“All trails are closed until further notice,” a statement on the park’s website says.
Arkansas State Police said they were notified around 2:40 p.m. of the deaths and asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.
Police described the suspect as a medium-build White male, last seen wearing a shirt with rolled-up long sleeves, dark pants, a dark ballcap, fingerless gloves and sunglasses and carrying a black backpack. He was seen “driving toward a park exit in a black, four-door sedan,” possibly a Mazda, with a license plate covered by electrical or duct tape, authorities said.
The vehicle may have traveled on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 near the park, police said.
Authorities urged Saturday’s park visitors to review their photos and videos for images of the suspect. Investigators also asked residents in the area surrounding the park to check security and game camera recordings for possible leads.
Officials warned against sharing any footage on social media, cautioning that doing so “may inadvertently jeopardize the investigation.”
The area where the killings happened has been cordoned off as the investigation is ongoing.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the killings “horrific” and said the state is “in close contact with State Police and the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism as they work to apprehend the suspect.”
Law enforcement presence would be increased at state parks across Arkansas in response to the killings, said Shea Lewis, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
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