Clinton David Brink, 43 & Cristen Amanda Brink, 41 found on trail - Devil's Den State Park, AR- 26 July, 2025 #2 *Arrest*

[khaki]

Right. He's driving the same car with blood in it, yet won't sign his name at the front desk of the hair salon. Huh?

jmopinion

I missed the part where he would not sign his name at the salon but I did notice while he was sitting in the salon chair, it seemed he kept his left hand in his pocket. Wonder if he is left-handed? Maybe he had cuts on that hand?

 

[AngTxGal]

$1785 a month, on a young teachers salary? Hmmmm

I don’t see how he could do that on his own using only his teacher salary.
He would need a down payment and that would be more than half of his income on house payment.
And he is likely still paying on that Kia Stinger.

I wonder if he has a side hustle?

IMO

 

[The Zookeeper]

It will be interesting to hear what his psychiatric evaluation reveals. Many patients with mental illnesses, even schizophrenia, are very intelligent. Many younger people don’t show signs of a severe mental illness until their late teens or early 20’s. When a patient is psychotic, they can hear “voices” that tell them to do things (like hurt or even kill themselves or others) that they would never think of when they are not in an episode of psychosis. I’ve had patients who were very distressed to hear of things they had said or done while psychotic, and had no memory of it. It’s possible that Andrew had symptoms of mental illness but it had not been identified and treated yet. Or, he could have a history of mental illness and non-compliance with his medication. The fact that he had a cat that he apparently cared for very much, and that there are reports that he was described by a classmate as a “normal guy” make me lean towards him not exhibiting sociopathic traits. I am in no way excusing his heinous crimes, I just always look at it first as a possible mental illness, which a patient may not have full control over. My heart breaks for this poor family and the three girls left without their loving parents. No one should have to endure this. Yet I also have empathy for the mentally ill who never chose to have this terrible sickness. But, again this is my humble opinion only and I am interested to see what the situation turns out to be in this very, very sad case.

 

[AngTxGal]

If had an emotional break--when was it? Dude has looked like an angry monster for years. This was his school work ID--and no one questioned his fitness for duty?!

Agree, I’m trying to figure out how he got past an interview. Does he have a good twin?

His photos make me think of those taken by football players or wrestlers so they appear intimidating to opponents.
To me it would seem abundantly clear that something is off if a photo of an elementary teacher appeared in a faculty directory looking like that.

How did he come across to his boss, peer teachers, parents of students?
I’m curious if he is remembered in his certification program, he must have done student teaching?

Very strange
IMO

 

[StarryStarryNight]

At the press conference, LE said they matched DNA from blood at the crime scene to the suspect, but they didn’t say, or I didn’t hear them say, what they matched it to.
Was the killer’s DNA already in a database for some reason and they got a hit when they ran the crime scene DNA through?
Did they narrow down the suspect to those owning KIA Stingers and go trash diving to get DNA from them all to compare?

 

[AngTxGal]

He took a shower before the mug shot? He had been days in the rough, maybe? Raining?

Why would have spent ‘days in the rough’? He lived not very far from the hair dresser.

The guy literally went driving around in the get-away car in the small town where he lived, to go get a haircut when there is a manhunt for the murder he committed.

I can’t get over that, was he there in Springdale the entire time?
If so, why did it take five days?
Springdale is 40 min away from the park. He didn’t run

IMO

 

[AngTxGal]

Seems like a stretch, but perhaps do-able if he is frugal and earns extra money by coaching, for example. Not sure why a single guy would rent a three bedroom, but maybe that's the normal housing stock there. And, maybe he planned on having roommates, which would make the place within affordable reach.

I know nothing about cars. LE said he drove a Kia Stinger. How is that on a budget?

I wonder if we'll find him living beyond his means. Moving from state to state is expensive and would likely eat up any savings he could manage during the school year.

Financial stress can surface in behavior. NOT saying that is what happened here, but perhaps something to consider.

jmopinion

I also wondered if parents are helping him out?
If he is from OK, then maybe he is staying a certain distance from relatives with all his positions?

I’d never heard of a Kia Stinger until this case, so I don’t know if that is a new model or if he could have picked one up used. Maybe he got it when he graduated from college?
I just checked Google- the first Kia Stinger models were 2018.

My guesses
First teaching job 22-23
Entered college 2015-2019
Graduated high school 2015- He is 28 and high school grads are near 18 years old.

He must not have graduated from college in four years?
Or he did something else before he took his first teaching job. I’m not sure what you can do with a degree in Elementary Education besides teach.

IMO

 

[gremlin444]

https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news...-devils-den-double-murder-grew-up-in-chicago/

He had a gf as of 2 years ago.

And he graduated from the private Catholic school in my town.....that's a 30 min commute when there is no traffic from where that ex neighbor said he lived. In the morning before school, most major roads from there to here are full of traffic and crossed by commuter trains. If his parents or he drove him, that's easily 50 min in the morning if you are lucky....and if he took public city busses....geez...likely nearly an hour and a half.

The parents must have had some tie to Fenwick to send their kid there, because there are plenty of Catholic schools near where they lived, bigger ones, less expensive ones.

 

[GlassCityRx]

Many points reading thru both threads.
-way too much cancel society. If every teacher was fired over every allegation, we would definitely have a teacher shortage in quantity and quality. And yes it is very common for teachers to switch locations.

-schools can ONLY give info regarding date of service. Teachers like many other professional boards are handled by the STATE. Someone mentioned Hippa. Hips is only Health information.

- this is not that busy of a State Park. Children are usually with their families on trail. A local park would be a different target for a child predator. Yes. I believe cell phone service played into this.

-the back on his back wasn’t a real backpack for hiking nor would anyone ever run with this on his back. I know people mentioned “roid” rage. Steroids are not that common in runners. If I had to speculate, he had a change of clothes/boots in the bag.

-homeless are notorious for carrying bags, not mental illness by itself. People with mental illness carry stuff like everyone else.

-photos don’t show mental illness. Mugshots are not family photos not to mention we see them biased in hindsight.

-although Twitter wasn’t actively used , I’d quote was quite interesting “enjoy the best things in life cause you aint gonna get to live it twice”

-someone zoomed in on the bag. It kind of had a pattern similar to a waterproof bag. Idk.

“Q: State parks open? A: I do not know. They are as safe as they could be, as likely to get assaulted at a gas station. I would not hesitate to go to a park today.”
-as a father, I respectfully disagree. I have no problems with my children going to the gas station by themselves. I would never feel good with them on the remote trails by themselves.

A: Yes he did use tape to conceal his vehicle
Q: ? A: Everyone speculates he did things to conceal, but was sloppy.”
Everyone speculates him concealing? Tape on plate, hastily left scene, wearing hair totally different says otherwise.

-No evidence that I have seen saying that he is a pedophile. Word of mouth like this does no justice for the teaching profession as a whole. Report it to the proper authorities not to Facebook. Best even yet, report it to the State Board bypassing the responsibility of the school reporting it.

Sorry so long. I’m done. I’ll get off my soap box now.

 

[Blue Butterfly]

Devil’s Den killing suspect showed ‘eerie’ behavior, parents of students say​

“I heard from my son that there were girls that Mr. McGann would tickle,” Polyak said.

Polyak added, “I started hearing other things from parents whose kids were in his classroom full time, alleging that during lunch time, when all the kids went to the cafeteria, he would invite special girls to stay back and to have lunch with him in his classroom.”

MSN

 

[Lilibet]

I was frustrated yesterday with the lack of a presser.....and then found out (as I should've known) LE was working diligently and narrowed down on the guy. I will remember this in future cases when it seems "LE isn't doing anything."

They are doing their job. It's not our job.

Excellent comment, @Inthedetails. I can’t begin to count the number of threads I’ve followed with frustrated posts saying that “LE isn’t doing anything” only for an arrest to be made shortly afterward. The anti-LE vibe is not what WS stands for IMO.

I’m now seeing posts criticizing previous schools for passing him along and not warning other schools. My dh taught for almost 30 years. There is a protocol schools have to follow and reporting someone to another school for having a “creepy vibe” is not part of it. It is very common for first year teachers not to have their contracts renewed for numerous reasons. In AM’s case that may have been all the school could and should have done if there was no actual abuse to report. Letting little girls sit on his lap was certainly “poor professional judgement” though.

My dh, who taught 5th and 2nd grade over the years, was very careful to avoid physical contact with the little girls at school. Some wanted to hang all over him during recess or hold his hand and he had to disentangle himself. All it takes is one disgruntled parent to make your life a living hell with a false accusation. It happens. I was so relieved when he took early retirement at 55. He misses the kids and is heartbroken that one of the little girls in this case was probably going into 2nd grade…like “his kids.”
JMO

Like BK, I would want to know if there is some organic disease underlying his behavior, because there sure seems to be a plague of lethally psychotic people out there who have a veneer of function but end up going very far beyond norms, and really pose terrifying hazards to people. I would want to try to know if we can ever identify a cause and correct this stuff in any way.

I agree 100% @Herat. My cousin developed mental illness in his 20’s, which is when his particular illness often shows up. I won’t name it so as not to stigmatize anyone. Normally, ones with this illness are not violent and seem to function…until they can’t. AM gives off a blank, “soulless” feel similar to my cousin. There was one time when this “affect” really scared me. People with this illness sometimes “overdress” for the temperature. I doubt that this was a planned attack like BK’s, but rather something impulsive triggered by the illness…a misunderstanding and feeling threatened in the moment…that wasn’t “real.”

Not excusing. Just hoping to understand at some point so there’s a chance to avoid future horrors of this kind.

JMO

 

[Inthedetails]

It will be interesting to hear what his psychiatric evaluation reveals. Many patients with mental illnesses, even schizophrenia, are very intelligent. Many younger people don’t show signs of a severe mental illness until their late teens or early 20’s. When a patient is psychotic, they can hear “voices” that tell them to do things (like hurt or even kill themselves or others) that they would never think of when they are not in an episode of psychosis. I’ve had patients who were very distressed to hear of things they had said or done while psychotic, and had no memory of it. It’s possible that Andrew had symptoms of mental illness but it had not been identified and treated yet. Or, he could have a history of mental illness and non-compliance with his medication. The fact that he had a cat that he apparently cared for very much, and that there are reports that he was described by a classmate as a “normal guy” make me lean towards him not exhibiting sociopathic traits. I am in no way excusing his heinous crimes, I just always look at it first as a possible mental illness, which a patient may not have full control over. My heart breaks for this poor family and the three girls left without their loving parents. No one should have to endure this. Yet I also have empathy for the mentally ill who never chose to have this terrible sickness. But, again this is my humble opinion only and I am interested to see what the situation turns out to be in this very, very sad case.

I'm listening and learning as I go. Thanks for your insights.

jmopinion

 

[AngTxGal]

https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news...-devils-den-double-murder-grew-up-in-chicago/

He had a gf as of 2 years ago.

And he graduated from the private Catholic school in my town.....that's a 30 min commute when there is no traffic from where that ex neighbor said he lived. In the morning before school, most major roads from there to here are full of traffic and crossed by commuter trains. If his parents or he drove him, that's easily 50 min in the morning if you are lucky....and if he took public city busses....geez...likely nearly an hour and a half.

The parents must have had some tie to Fenwick to send their kid there, because there are plenty of Catholic schools near where they lived, bigger ones, less expensive ones.

Oh, so there is money in the family?
Maybe schools settled in some way and let him resign without a real ‘investigation’?
A rich family may send an attorney letter to a school

Could he have gotten a scholarship, for sports or something?
Maybe the child of an alum, an important alum with deep pockets?

<modsnip>

This case gets stranger and stranger
IMO

 

[gremlin444]

https://www.kark.com/crime/former-teammate-recounts-shock-after-arrest-of-suspect-in-devils-den-double-homicide/

But here we have a discrepancy in dates of high school. This ex teammate says he was at school with him from 2016-2018.

I can probably find stuff in Fenwick archives to get the correct dates.

 

[airportwoman]

-schools can ONLY give info regarding date of service. Teachers like many other professional boards are handled by the STATE. Someone mentioned Hippa. Hips is only Health information.

Most employers only say that you worked there, and when. They may or may not share rehire status.

Isn't education covered by FERPA? I know students are, which is why teachers, etc. cannot tell a problem child's classmates or parents what is going on behind the scenes.

As for the Catholic school and its location, maybe one or both of his parents worked there?

 

[LarkBunting]

I keep thinking about the innocent, now traumatized, little girls. As a parent, I know that in a life or death situation like the Brinks faced, I would 100% want my children to survive instead of me, if forced to choose.

I imagine in their dying moments, the Brinks were hoping that their little girls made it to safety. I hope the girls can heal and one day find peace knowing that yes, their parents protected them with their very lives, but that loving parents wouldn’t have it any other way (assuming everyone surviving wasn’t an option).

I would be so proud of my little ones for running like the wind to save themselves. I wish the girls comfort and peace.

 

[gremlin444]

Fenwick rugby visits Ireland - Riverside-Brookfield Landmark

Bill Mahon had no knowledge of rugby when his son, Sean, started playing the sport at a local club six years ago while a freshman at Fenwick High School. Now he is the coach of a Fenwick team that is fast becoming one of the strongest high school programs in Illinois and just returned from a...

www.rblandmark.com

He was a junior in hs in April 2014, so the correct graduation date would have been in 2015. Makes sense WGNTV which is Chicago based had the right year.

 

[Inthedetails]

Just have to pause a moment to say the discussions on this thread have been really great. I am learning quite a bit and I appreciate how, collectively, we are theorizing, re-thinking, gathering new info, sharing knowledge, etc.

Good group here.

jmopinion

 

[AngTxGal]

Right. He's driving the same car with blood in it, yet won't sign his name at the front desk of the hair salon. Huh?

jmopinion

There was zero reason for him to go driving around.

Park the car in the garage, with the door down
Take clothes and shoes and bags and such and pour bleach on them or burn them, put them in the trash
Wipe down the inside of the car with bleach wipes
Take a shower, cut your own hair
Stay in the house
Order door dash to be placed on the porch

His next crisis would have been Aug 11, his first day back on the job.
His hand cuts and whatever injuries on his face would be mostly healed.

Had he not watched any crime shows?

I don’t get it
IMO

 

[Lilibet]

It will be interesting to hear what his psychiatric evaluation reveals. Many patients with mental illnesses, even schizophrenia, are very intelligent. Many younger people don’t show signs of a severe mental illness until their late teens or early 20’s. When a patient is psychotic, they can hear “voices” that tell them to do things (like hurt or even kill themselves or others) that they would never think of when they are not in an episode of psychosis. I’ve had patients who were very distressed to hear of things they had said or done while psychotic, and had no memory of it. It’s possible that Andrew had symptoms of mental illness but it had not been identified and treated yet. Or, he could have a history of mental illness and non-compliance with his medication. The fact that he had a cat that he apparently cared for very much, and that there are reports that he was described by a classmate as a “normal guy” make me lean towards him not exhibiting sociopathic traits. I am in no way excusing his heinous crimes, I just always look at it first as a possible mental illness, which a patient may not have full control over. My heart breaks for this poor family and the three girls left without their loving parents. No one should have to endure this. Yet I also have empathy for the mentally ill who never chose to have this terrible sickness. But, again this is my humble opinion only and I am interested to see what the situation turns out to be in this very, very sad case.

Thanks for your informative, compassionate post @The Zookeeper.