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

[RedHaus]

I think that is a viable idea, that he wanted to play sniper. But then why knife the husband and wife instead of shoot them?

jmopinion

To quiet them 'silently' without giving away his position? But then all h**l broke loose and he abandoned ship, perhaps?

 

[Tessa89195]

Here is a little clothing summary as I can find.
Shirt - The North Face Men's Long Sleeve Parks T-Shirt
View attachment 605017

Backpack - High Sierra Loop Daypack - Black.
View attachment 605022

Shoes – Logo appears to be KEEN brand. I am not 100% sure, but I think I have narrowed it down to a shoe. Possibly the KEEN Headout Waterproof Hiking Shoe.

I tried to outline the distinguishing factors, very hard to see though.

View attachment 605044View attachment 605043View attachment 605047


Hat - unknown
Buff - unknown
Duffle - unknown - Looks to be a rectangle sports style. Has a clear slip for name tag, which is common in sports bags. (i'll outline and search later.)
Pants - unknown - Looks sleek dark navy or black. (Possibly rain pants.)

Nice work on the shoes! These shoes are not cheap, I have had a pair of these KEEN shoes before and it seems like I paid roughly $100 for them. Which isn't to say he didn't acquire them used, but they are not a shoe you see everyday, they are a bit different, perhaps memorable to someone that may know this individual? Great work on the shoes, etc...impressive!

 

[muddlehead]

I don’t know
I’ve been reviewing info about the Idaho Murders and remember very clearly how there was a lack of info early on- and when that happens speculations, conspiracies, and paranoia fill the void.
But- they had a press conference with the Mayor, Dean of Students, and then the Chief of Police within the first five days. Not a lot of info was shared- but at least someone showed up!

I think Arkansas State Police are in a tricky situation, they waited six hours to inform the public. It was 8PM on a Sat night when the alert went out. So people were in the park and surrounding areas doing their Sat afternoon and evening thing and had no idea a murderer was at large.
So- the public trust has been harmed.
Now if the ASP come out for a press conference with nothing good to say- they are going to be told that they made a mistake and that is why the guy has not yet been caught.
It appears to be a murder unrelated to the people killed- so everyone could be a target.

Now the FBI is on board, so what does that mean?
Not a single authority from the local, state, or FBI has given a press conference. To me that is a huge mistake- to me it says they don’t have much.

A guy stabbed people at a state park-
911 was called within 30 min
Many witnesses saw him
Many people saw the car leave the park.
They know the exit he left from- and it has been Five Days and he has not been caught?

I think someone messed up

IMO

And don't forget - we think - the two daughters TOTALLY saw him - and might be more than simply park visitor witnesses. Again, we think.

 

[deadfoot13]

I see that dip too-
Not sure if that is muscle or what we call ‘finish’ when referring to livestock production (a layer of fat).
That black thing on his neck- trying to cover a tattoo?
If he is built, he is trying to cover up that fact. Usually built guys want to show it off.
Notice the sleeve hem on his right and left shoulders are off the shoulder- so that shirt is too big. So, you can’t tell definition in arms with a shirt too big.
His elbows seem wide, like there is padding under the shirt.
It is possible he is somewhat muscular and also overweight a bit? A former athlete

So to me if he is 6’ tall he is heavier than lean athletic- maybe closer to 200 lbs.
My son is 6’1” and is lean/athletic with wide shoulders and weighs about 180 lbs.

IMO

BBM

I can't recall if someone mentioned this yet, but the thing around his neck could be a neck gaiter. I have one with a beard and moustache printed on it that I used as a mask during the pandemic. I could pull it up over my face quickly if I encountered someone else on the trail and I didn't have to worry about dropping it or having the straps around my ears. It's possible that this man intended to use it to hide the lower part of his face to avoid recognition.

MOO

 

[SMK777]

I think he's a home, not far from the park.

jmopinion

Then they need to apprehend him 4 days on.

 

[warp3dwing]

Yes, I agree he was not wearing proper outdoor gear for hiking in a forested area of Arkansas in the summer. Heat Index is critical- the humidity makes the heat feel hotter
Today at Devil’s Den the high expected to be 99 F but the heat index is 108 F

NorthFace is an outdoor brand- but a black cotton long sleeve t-shirt is more advertisement than high powered outdoor gear.
Those do look like some type of hiking boot- hard to tell.

Cotton doesn’t wick away moisture to allow for cooling, DryFit synthetics breathe
Black clothing absorbs sunlight- when it is hot a hiker wears light colors to reflect sunlight
Forest air can be still- without wind, and so the humid hot air is suffocating
Rocks in the sun give off heat in the afternoon- they are like ovens
Long sleeves and pants- If on a trail it isn’t necessary, short sleeves and short pants are cooler
Gloves? Why?

So no, he isn’t dressed like a seasoned outdoors man for the environment on that day.
That is why he looks so out of place.

Imagine him dressed like that walking down the beach- while people are in swim suits, swimming and sun bathing and surfing. He would look very odd.

IMO

I’m with you. I’ve done a lot of hiking in my life, and cotton is a no-go. Synthetics and wool all the way.

And absolutely, most of the celebrated outdoor brands have non-performance cotton outerwear. I have a cotton button up shirt from one of them, as well as some of their tech gear. I think that may be the case here.

 

[Cottonn]

The impression I get is almost of someone who is carrying their entire life's belongings with them. Or at the very least someone who is carrying enough belongings to last days and days.

Perhaps they live in their car?

Perhaps layered clothing incase he needed to alter description by removing outer layer to not be recognized as described if seen by someone or in event got bloody dark clothing would conceal the blood better.

 

[Tessa89195]

It's the shoulders that make the figure look female to me. That soft, doughy hunch that women start to get in middle age, the exposed part of the person's back reminded me of that. Other users described it as "chronic screen time hunch" which I can now also totally see, so maybe just your basic doughy nerd. (No shade to any of these types, lol, I am a middle-aged female nerd myself who is getting doughier with age and spends way too much time in front of a screen.)

Wow! I was thinking that the very minute I saw the picture, It is the hips and how the legs come down from the hips to me. Also, the fact that the top of the back is exposed a little, tends to be consistent with a woman wearing a man's clothing. I wonder if this is not why the person seemed to avoid eye contact and act strangely to others they encountered. This could also be why the mom went back, and even why the kids didn't recognize them. I was so relieved when I saw that others saw a female as well. It is the shape of the body...no way it isn't a woman...IMO, which is just that!

 

[CityKid]

You're right - family statement not LE
Apologies

No apologies needed! There's so much weird stuff going on in this case I'm having trouble remembering what's known and what's the source.

 

[muddlehead]

As a total aside
Indulge me
I'm the poster who started the whole "recognize eye color in a passing stranger" tangent
I realized why I don't do the eye contact thing - and never have

I grew up in and around New York City
You are raised to avoid eye contact with strangers
So as to not provoke any monkey business if s/he is a little you know what

 

[Omega Man]

Yet, he did stand out. So much so that four people recalled them the next day when they heard about the murder. When they saw him on the trail, they all looked at each other in disbelief, like, "what's with that guy?"

jmopinion

Exactly. So, taping the plates, intentional. Outdoorsy/hiking clothes selection - intentional (regardless of whether he blends in or not). It follows that he did intend to go to a park/forest/trail etc... But *why* go to a location like this, specifically, where he's clearly out of his element and sticks out. There's definitely intent there. If he was after kids a) surely there'd be places where he could stalk them where he wouldn't stick out like this, b) the kids were physically unharmed. Some posters speculate as to the purpose of the large duffel bag. I don't think it's reasonable to assume he's intent was to snatch one of the girls. I hesitate to say this, but one of the scenarios where that seemingly strange guy in a place where he's clearly not at home, and that large duffel bag, would make sense to me is if a loner, outcast with some hatred towards *families* (not just kids) enjoying their time together, decided to just bite the bullet, pack the bag with all sorts of you know what, don the rambo gloves, go to a place he knows he hates to be at because it's full of happy people, "death stare" at everyone he walks past and just wish for somebody to make a (likely innocent) remark about him to set him off... It's very sad to think that a simple "Gee man, is it hot enough for you?" may have gotten these two people killed. Somebody early in this thread mentioned Zodiac, to me this really probably wasn't all that different from Lake Berryessa.

 

[SMK777]

I was so relieved when I saw that others saw a female as well. It is the shape of the body...no way it isn't a woman.

Snipped for focus
My feeling too after viewing it 20x.

 

[Frosty Marsupial]

True as far as it goes. But he did commit double homicide in such an area. The fact that the mom yelled, Why are you doing this? makes you wonder.

I think asking "why" someone is doing something bad to you is a natural reaction when someone is killing you.

Then furthering it to if it was an illicit drop. I would suspect she would know why and not ask that question but rather had beeen heard saying i didn't see anything or something along those lines. IMO

 

[Inthedetails]

Then they need to apprehend him 4 days on.

Yes, of course.

jmopinion

 

[SMK777]

I think asking "why" someone is doing something bad to you is a natural reaction when someone is killing you. IMO

But to me it shows no personal connection, not targeted.

 

[na19]

Just curious, if you think the person in the photo is a woman, do you think the witnesses saw a different person on the trail?

 

[StarryStarryNight]

Carrying a bag that big makes me wonder... just my speculation but either it a) had some particular property he perceived to be useful -- size? waterproofing? or b) he needed *any* duffle bag for some reason. Smaller would have worked, but that was what he had, and he didn't want to or couldn't buy a smaller one.

I still kinda think he was there to pick something up that had been left for him in that park. Hence the empty bags.
Who hikes with empty bags?
I have certainly never seen it.

 

[Tessa89195]

You have described this perfectly I think.
He wanted to appear to belong there so he looked it up and dressed as a stereotypical hiker from Maine in late September. He got it wrong for Arkansas in July.
All his stuff looks brand new too.
I wonder if his license plate was covered with tape to hide that it was from another state.

Exactly! I think this could also be the behavior of a middle aged female trying to look like a man, and also like an experience hiker, but no actual experience. I feel a male would never have worried about name brands, this seems to me almost too planned....too thought out...definitely not random....this person had inside information that the family was going to be hiking on that day, on that trail...because they prepared for it..IMO...Also, a woman in disguise would explain why the wife went back...she recognized the person....I would look to someone close to the family, something was going on that will more than likely come out in the upcoming weeks...again these are all scenarios running through my mind, but I do feel strongly about the image being a female of middle age, maybe a bit older than the wife, but not older than mid 40s...just judging by the shape of the image anyway..And I like that you point out that the clothing is appropriate for Maine in Autumn months , but not Arkansas in July, as I think a man would have paid more attention to weather, while a woman would have been more focused on "looking the part"

 

[Tessa89195]

Just curious, if you think the person in the photo is a woman, do you think the witnesses saw a different person on the trail?

YES!!! Either the witnesses are confusing the suspect or we are, but the image is female...I feel like anyway..

 

[Onlyguessing23]

Possibly arrived to the park in light walking shoes, shorts, tank looking like a summer hiker, and assuming he might get caught on parking lot camera. Hiked in a ways and pulled his outer gear out of the duffel and donned it: backpack, heavy shoes, long sleeves, weather pants. Now the empty duffel is essentially folded and each handle slung over a shoulder.