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

[Wishbone]

Better Description

YouTuber phone interview w/ young man in group of four with dog that passed him
Solid description given, says he stared at them, didn’t like his energy
Trail was busy, pairs, families, stood out- was alone, didn’t say Hello, they left at 1:30
Same trail and timeframe
Interacted with families on trail with GoPros1

Age mid to late Twenties
Dirty blonde hair/ light brown
Blue eyes
Stubble on face
Medium to stocky build- 5’10”- 6’
Dark clothing, dark pants and long sleeve shirt
Dark baseball cap, leather patch on front, sunglasses on cap
Fingerless gloves
Overly large black bag, half mesh half vinyl plastic, looked like weight in it
Walking alone
Holding on strap of backpack while walking
Walking fast, gave a death stare, out of place

As of Sun eve Had not been able to get through to Arkansas State Police- have called several times beginning Sunday morning when they saw the report

IMO- updated

I watched that call in video as well. Seems the killer was noticed by others as being strange well before the murders. JMOO

 

[AngTxGal]

I watched that call in video as well. Seems the killer was noticed by others as being strange well before the murders. JMOO

I’m not seeing reports today that include the more detailed description.
That is a problem

IMO

 

[na19]

If it was a random attack, I wonder if he passed by this group of people because there were 5 people and a dog. He probably thought he had a better chance attacking a couple and two kids. MOO

 

[Snoopster]

Better Description

YouTuber phone interview w/ young man in group of four with dog that passed him
Solid description given, says he stared at them, didn’t like his energy
Trail was busy, pairs, families, stood out- was alone, didn’t say Hello, they left at 1:30
Same trail and timeframe
Interacted with families on trail with GoPros1
Very hot day- recorded over 100 degrees F

Devils Den Trail- I think?
Cavern Section began on east side finished west side, past him

Age mid to late Twenties
Dirty blonde hair/ light brown- few inches long
Blue eyes/ light green
Stubble on face
Medium to stocky build- 5’10”- 6’
Dark clothing, dark pants and long sleeve shirt
Dark baseball cap, leather patch on front, sunglasses on cap
Fingerless gloves
Overly large black bag, half mesh half vinyl plastic, looked like it had weight in it
Walking alone
Holding on strap of backpack while walking
Head down, walking fast, gave a death stare, out of place

As of Sun eve Had not been able to get through to Arkansas State Police- have called several times beginning Sunday morning when they saw the report

IMO- updated

Just adding that they said he had fingerless gloves on. So this sounds like the guy.

I wonder if the fingerless gloves made it more comfortable to carry his heavy bag.

 

[Snoopster]

Devil's Den Trail is a fairly short loop. The searchers said the couple was found on the lower part of the trail. I wonder why it took so long for the searchers to find them?

From AllTrails:

Devil's Den Trail

I presume it is because the trail is very wooded and fairly rugged, with some rock formations and caverns.

 

[Possum_AR]

Interesting, to my knowledge most high traffic state parks here in Texas have a camera at the visitor’s center and at a booth to pay and get a day pass/ camping pass.

This park had a lot of amenities- but seems to not have had cell service?
store, restaurant, cabins for rent, 135 camp sites, swimming pool, small lake and fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, horseback riding trails leading into the Ozark National Forest.

I’m guessing a booth to buy passes had a camera at least at one entrance.

But- no footage has been mentioned, it seems the car description is from witnesses.

Do we know for certain this perp was driving a black sedan? Described as Mazda with electrical or duct tape on plates? Did the car have two plates?

Some articles say- ‘plates’- plural, some say ‘plate’- singular
Arkansas is a state that does not require front and back license plates on cars. Only on the back.
Other states require one plate near Arkansas- Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana. Not as helpful as I thought.

IMO

There is no booth coming into the park. This is a small state park with very basic amenities. It's not a national park or anything what most people might be thinking of.

 

[Possum_AR]

They must have been near the parking lot. From what I read he was attacked. She then fled with the children, put kids in car, then ran back. Why didn't she go for help? Maybe she was so traumatized, she didn't think straight.

There does appear to be something we don't know, i.e. covering the license plate, killer wearing fingerless gloves, which make it sound pre-planned. BUT, Vegas mass murderer pre-planned, and he did not know any victims nor has a motive been found. Idaho BK murderer the same. Strange.

The trail they were found on is short and makes a loop. So you're only .55 miles from any trail head. It's an easy trail too. It goes down to the main caves at the park. We used to be able to go into them but they've been blocked off for years to protect the bats from a fungus.

One cave is called Icebox because of how cold it was. When the caves were open, there were no tours or workers in the caves. You were on your own. Bring your own lights and gear. Most people didn't go very far into them.

Very basic park. Built during the old CCC days.

 

[Cedars]

Why didn't she go for help? Maybe she was so traumatized, she didn't think straight.

Maybe she deeply loved her husband and was brave.

 

[Possum_AR]

They must have been near the parking lot. From what I read he was attacked. She then fled with the children, put kids in car, then ran back. Why didn't she go for help? Maybe she was so traumatized, she didn't think straight.

There does appear to be something we don't know, i.e. covering the license plate, killer wearing fingerless gloves, which make it sound pre-planned. BUT, Vegas mass murderer pre-planned, and he did not know any victims nor has a motive been found. Idaho BK murderer the same. Strange.

One thought about why she went back to help, if that's what happened, is that maybe she knew who it was and thought she could reason with him? Or maybe she thought he ran off and that she would be safe to go try to help her husband?

 

[indicolite22]

I watched that call in video as well. Seems the killer was noticed by others as being strange well before the murders. JMOO

Maybe he was still picking his victims at that point and was evaluating them. Wearing all black and long sleeves makes me think of Kohberger. Blood would not be so easily visible on dark clothing. But he should have known he would still stand out among other hikers.

 

[dotr]

Jul 28, 2025

https://www.wjbf.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-police-search-for-suspect-who-fatally-stabbed-couple-in-arkansas-devils-den-state-park/

'Officials described the suspect as a white male wearing dark shorts, a dark ballcap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves. He was seen driving toward a park exit in a black, four-door sedan with a license plate partly covered by tape.

The car, possibly a Mazda, may have been traveling on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 near the park in a rural, wooded area with limited cellphone service, police said.

Shea Lewis, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, said rangers had stepped up patrols at Devil’s Den.'

Husband and Wife Killed While Hiking with Their 2 Daughters in Arkansas — and Police Are Still Searching for a Suspect

A couple was killed while hiking with their two daughters at a state park in Arkansas, and authorities are now asking the public for help finding the suspect, who remains at large. Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, died at Devil's Den State Park on July 26.

people.com

''On Sunday, July 27, ASP announced that authorities had an updated description of the suspect in the case — a White male with a medium build who was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark hat and sunglasses.
The suspect, who police added was carrying a black backpack and was wearing fingerless gloves, 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 alleged may have potentially traveled on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 near the park where the killings took place.''

 

[muddlehead]

Hmm. See if I have this correctly.
Man on [ark trail walks up to husband and stabs him in front and next to wife and two daughters.
Wife and 2 daughters then run to nearby car.
Wife goes back to scene and is stabbed to death also.
Murderer escapes.
2 dead on park trail.
Daughters go to information bldg to report what happened.

 

[Calcano]

Sounds more and more like he was walking this trail looking for victim(s) but without anyone particular in mind. Reminds me of how other people had noticed Richard Allen on the trails in the Delphi case.

 

[Muddy K]

JMO, and only that, I do feel that this was a random, unprovoked attack by someone bent on killing people, whether because he wanted their daughters or they just happened to walk into his psychopathic line of sight.

IMO, there is a simmering, seething undercurrent of rage/darkness/isolation in this country that I don't believe I've seen before in all my years here. Some people act on it.

This savage crime was completely senseless, just as were so many others that happened this past weekend, both known and unknown.

My heart breaks for all three daughters and the extended families of the Brinks.

 

[swanniee11]

Sounds like he attacked people he felt he could take on. Not going for the groups of 4 adults kind of thing but 2 adults who would be concerned for their young children, probably not expecting or looking at him and noticing the creepy factor like others have. IMO

 

[Megnut]

Such violence. And then he stayed with his first victim? Was still there when the wife returned?

Did see akert anyone after getting her children to safety? Her  second instinct pulled her back to her husband, surely hoping to save or comfort him, lest he feel abandoned. She was likely in shock.

It's all so unfathomable.

JMO

 

[na19]

I wonder if he ran off towards where the wife took the girls? Did he want to harm them too? I assume they had already ran to the information building.

 

[indicolite22]

The news mention the police hearing cries for help before finding the victims. IF the voices came from the victims, at least one was alive for quite some time after the attack started. So far we haven't heard of any witnesses being on the scene before police. I wonder how many people were on that trail at the time and if they heard anything.

 

[muddlehead]

Was the victims' car in the same parking area/lot as the murderer?
and
How far was the murder scene from the Brink's car?

 

[Inthedetails]

If it was a random attack, I wonder if he passed by this group of people because there were 5 people and a dog. He probably thought he had a better chance attacking a couple and two kids. MOO

I'm wondering if the kids did something to annoy him. Kids with freedom on a trail might have run in front of him, breaking his stride, for example. This guy seems angry without needing much of a trigger to send him into an outburst.

I no longer think there was a confrontation in the parking lot, but something that happened on the trail, imo. I still have the vibe, however, that the dad stepped forward to protect his girls.

The kids are so young, they might not have any idea what triggered the attack.

jmopinion at the moment