The Arkansas State Police have released a sketch of a person of interest in the double homicide of a husband and wife who were hiking with their two children at Devil’s Den State Park.
Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were hiking in the park with their two daughters — seven and nine years old — when they were attacked and killed on Saturday afternoon, according to Arkansas State Police. The two children were not injured and are now safe with relatives.
The couple was attacked just before 3 p.m. local time. The park is in the remote Lee Creek Valley, where police described the terrain as “rugged” with thick vegetation and no cell service. The killer was likely injured during the attack, police say. It’s not yet clear how the couple was killed.
The new person of interest sketch depicts a man with short hair, wearing a shirt and a baseball cap. Police also released a photo of the man taken from behind, showing him in a dark outfit and carrying a large backpack.
Police described the man as wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark baseball cap and sunglasses. He has a black backpack and fingerless gloves, police added.
The suspect has been seen driving toward one of the park’s exits in a black, four-door sedan. Police believe the car is a Mazda with a license plate covered with tape.
Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying this person of interest so they can question him about the double homicide.
It’s not clear how the couple was killed, but police radio audio obtained by CNN indicates officials believed it may have been a stabbing.
“Washington County received a call from the visitor center,” an official said via radio. “Two children are there. They advised that their parents were assaulted. One was possibly stabbed. The parents are missing.”
First responders heard cries for help as they approached the area.
“I hear yells calling for help. We’re walking down,” a first responder said, according to the police radio audio.
“Try to relay to the office that we found the victims down here,” a first responder added. “They’re on the lower Devil’s Den Trail. … I think I see you right there. I’ve got two bodies down here.”
The couple’s family released a statement through the police department asking for privacy and the public’s help in identifying the killer.
“The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult time as they grieve and learn how to navigate this new reality,” the statement reads. “They ask that if anyone has any information at all that will help the investigation, to please contact the proper authorities immediately.”
“Clinton and Cristen died heroes, protecting their little girls and they deserve justice,” the statement continues. “They will forever live on in all of our hearts.”
The couple had just moved from South Dakota to Prairie Grove, a small town in northwest Arkansas, the Associated Press reports. The family’s water in their new home had been connected less than two weeks ago, Prairie Grove Mayor David Faulk said in a statement.
Clinton Brink was set to start a new job Monday as a milk delivery driver near Fayetteville, according to the Associated Press.
