Photo: Cristen Brink/Facebook
Authorities ramped up the search for a man accused of killing a married couple in front of theyr young daughters at Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas and justified taking six hours to alert the public about the situation on Monday (July 28).
Police initially received a report of a potential assault at the park at around 2:30 p.m. local time as first responders claimed to have heard screams, 5News reports. Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were both found dead when officers arrived at the scene.
The Brinks were reportedly attacked in front of their daughters, ages 7 and 9, who were safely located nearby the scene without injuries. Authorities didn't elaborate on when or how the couple was killed and reporters who were at the scene after receiving tips of a massive police presence at around 4:30 p.m. local time were told to leave the without being given information, 5News reported. The Arkansas State Police Department finally issued a warning to the public regarding the massive manhunt at around 8:40 p.m., roughly six hours after the initial assault report.
Authorities claimed the delay was due to the scene, claiming “the terrain is rugged, vegetation is thick and there is no cellphone service.”
“The location is in remote, rural Arkansas,” an Arkansas State Police spokesperson said via 5News. “It took time for our special agents to arrive on scene, locate witnesses, conduct interviews, and collaborate information so we released the appropriate information.”
The suspect was last seen wearing a long-sleeve shirt with its sleeves rolled up after initially being reported to have worn a tank top and described as having a medium build, wearing dark pants, a red baseball cap, sunglasses, a backpack and fingerless gloves. The suspect was report to be driving a black four-door sedan, possibly a Mazda, which had tape covering its license plate.