Related Video: Devil’s Den double homicide suspect makes first court appearance; ordered to be held without bond
SAUK COUNTY, Wis. (KNWA/KFTA) — Authorities in Wisconsin are reviewing possible connections between a 2020 unsolved stabbing at Devil’s Lake State Park and the recent double homicide at Devil’s Den State Park in Northwest Arkansas.
Andrew James McGann, 28, was arrested in July 2025 and charged with killing Clinton and Cristen Brink while they were hiking with their two daughters at Devil’s Den State Park in Washington County, Arkansas. Investigators say McGann confessed, and that DNA found at the scene matched his.
Now, investigators in Sauk County, Wisconsin, are re-examining the Oct. 14, 2020, stabbing of 24-year-old John Schmutzer, who was killed while hiking alone at Devil’s Lake State Park. DNA collected at the time ruled out other suspects, but no arrest was made.
A week after McGann’s arrest, Wisconsin authorities received several tips referencing him and requested DNA analysis from Arkansas to determine if he could be connected to—or ruled out from—the Schmutzer case.
In the 2020 case, witnesses reported seeing a white male, about 5’10” to 6 feet tall, dressed in black with a hood, mask and backpack, fleeing the scene, according to Wisconsin investigators. One witness said they saw Schmutzer on the ground as the suspect ran.
TIMELINE: Prairie Grove couple killed at Devil’s Den State Park
In the Arkansas attack, the suspect was described as a white male of medium build, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, dark pants, a dark baseball cap, sunglasses, fingerless gloves and carrying a black backpack.
While the type of DNA collected in 2020 has not been disclosed, Detective Drew Bulin with the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the case remains active in light of recent developments. Evidence will be exchanged digitally between crime labs in both states.
Vermont investigators ruled out a possible link between McGann to the 2023 homicide of Honoree Fleming on Aug. 7.
McGann made his first court appearance on Aug. 1. He was appointed a public defender, ordered not to contact the victims’ family and remains jailed without bond. His arraignment was moved up from Aug. 25 to Aug. 14.
Anyone with information about the 2020 Devil’s Lake homicide can contact Detective Drew Bulin at [email protected].
KNWA/FOX24 has been reporting on the Devil’s Den homicides and related developments since we first broke the story. Click here to view the complete timeline.
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