Couple Killed on Trail Died 'Protecting Their Little Girls'

An Arkansas couple killed on a trail in Devil's Den State Park on Saturday "died heroes, protecting their little girls," according to a family statement. Clinton and Cristen Brink had traveled a short distance from their home in Prairie Grove to hike with their two daughters, ages 7 and 9. It's unclear what happened next, but police believe the couple were attacked on the Devil's Den Trail, in an area without cellphone service, by a white male seen driving a black four-door sedan with a partially obscured license plate. He "likely sustained an injury while attacking the couple," police said Monday, per CNN. The girls were unharmed.

Police radio audio indicates two children "advised that their parents were assaulted. One was possibly stabbed" and "the parents are missing," per CNN. Two bodies were later found. "We are using all available resources to apprehend this suspect and bring him to justice," Col. Mike Hagar of the Arkansas State Police said Sunday, per ABC News. On Monday evening, authorities released a sketch of a man seen in the park on Saturday, calling him a "person of interest." He's described as a white man of medium build, seen wearing dark pants, a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, fingerless gloves, a dark ball cap, and sunglasses.

The couple's family also released a statement Monday night, asking for privacy and for anyone with information "to please contact the proper authorities immediately." Clinton and Cristen Brink, originally from California, had only recently moved to Arkansas. Clinton had been due to start work as a milk delivery driver at Hiland Dairy on Monday after transferring from a job with its parent company, Prairie Farms Dairy, in South Dakota, CBS News reports.