MILES CITY — A double homicide 1,200 miles away has left the community of Miles City in deep sorrow.
Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, were hiking their two daughters, 7 and 9, at Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas Saturday when they were attacked.
“I still can't quite wrap my brain around it. It's just hard to believe,” Mary Hinebauch, a friend of the Brinks, said Monday.
Watch Miles City resident reflect on the loss of this family:
The daughters were not hurt during the attack and are with family, according to Arkansas State Police. The family had recently moved from Miles City to Arkansas.
“I'm so thankful that the little girls are okay as far as not getting hurt,” Hinebauch said.
According to Arkansas State Police, as of Sunday, the suspect, an unknown white male, is still at large.
“We are using all available resources to apprehend this suspect and bring him to justice," Arkansas State Police Colonel Mike Hager said in a news release.
The tragedy has Miles City in a somber mood, and residents are grappling with the sudden loss.
“Everybody's still in shock. It's just like nothing that happens around here,” Hinebauch said.
Hinebauch knew the Brinks for a few years while they lived in Miles City.
“We went to church together here in town, and she was part of our worship team that I was on. She was just an amazing, wonderful singer,” Hinebauch said.
Now, the void left by their absence has spread across the community.
“We're just at a total loss and we're going to miss them,” Hinebauch said.
