In the early morning hours of March 1st, 2009, Gregory Lee Bolin’s sister dropped him off at his cousin’s home off Utah Ranch Road in Lavaca, Arkansas. Around the same time, Gregory's cousin reported waking to hear a vehicle engine between 1 and 1:30 a.m. And then Gregory and his pickup were gone. The pickup was later found. Gregory was not. But recent tips to law enforcement have resulted in renewed investigative actions in the nearly 18-year-old case.

This is Crime in the Ozarks: The Disappearance of Gregory Lee Bolin.

Crime in the Ozarks is a product of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Community Journalism Project, learn more at: https://www.nwajournalism.org/

In mid-October of 1996, a body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag floating in Beaver Lake. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported the body had probably been underwater for more than six months and was so badly decomposed detectives initially couldn’t tell whether it was a man or woman. While they were able to determine days later that it was in fact the body of a man, investigators could not ascertain the man’s identity. He became known as “Lake Man.” Then, in 2022, a breakthrough in DNA technology finally revealed the man’s identity, but the investigation into how and why the man was killed continued. Now, a Wisconsin man has been arrested and is seemingly accused of involvement in the crime that has stumped investigators for decades.

We are covering this case CLOSELY. Keep up to date at nwaonline.com

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of murder and violence. Listener discretion is advised. ️

Crime in the Ozarks is a product of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Community Journalism Project, learn more at: https://www.nwajournalism.org/

Written by Chris Swindle
Edited by Diana Campos
Hosted by Diana Campos
Our set is designed by Southern Loft! Check them out at: https://mysouthernloft.com/ | https://www.nwaonline.com/designpartner/

#crime #truecrime #podcast #arkansas #crimestory #truecrime #truecrimepodcast #truecrimestories #beaverlake #murdertrial #crime

• (00:00:00) - Crime in the Ozarks: Lake Man's Identity
• (00:01:39) - Body Found in Beaver Lake in Benton County
• (00:09:19) - Roger Ewer: Old Murder Case in Arkansas, Wisconsin

Clinton and Cristen Brink had only recently moved to Northwest Arkansas from Montana when they decided to take their two young daughters on a hike at Devil’s Den State Park near West Fork. They loved the outdoors, a love they were sharing with their girls as they hiked along a park trail on July 26th, 2025. But that fun family outing would be cut short in what police say was a brutal attack that left both parents dead, set off a five-day manhunt and put the Northwest Arkansas community on edge.

This is Crime in the Ozarks, The Devils Den Deaths and the Upcoming Trial of Andrew McGann.
We are covering this case CLOSELY leading up to and during McGann's capital murder trial. Keep up to date at nwaonline.com

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of murder and violence. Listener discretion is advised. ️

Crime in the Ozarks is a product of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Community Journalism Project, learn more at: https://www.nwajournalism.org/

• (00:00:00) - Crime in the Ozarks
• (00:01:27) - Clinton Brink, Kristin Amanda Brink
• (00:04:06) - Arkansas State Police: Devil's Den State Park Murder
• (00:07:30) - Andrew James McGain: Facts of the Case
• (00:10:20) - Arkansas hiker speaks out about Devil's Den murder
• (00:15:47) - The Devil's Den Murders