Tennessee Police Nab Quadruple Murder Suspect After Multiple-Day Manhunt

Austin Robert Drummond, 28, has been charged in the murders of the parents, grandmother, and uncle of an infant found abandoned but alive.

Photos of murder suspect Austin Robert Drummond. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Police in Jackson, Tennessee, have taken murder suspect Austin Robert Drummond into custody after a multiple-day manhunt.

Drummond, 28, was wanted in the murders of the parents, grandmother, and uncle of an infant found abandoned but alive in Tennessee’s Dyer County this past week.

In an update on Tuesday morning, the Dyer County Police Department confirmed Drummond’s capture. The department made the announcement on its official Facebook page, thanking law enforcement partners for their efforts.

“This would not have been achieved without the tireless work and dedication of our local, state, and federal partners,” Sheriff Jeff Box of Dyer County said. “Also, our citizens have been extremely helpful and cooperative.”

“Our focus now shifts to honoring the lives lost and providing support to their grieving families,” he said, asking the public and the media to respect the families’ privacy.

Earlier, the department had posted a reward totaling $32,500 for information leading to Drummond’s arrest. This sum included contributions from the Tennessee Governor’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other law enforcement agencies. The department did not say whether the reward had been claimed.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the case, confirmed Drummond’s arrest in a separate Facebook post. The Bureau expressed gratitude to the public for its vigilance during the manhunt and promised that more information would be released soon.

Drummond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of James M. Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15. The victims were found in Tiptonville, Tennessee, near Reelfoot Lake on July 29.

According to the police, Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the parents of the infant who was found abandoned. Rose was Adrianna and Braydon Williams’s mother. The baby is safe and being cared for.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said that authorities believe the family murders were a targeted attack by Drummond, who had a relationship with the victims.

In addition to the murder charges, Drummond faces one count of aggravated kidnapping and multiple weapons offenses. His criminal history includes prison time for robbing a convenience store, threatening to retaliate against jurors, and attempted murder charges while still in prison.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has charged Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonte Thomas, 29, with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Investigators allege that both men assisted Drummond in the murders.

A Jackson woman, Dearrah Sanders, was arrested on Aug. 4 and charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.