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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations has identified a suspect in the killings of four adults found dead in the woods on Tuesday, July 29.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Austin Robert Drummond, 28, on four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, according to a news release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Drummond, whose whereabouts are unknown, is considered armed and dangerous.
The TBI was called in to assist in investigating the murders of James M. Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15. Their bodies were found in a wooded area of Tiptonville, Tenn., a small town on the state’s Missouri border, on Tuesday evening, according to the TBI.
A baby found abandoned
The discovery of the bodies was preceded by the rescue of a baby found abandoned in the nearby community of Tigrett, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook post. The infant was found by a witness who called 911 after noticing a “dark-colored minivan or a white mid-size SUV” leave the baby in a car seat “on a random individual’s front yard” at around 3 p.m. on July 29.
At the time, the Sheriff’s Office said it was looking to question Cortney Rose, the child’s maternal grandmother; Matthew Wilson, the child’s father; and Adrianna Williams, the baby’s mother, in connection to the incident. Those three individuals, along with the child’s uncle Braydon Williams, have since been identified as the deceased.
Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box expressed his condolences to the victims’ loved ones and stated, “This is a deeply saddening day for our community. We are committed to uncovering the truth and ensuring justice is served.”
The TBI is investigating the homicides in coordination with the Tiptonville Police Department, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Department, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee State Parks, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Jackson Police Department, the Crockett County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Anyone with information that may help in the investigation is urged to call 731-415-7962, 731-333-0811, or 1-800-TBI-FIND.