A Tennessee man suspected of murdering four family members in a vicious attack has been arrested after a week on the run.
Austin Robert Drummond, 28, is alleged to have murdered Adrianna Williams, 20; Matthew Wilson, 21; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15, in Tiptonville, Tennessee on July 29.
Drummond had also left Wilson and Williams’ baby girl on a ‘random’ front lawn 40 miles from where the bodies were found.
After spending seven days at large and sparking a massive manhunt from law enforcement, Drummond was captured Tuesday morning.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation did not say where he was captured, but shared an image of the murder suspect soaked from rainfall and appearing to be in a wooded area.
Before his arrest, Drummond was last spotted on Sunday night in the city of Jackson, around 70 miles from the murders, wearing camouflage and armed with a rifle.
Officials shared surveillance footage of the alleged quadruple murderer as they warned locals to ‘exercise extreme caution’ until the ‘armed and dangerous’ suspect is caught.
Investigators have not said what motivated Drummond to allegedly murder the family members, but have said that he is believed to have previously dated a relative of Williams.
Austin Robert Drummond, 28, a Tennessee man suspected of murdering four family members in a vicious attack, has been arrested after a week on the run
Adrianna Williams, 20 and Matthew Wilson, 21, were found dead in a dense, wooded area
Cortney Rose, 38, Braydon Williams, 15, were also both found dead
Cops warned that Drummond may have also altered his appearance while on the run, and the image released from his capture showed that he had shaved a goatee that he wore in his last mugshot.
In the week that Drummond was a fugitive, cops arrested three people in connection with the murders, including Dearrah Sanders, 23, who allegedly ‘assisted’ the killer.
Tanaka Brown, 29, and Giovonte Thomas, 29, were also arrested during the manhunt, and all three are facing charges of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
Authorities have not yet detailed how the three individuals allegedly helped Drummond.
Drummond was wanted on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful firearm possession, and officials were offering rewards upwards of $30,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The suspect was out on bond over an attempted murder charge that occurred while he was in prison when the killings took place.
Drummond had been recently released from a 13-year prison sentence for armed robbery.
Before his arrest, Drummond was last spotted on Sunday night in the city of Jackson, around 70 miles from the murders, wearing camouflage and armed with a rifle
Drummond was wanted on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful firearm possession, and officials were offering rewards upwards of $30,000 for information leading to his arrest
Cops warned that Drummond may have also altered his appearance while on the run, and the image released from his capture showed that he had shaved a goatee that he wore in his last mugshot
Police say they were first alerted about the quadruple homicide on Tuesday when a good Samaritan in a quiet, rural town in northwest Tennessee spotted an infant in a car set alone on the front lawn.
The resident reported that a dark-colored minivan or white SUV had pulled into the yard, dropped off the child and sped away.
As law enforcement then tried to locate the infant’s family, a second, far more chilling discovery was made only hours later in Lake County, around 40 miles away.
Chilling dispatch audio reveals that police received a call at around 10.26pm reporting Rose and her daughter missing.
The caller could be heard saying they were actively searching the family’s home with a flashlight.
Eventually, investigators found the four bodies in a dense, wooded area.
The victims were all family members of an infant who was abandoned on a random front lawn
Drummond had a previous criminal conviction for aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 13 years behind bars
The motive behind the slayings has not been determined, although officials said that Drummond was known to the family.
He had dated a sister of Williams, and often spent time with the family.
Adrianna and Matthew were the baby’s parents, and Cortney was the maternal grandmother. Braydon was also Adrianna’s younger brother.
A relative wrote on social media that during Drummond’s relationship with one of Rose’s sisters, he had been ‘literally been nothing short of amazing to us and our kids.’
