DYER COUNTY, Tenn. (BN24) — Authorities in Tennessee are searching for a man accused of killing four family members and abandoning an infant alive in a stranger’s front yard, in what investigators are calling a targeted and brutal attack.
Austin Robert Drummond, 29, is wanted on multiple charges, including four counts of first-degree murder, after officials discovered the bodies of four individuals on Tuesday along a rural road in Lake County, near the state’s borders with Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky.
The victims were identified as 38-year-old Cortney Rose, her two children—20-year-old Adrianna Williams and 15-year-old Braydon Williams—and Adrianna’s boyfriend, 21-year-old James “Michael” Wilson. According to family and law enforcement, all were killed in what investigators believe was not a random act.
In a chilling twist, Wilson and Adrianna Williams’ baby was found later that day in a car seat left in the front yard of a home in nearby Dyer County. Paramedics treated the infant, who was unharmed and is now in protective care, officials said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), which is leading the manhunt, described Drummond as armed and dangerous. His abandoned white 2016 Audi was recovered in Jackson, Tennessee, where he is believed to have connections. Authorities suspect he remains in the region.
“This was an extremely tragic and violent event,” the TBI said in a statement, “but there was a sign of compassion—the baby left unharmed—that tells us there’s a possibility Austin may have some sense of hope or remorse.”
Drummond faces additional charges, including 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.
District Attorney Danny Goodman confirmed that Drummond was out on bond at the time of the killings, awaiting trial for a separate attempted murder charge related to an incident that occurred while he was incarcerated for attempted robbery.
Authorities have offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to Drummond’s capture. TBI Director David Rausch urged the public to remain vigilant but not to approach the suspect. “We need the community’s help to bring him in safely,” Rausch said.
As the investigation unfolds, the killings have left a tight-knit rural community reeling, and officials continue to search for answers—and for justice.
