Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Issues Warrant for Austin Drummond in Connection to Murder of Four Family Members and Abandonment of Infant

Authorities in Tennessee are searching for Austin Robert Drummond, a 28-year-old man suspected of killing four relatives of an abandoned baby found alive this week in sweltering heat. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) made the announcement on Thursday.

Drummond is wanted for his alleged involvement in the deaths of James M. Wilson, Adrianna Williams, Cortney Rose, and Braydon Williams, whose bodies were discovered on Tuesday in Tiptonville, a town located in Lake County, northwest Tennessee.

The discovery of the baby girl, who is approximately 7 months old and believed to be the daughter of Wilson and Adrianna Williams, was made hours earlier in a car seat abandoned in a front yard near Tigrett, a community in Dyer County. The heat index at the time was reportedly 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

Authorities believe Drummond was driving a white 2016 Audi, which was found unoccupied in Jackson, Tennessee on Friday and subsequently recovered by law enforcement. Another vehicle sought during the search for Drummond, a 1988 white Ford pickup truck with a red stripe, has been located in Dyer County.

The TBI has not released details regarding the reasons behind naming Drummond as a suspect or whether investigators have identified a motive for the killings or information about who might have left the baby in Tigrett.

Cortney Rose was the baby’s maternal grandmother, and Braydon Williams was the baby’s maternal uncle, confirmed District Attorney Danny Goodman of Dyer and Lake counties.

Goodman also stated that Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the baby’s parents. He told CNN on Thursday that “the victims were all from Dyer County, and we suspect the person who killed them knew all of them.”

Warrants have been issued for Drummond, charging him with 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.

Drummond is believed to still be in the area and should be considered dangerous. The public has been advised not to engage with him if spotted, but instead to call 911 for assistance.

David Rausch, director of the TBI, warned at a Friday news conference that “we do need the community to be very careful; we do not need them to try to approach this person.”

Drummond was previously convicted of aggravated robbery in 2013 for robbing a gas station in Jackson with a gun. He served a 10-year sentence and was released in September 2024, according to court records.

The US Marshals Service and TBI have jointly offered a $15,000 reward for any information leading to Drummond’s arrest.

Drummond is described as standing at 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a goatee. The investigation began on Tuesday afternoon when the baby was found in a car seat near Tigrett, according to the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office.