As the search for a suspect in a quadruple murder continues into its second day, investigators have reportedly found a connection between the suspect and his alleged victims.
Austin Drummond is on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted List after the bodies of four people were found in a rural woodland.
This unsettling discovery emerged on July 29, mere hours after a seven-month-old baby girl was discovered abandoned in a driveway in Tigrett, about 80 miles outside of Memphis.
The bodies of James “Matthew” Wilson and Adrianna Williams were located in Tiptonville, a town approximately 40 miles from where the baby was left.
Braydon Williams, 15, and the body of the baby’s grandma, Cortney Rose, were also discovered in the area.
After Drummond was named, Danny Goodman, the District Attorney, appeared to uncover a link between the suspect and his alleged victims.
Goodman said Drummond dated or is dating a relative of someone that was found dead.
This connection surfaced after a viral post by Brier-Ashley Childress, an in-law, suggesting that Drummond had a past relationship with Rose’s sister, Kaitlyn.
“We are heartbroken. We are confused. We are devastated. We are mortified. We are hurting. Our kids are hurting,” she wrote online.
“We thought we knew him. Kaitlyn thought she knew him. Cortney, Adrianna, Braydon, and Matthew thought they knew him. We all trusted him.”
Drummond, 28, is wanted on four first-degree murder charges, and one count of aggravated kidnapping.
Investigators say he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Drummond faces four charges of unlawful possession of a weapon.
He should be viewed as armed and dangerous, according to the TBI.
TBI officials initially offered a reward of up to $2,500 but this figure has been increased.
The reward for information stands at up to $15,000, with TBI officials and the US Marshals Service each offering up to $7,500.
He is one of 10 people on the TBI Most Wanted list.
More than 500 fugitives have been arrested since the TBI Most Wanted Program was created.
Investigators said he may be driving a white, damaged 2016 Audi.
Drummond has a lengthy rap sheet and previously served 13 years behind bars.
In 2014, he was convicted for armed robbery over an incident that unfolded at a convenience store in Jackson.
Drummond, then 17, went to the cash register inside the shop before aiming a gun at a staffer.
He ordered her to open the register before taking the cash.
During his time behind bars, he shared selfies and photos of his living arrangements.
He was released on September 1, 2024, according to records seen by The U.S. Sun on the Tennessee Department of Corrections website.
Just three months after being released, he was charged with attempted first degree murder, as reported by NBC News.
And, he was also charged over alleged drug offenses.
Tributes were paid to Williams and Wilson after they were identified as two of the four people killed.
Quadruple murders timeline
Tuesday, July 29: At around 3 p.m., a seven-month-old baby girl was found abandoned in a car seat in the front yard of a home in Tigrett, Dyer County, Tennessee.
Hours later: Four individuals were found dead in Lake County approximately 40 miles from where the baby was located.
Wednesday, July 30: Investigators identify the victims as:
- Matthew Wilson, 21, (the baby’s father)
- Adrianna Williams, 20 (the baby’s mother)
- Cortney Rose, 38, (the baby’s grandmother)
- Braydon Williams, 15, (the baby’s maternal uncle)
Thursday, July 31: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation name Austin Drummond, 28, as a suspect in the quadruple homicide.
“Matthew and Adrianna were very loving parents to beautiful baby girl whom that they got to love and support her for 7 months, Weslynne,” family friend Amanda Myatt said in a GoFundMe post.
Amy Anderson described Williams as the “sweetest person.”
“She loved being a mama,” she told the CBS affiliate WREG-TV.
Anderson described Wilson as a “wonderful” dad adding: “He loved the baby.”
Harleigh Garrett, Williams’ best friend, also said she was an “amazing mother.”
“She was my very best friend. We talked every day,” she told the ABC affiliate WBBJ-TV.
“Adrianna was funny and had such a beautiful spirit.
“We had so many inside jokes and so many memories it’s hard to pick up just a few.”
Garrett reminisced on how she and Williams used to play UNO together.
“She was overall one of the best people to have as my best friend,” she said.
Cops have not yet released the motive behind the deaths.
But, investigators have vowed not to rest until justice is delivered.
“We are committed to uncovering the truth and ensuring justice is served,” Jeff Box, the Dyer County Sheriff, said.
