Two individuals described as “accomplices” connected to the suspect in a multiple murder case in Tennessee earlier this week have been detained on suspicion of aiding the fugitive, authorities announced on Saturday.
Special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrested Tanaka Brown on Friday and Giovonte Thomas on Saturday, the agency said.
Brown and Thomas, both aged 29 and residing in Jackson, are facing charges of being accessories after the fact to first-degree murder, according to a statement from the bureau. Additionally, Brown is charged with tampering with evidence.
Brown is currently held without bail at Lake County Jail. Thomas will be moved there from Madison County Jail, where he was held for a separate charge related to failing to appear in court, as stated by the bureau.
The two men are suspected of assisting Austin Robert Drummond, 28, who was still at large as of Saturday night. Authorities have been actively searching for Drummond in relation to the killings of four individuals on Tuesday in Tiptonville.
The discovery of the four victims occurred after an infant was found abandoned in a car seat in Dyer County, prompting an urgent search for the child’s caretakers, explained Stephen Sutton, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s offices in Lake and Dyer counties, during a news briefing on Friday.
“The baby is safe and is being cared for,” Sutton said.
Drummond faces charges of four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, possession of a firearm during a dangerous felony, and possessing a gun as a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Drummond was out on bond when the killings took place, Danny Goodman, district attorney for Dyer and Lake counties, said Friday.
He had been released on bond related to an incident that allegedly took place in prison, where he was serving time for aggravated robbery, Goodman said.
It’s not clear whether Drummond, Brown or Thomas have retained legal counsel. The public defender’s office for the judicial district that covers Lake and Dyer counties was not available to provide information late Saturday.
Drummond is described as armed and dangerous, and anyone who spots him was asked to call 911.
“Getting Austin Drummond in custody is a priority,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Two vehicles associated with Drummond have been found, authorities said. A white 1988 Ford pickup with red side panels was located in Dyer County on Saturday, and authorities are asking anyone with security video of the truck to send it to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Drummond’s white 2016 Audi A3 was found abandoned Friday in Jackson, about 74 miles southeast of Tiptonville, the bureau said.
He is believed to still be in the Jackson area, bureau Director David B. Rausch said Friday.
“This incident has this community on edge,” Rausch said.
Jackson is about 87 miles northeast of Memphis.
Authorities have previously identified the victims as Matthew Wilson, 21, the abandoned child’s father; rianna Williams, 20, the mother; Cortney Rose, 38, the maternal grandmother; and Braydon Williams, 15, the maternal uncle.
Authorities haven’t said how they died but have described their deaths as the result of murder.
“There is a familial relationship between the suspect and the family,” Rausch said.
A relative of the victims said Thursday in a Facebook post that the suspect has “literally been nothing short of amazing to us and our kids.” According to the post, Drummond previously dated a sister of Rose.
Rausch said the suspect showed a sign of compassion — dropping the child off — so “there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened.”
