In Nashville, Tennessee, authorities are on the lookout for a suspect involved in the killings of four people in the northwest part of the state. Among the deceased’s home, an infant was discovered unharmed, located over 30 miles from the initial scene. The suspect, 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond, has a criminal history dating back to when he was a teenager. He was previously imprisoned for robbing a convenience store at 16 and threatening the jurors involved in his trial, according to court documents.
The authorities have announced a reward of up to $15,000 for any leads that result in Drummond’s arrest. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued warrants against Drummond for multiple charges, including four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and weapons violations.
Drummond, who has been added to the TBI’s Most Wanted List, should be considered armed and dangerous, officials said.
Drummond’s criminal past includes being tried as an adult for a robbery that took place in July 2013 in Jackson, Tennessee. During this incident, Drummond used a gun to threaten a gas station employee and demanded the cash register to be emptied, walking away with $44, based on the court documentation.
In a parole hearing in 2020, where his release was denied, Drummond stated that he couldn’t recall the robbery due to being under the influence of Xanax at the time. He maintained that the weapon used was merely a BB gun.
He was convicted of aggravated robbery by a jury in August 2014, after which Drummond threatened the jurors. During a subsequent parole hearing, he admitted to threatening them. He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of retaliation for past actions in February 2015.
The Associated Press obtained audio of the parole board hearing through a public records request.
He was sentenced to a total of 13 years, which was set to conclude in September 2024, as per parole board proceedings and records from the Tennessee Department of Correction.
As of the 2020 parole hearing, Drummond had more than two dozen disciplinary issues in prison, including possession of a deadly weapon, assault, refusing a drug test and gang activity. Drummond said the assault and the deadly weapon charges occurred because he was almost beaten to death.
The investigation began after an infant in a car seat was found in a front yard in the Tigrett area on Tuesday afternoon. The Dyer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted on social media that a caller reported the infant had been dropped off by a minivan or mid-size SUV at a “random individual’s front yard” with a photo of the baby in a paramedic’s arms.
After identifying the infant, the sheriff’s office said later that night that they were working with investigators in neighboring Lake County where four people had been found dead.
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the four people found dead in Tiptonville as James M. Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15.
Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the infant’s parents and Rose was Adrianna and Braydon Williams’ mother, according to District Attorney Danny Goodman. All four of the victims lived in Dyer County, he said.
Immediately after discovering the infant, investigators started looking for the baby’s family and soon learned the four relatives had not been seen since the night before, Goodman said. Then a relative called 911 after finding two vehicles in a remote area. The four bodies were found in nearby woods, Goodman said.
All four victims had been killed, Goodman said, but he declined to say how.
Authorities did not name the infant, but an obituary for Wilson says he is survived by his daughter, Weslynne Wilson.
An attorney who represented Drummond in his case as a teenager did not immediately return a message requesting a comment.
A telephone listing for Drummond could not be found.
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Reporter Sarah Brumfield contributed from Cockeysville, Maryland.
