Law enforcement officers, including TBI, Jackson Police and Madison County Sheriffs Department, are going door to door in Jackson, Tennessee today as authorities continue their search for 28-year-old Austin Drummond. Drummond is accused of murdering four family members in Lake County, Tennessee, and abducting a baby before abandoning the infant in a Dyer County driveway.
Drummond is considered armed and extremely dangerous following the killings of 38-year-old Cortney Rose, Rose’s children 20-year-old Adrianna Williams and 15-year-old Braydon Williams, and Adrianna Williams’ boyfriend, 21-year-old James “Michael” Wilson, according to authorities.
Madison County Constable Frankie Lax reports to TriStar Daily that Drummond has appeared on numerous door video cameras in North Jackson seeking entry. Lax encouraged residents to shelter in place, lock their doors and to not engage with this man in any way.
“Residents in the Pipkin Road and Pleasant Plains Road areas should review their Ring cameras and other video surveillance over the past few days and notify Jackson Police immediately if they see anything unusual,” said Lax. Schools in the vicinity are on lockdown and Lax encouraged church security teams to carefully secure the churches in that area as well.
The search for Drummond began on July 29, after an infant was found in a car seat in “a random individual’s front yard” shortly before the baby’s parents and two other family members were found dead.
David B. Rausch, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director, said there is a “familial relationship” between the suspect and the family, but did not provide further details.
Tanaka Brown was arrested on Friday, and Giovontie Thomas was taken into custody on Saturday, the state Bureau of Investigation said. Both men, from Jackson, were charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Brown faces an additional charge of tampering with evidence, the agency said in a news release.
This is a breaking news story and more details will be reported as they become available.
Steve Gill is publisher of TriStar Daily.
