Austin Robert Drummond, 28, is accused of killing four people last week in northwestern Tennessee. Photo courtesy of Tennessee Bureau of Investigation/Facebook
Two people were arrested over the weekend with helping a suspect accused of quadruple murder, according to authorities who on Sunday said they have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest and location of Austin Robert Drummond.
Drummond, 28, is accused of killing a family of four in northwestern Tennessee last week, and has been on the run since.
The U.S. Marshals Service on Sunday announced a reward of $10,000 for information that leads to his arrest for a total of $17,500 when combined with the money being offered by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
“It’s past time — let’s get Drummond into custody,” the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement in response to the announcement. “See something, say something. We can’t get distracted — stay focused on the singular mission of finding Austin Drummond. Keep his name and face all over social media.”
Drummond has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of a felon in possession of a firearm and one count each of aggravated kidnapping and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony in connection with the deaths of James M. Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15.
Rose is the mother of Adrianna and Braydon. Wilson is Adrianna’s boyfriend.
Their bodies were found Tuesday along Carrington Road in Tiptonville, located along the northwestern Tennessee border with both Missouri and Kentucky.
That same afternoon, the infant child of Wilson and Adrianna was found in a car seat that had been dropped off by a dark-colored minivan or a white mid-sized SUV “at a random individual’s front yard,” the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Authorities have said the baby is safe and is being cared for.
On Saturday, authorities arrested Giovonte Thomas, 29, on charges of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. On Friday, Tanaka Brown, 29, was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and an additional charge of tampering with evidence was later filed.
Authorities said they have discovered the white Audi that Drummond was last seen in. It was located in Jackson, Tenn. Nearby residents were instructed to lock their doors and stay alert.
TBI Director David Rausch said they believe that Drummond is in the Jackson area.
Drummond has a criminal history and should be considered armed and dangerous. Authorities said the latest crime occurred while he was out on bond for attempted murder in connection with an alleged incident that occurred in prison where he was serving time for attempted robbery.
Authorities have said that this quadruple murder is not a random act.
“This incident has this community on edge,” the TBI said in a statement online. “I can assure that state, local and federal agencies have been working around the clock to determine all of the facts of the case and to bring the identified individual, Austin Robert Drummond, in to determine what he may know.”
