Suspect in quadruple Tennessee murder arrested after dayslong manhunt

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Aug 5, 2025

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A suspect on the run since allegedly murdering four people in Tennessee was captured Tuesday morning after a dayslong manhunt, authorities announced.

Austin Robert Drummond had been wanted in connection with the slayings of 38-year-old Cortney Rose, her two children, 20-year-old Adrianna Williams and 15-year-old Braydon Williams, and her daughter’s boyfriend, 21-year-old James “Michael” Wilson. Their bodies were discovered on July 29 in a wooded area in Tiptonville, after a baby was found abandoned in the front yard of a home some 40 miles away.

All four of the victims were related to the infant, who was not harmed, police said. Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the baby’s parents, Rose was the grandmother and Braydon Williams was an uncle.

Drummond was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Jackson after he was caught on a home security camera in the area late Sunday night. The clip showed him carrying a rifle as he approached the front door of a home, located on Pipkin road. A vehicle associated with Drummond was also last week found in the same city, not far from Union University.

A motive for the grisly quadruple slaying remained unclear as of Tuesday, but police said Drummond had a previous relationship with the family and reportedly used to date Rose’s sister.

Authorities have arrested three others in connection with the case, including Tanaka Brown and Giovante Thomas. They’re both facing a count of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, and Brown was additionally charged with evidence tampering. On Monday, police announced the arrest of Dearrah Sanders, who has also been charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

All three suspects are accused of helping Drummond, but authorities have not specified how they were involved in the slayings.

Drummond meanwhile is facing four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.