Baby abandoned, then 4 family members found dead, TN cops say. Now, man arrested

A baby abandoned in a stranger’s yard led to the discovery of her four slain family members 40 miles away, kicking off a weeklong manhunt for the accused killer, Tennessee authorities said.

The suspect, 28-year-old Austin Drummond, has now been taken into custody, the Jackson Police Department announced the morning of Aug. 5.

He had recently been captured on surveillance footage wearing camo and holding a black rifle while trying to break into homes in the area, police said.

The reward for Drummond’s capture climbed to $32,500 in the week since four people were found dead at a home in Tiptonville, in Lake County.

The investigation began July 29 when the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office said a vehicle dropped off a 7-month-old girl in a “random” front yard and drove away, McClatchy News previously reported.

Investigators said they were trying to speak to the girl’s 20-year-old mom, 21-year-old dad and 38-year-old grandma.

Then all three of them, including the girl’s 15-year-old uncle, were found dead together in a quadruple homicide, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators quickly named Drummond as the primary suspect and issued warrants for his arrest, as law enforcement agencies scoured western Tennessee for him.

Authorities said they eventually honed in on Drummond in the city Jackson, about 80 miles from where the family was killed. On Aug. 1, officers shared they recovered a vehicle Drummond appeared to be living out of in the woods.

Three days later, police released footage of him appearing on multiple home surveillance systems in the area armed with a rifle, going up to people’s doors and trying the locks.

Police issued a shelter in place order after another sighting, then Drummond was captured Aug. 5 in what appears to be a wooded area.

Drummond is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.

During the manhunt, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also announced the arrest of three other individuals accused of aiding Drummond.

Their names and charges are:

• Tanaka Brown, 29, tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder
• Giovontie Thomas, 29, accessory after the fact to first-degree murder
• Dearrah Sanders, 23, accessory after the fact to first-degree murder