A man suspected of killing four family members in Tennessee has been captured, authorities said. Austin Drummond’s arrest on Tuesday morning ended a manhunt that started a week ago.
Drummond, 28, has been charged with four counts of murder in the first degree and lesser charges in the killings of the four relatives.
Authorities identified the victims as Cortney Rose, 38; Adrianna Williams, 20; Braydon Williams, 15, and James Matthew Wilson, 21. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch told reporters during a news conference Tuesday that the suspect’s girlfriend is related to the victims. Rausch added that he wasn’t able to speak about a possible motive for the killings, which are still under investigation.
“This is not done by any means,” Rausch said. “This is just we are now able to move into the next phase.”
Rausch didn’t say where the suspect was being held.
Leading up to Tuesday’s arrest, police in Jackson, Tennessee, received multiple calls reporting sightings of the suspect just after 8 a.m., and officers responded to the area, Jackson Police Chief Thom Corley told reporters. Another sighting was reported at about 8:57 a.m., and the suspect was arrested at 9:05 a.m.
“They were there right at the right spot and reacted immediately,” Corley said.
The police chief said the suspect was staying in a vacant building. No officers were hurt during the arrest, and the suspect wasn’t armed when he was taken into custody, Corley said. Rausch said that a couple of guns have been recovered, but he couldn’t say if they were used in the killings.
Investigators were searching for more possible evidence in the case, and Rausch urged people to contact authorities if they see something that may be connected to the investigation.
People were urged to exercise caution as authorities searched for the suspect, warning that he was armed and dangerous and offering a reward that increased to $32,500 as the search went on. The arrest came after Jackson police on Monday posted recent surveillance video footage of him carrying what authorities said was a rifle.
After he was taken into custody, authorities posted photos of Drummond to social media.
The investigation into the killings started after a baby girl in a car seat was abandoned in a front yard last week. When authorities identified the child, they said on social media they wanted to speak with Rose, Adrianna Williams and Wilson. Then the four victims’ bodies were discovered.
Rose was the mother of Braydon Williams and Adrianna Williams, who was in a relationship with Wilson, CBS affiliate WTVF-TV reported.
“There’s a child who has lost not only parents but has lost a grandparent, an uncle,” District Attorney Danny Goodman told WTVF-TV.
Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box told reporters Tuesday that the baby was “safe, healthy and being well taken care of.”
During the manhunt, three people were arrested and accused of being accessories after the fact to the killings.
Alex Sundby is a senior editor at CBSNews.com. In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.
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