‘I’ve been terrified’: Manhunt ensues after police find homicide suspect’s abandoned vehicle
SEE ALSO: Timeline of events in quadruple homicide investigation
JACKSON, Tenn. — The search for one of Tennessee’s most wanted fugitives continues, leaving residents feeling on edge.
What we know about the suspect
29-year-old Austin Robert Drummond is wanted in connection with the quadruple homicide of one family in Lake County.
He’s been on the run since the discovery of an abandoned child in Dyer County Tuesday. Around 7 p.m. Friday, our WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News team saw the retrieval of a car from a wooded area in north Jackson that the TBI says matches the description of the one driven by Drummond.
Officials are actively searching for Drummond.
Drummond’s History
Drummond has a history of violence. Below, you can see photos from surveillance footage when he robbed a convenience store at gunpoint in 2013.
He was a juvenile at the time, but was charged as an adult and served a combined sentence of 13 years.
SEE ALSO: Teen Can Be Tried as Adult in Armed Robbery, Kidnapping
During his incarceration, Drummond racked up 25 disciplinary actions from drug possession to deadly weapons and more. On July 23, 2020, Drummond was denied early parole.
“I’m going to recommend that you be declined for adverse effect on discipline, also, for seriousness of offense based on the aggravated robbery with a firearm and those threats to the victims and jurors. I also consider you to be high risk based on your behavior this incarceration.”
– Jeff Barker, hearing officer for the Tennessee Board of Parole speaks in an audio recording obtained by WBBJ.
District Attorney Jody Pickens strongly opposed his early release.
In a phone call Drummond made to his dad, he threatened the jurors and victims in the trial.
What local residents are saying
Since the tragedy, fear has gripped the community, especially with the suspect still at large. We spoke with one resident who did not want to show his face out of fear, but shares his initial reaction.
“I was shocked, I mean, for something to happen of that magnitude around this area is kind of frightening. I hope the law enforcement steps up it’s patrol around here, especially, but I don’t think he’ll come back.”
– Concerned Jackson resident.
“It’s a little nerve wrecking if I am being honest because he killed people…So, it’s very scary to sleep at night knowing he has been back here.”
– A resident who lives near the area where Drummond’s car was retrieved.
Not only are local residents frightened, but one man shares his concern for his daughter as she’s been residing with Drummond and her mom since Drummond’s release from prison in 2024.
“I’ve been terrified, you know, just not knowing what my daughter’s had to go through, what she’s had to see, just not knowing if she’s safe.”
– Kade Butler, father to the daughter of Kaitlyn Speed–who officials say was in a relationship with Drummond at one point, though it is unclear if they are still involved with one another.
Photo shows Speed, pictured left, and Drummond together.
Butler urges Kaitlyn to keep their daughter safe and asks viewers at home to be wary of who they bring around their child.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service are offering $7,500 each for any information that could lead to Drummond’s arrest.
If you would like to submit any details, you can call the TBI Hotline at 1 800-TBI-FIND or the U.S. Marshals Service at 901-406-2044.
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