SUSPECT IN CUSTODY TN - 4 people found deceased, related to an infant abandoned in car seat in someone's yard (Dyer County, TN) 29 July 2025

[MathildaM]

The most interesting point is a family member found the cars & called 911.

I’m not a local but it sounds like that area is a dead-end & out of the way. How would a family member know to look specifically there?

IMO this suggests this might be an area frequented by the family possibly for ‘dodgy’ activities. Thoughts?

This is a good source of information, thank you.

ETA from the above link. BBM

“Immediately after discovering the infant, investigators started looking for the baby’s family and

• soon learned the four relatives had not been seen since the night before, Goodman said.
• Then a relative called 911 after finding two vehicles in a remote area.
• The four bodies were found in nearby woods, Goodman said.”

 

[nhmemorymaker]

LISTEN: WBBJ obtains audio from Austin Drummond's parole hearing - WBBJ TV

The man wanted in connection with the quadruple homicide in Lake County had one parole hearing while he was incarcerated.

www.wbbjtv.com

This was approx 2020. He was denied parole, and the reviewer said it would be reviewed in three years, 2023. Interesting to hear his voice, and the story of his offences. What I find hard to understand is the severe sentencing of the original crime.
I do hope some law enforcement folks chime in on that issue.

 

[MathildaM]

Likely not related but coincidental - Kevin Butler is Kade Butler's father (who is in the interview re his ex partner becoming involved with Austin Drummond).

Kevin Butler was meant to testify in the Karen Swift trial but died before he could. His testimony was not included in the initial file provided to Danny Goodman by the DCSO. He then provided a recorded statement to The Justice Warriors.

I am unsure how to link the evidence but The Justice Warriors is a podcast series.

Man who fathered child with woman related to murdered Tennessee family speaks exclusively with FOX13

A man who says he has a child by the woman thought to be Austin Drummond's connection to a murdered family spoke exclusively with FOX13 on Friday.

www.fox13memphis.com

 

[su5ie]

Likely not related but coincidental - Kevin Butler is Kade Butler's father (who is in the interview re his ex partner becoming involved with Austin Drummond).

Kevin Butler was meant to testify in the Karen Swift trial but died before he could. His testimony was not included in the initial file provided to Danny Goodman by the DCSO. He then provided a recorded statement to The Justice Warriors.

I am unsure how to link the evidence but The Justice Warriors is a podcast series.

Sorry can't open the article because I'm in EU . Who is Karen Swift

 

[appleatcha]

LISTEN: WBBJ obtains audio from Austin Drummond's parole hearing - WBBJ TV

The man wanted in connection with the quadruple homicide in Lake County had one parole hearing while he was incarcerated.

www.wbbjtv.com

This was approx 2020. He was denied parole, and the reviewer said it would be reviewed in three years, 2023. Interesting to hear his voice, and the story of his offences. What I find hard to understand is the severe sentencing of the original crime.
I do hope some law enforcement folks chime in on that issue.

I'm not law enforcement, but I don't actually think the sentence was that severe, considering everything he did.

From CourtTV:

"Drummond was tried as an adult for the July 2013 robbery in Jackson, Tennessee. During the incident, he pointed a pistol at the gas station store worker and ordered the cash register to be opened, taking the $44 inside, court records show.

During a 2020 hearing in which he was denied parole, Drummond said he was on Xanax the night of the robbery and doesn’t remember robbing the gas station. He said the gun was a BB gun.

After the jury convicted him of one count of aggravated robbery in August 2014, he made threats to go after jurors, Drummond said during the parole hearing. He pleaded guilty in February 2015 to 13 counts of retaliation for past action.

The district attorney that covers Madison County, Jody Pickens, urged against early release for Drummond, writing a letter in 2020 that called him “a dangerous felony offender and a confirmed member of the Vice Lords,” a street gang.

Pickens wrote that Drummond made threats against jurors and the victim in the robbery during a phone call with his father.

Drummond was given a combined 13-year sentence. His sentence ended in September 2024, according to the parole board meeting and Tennessee Department of Corrections records."

--

I'm not usually one for harsh sentences, but given that he threatened the jurors in his robbery trial, I think 13 years was a very reasonable combined sentence for all of those felonies.

Also, MOO, this guy doesn't sound particularly intelligent. (I imagine the sentence for threatening jurors and witnesses was longer than the sentence for stealing $44 with a BB gun would have been.) I can't imagine he pulled this off alone. Just my opinion.

 

[MathildaM]

The article is about Kade Butler who shares a daughter with Kaitlyn who has been / is in a relationship with Austin Drummond.

So article not related to Karen Swift but Kade’s father is Kevin Butler. I’m sure someone here sleuthed Karen Swift & can add more but it’s likely it’s just a coincidence.

The shocking death of Karen Swift, her husband's trial and the search for answers

Karen Swift's death rocked the town of Dyersburg, Tennessee, in October 2011, and her husband David was charged in her death 11 years later.

abcnews.go.com

Likely not related but coincidental - Kevin Butler is Kade Butler's father (who is in the interview re his ex partner becoming involved with Austin Drummond).

Kevin Butler was meant to testify in the Karen Swift trial but died before he could. His testimony was not included in the initial file provided to Danny Goodman by the DCSO. He then provided a recorded statement to The Justice Warriors.

I am unsure how to link the evidence but The Justice Warriors is a podcast series.

Sorry can't open the article because I'm in EU . Who is Karen Swift

 

[Soulmagent]

Karen Swifts case. Probably just not related.

Then came another development. David, who has maintained his innocence, was acquitted at trial earlier this year of the most serious charges — first- and second-degree murder. But the jury was deadlocked on the lesser crime of manslaughter. Weeks after a judge declared a mistrial in the case, David was indicted on a manslaughter charge and remains in jail awaiting a new trial.

The ordeal has lasted more than half of Ashley’s life.

“It’s something that at first, is very difficult, and it still is difficult, but I feel like over time you cope with things,” she told “Dateline.” But “over and over and over, everywhere I go, every school I went to, every workplace I’ve worked — it comes up.”

Recommended​

A daughter is plagued by her mother’s unsolved death while her father maintains his innocence from jail

 

[iamshadow21]

The most interesting point is a family member found the cars & called 911.

I’m not a local but it sounds like that area is a dead-end & out of the way. How would a family member know to look specifically there?

IMO this suggests this might be an area frequented by the family possibly for ‘dodgy’ activities. Thoughts?

Maybe nothing nefarious, just something as simple as shared Google Location, Life 360, or Find My Phone. It's entirely probable that at least one of the deceased had a phone on them.

MOO

 

[Izzylizzy]

A $2500 reward for a quadruple murderer averages out to $625.00 per victim.

Do better, TBI.

How generous of the FBI for leaving out their usual "conviction" part.

$$$ award "leading to the arrest" and conviction of so and so,

Getting a conviction can take years and in this horrific murder case $2,500 is incomprehensible and an insult to the victims.

imo

 

[OldAce]

Maybe nothing nefarious, just something as simple as shared Google Location, Life 360, or Find My Phone. It's entirely probable that at least one of the deceased had a phone on them.

MOO

As as a question and for my understanding.

Is it agreed that AD could have returned the baby from the murder scene to where it was left?

I recall some remarks of it being left by either a white SUV or a dark/black van (or v/versa coloring) .
AD was assumed to be driving an Audi some light color. (From pics in Jackson)
My puzzlement is; from the two car-two colors that match the parents (assumed) vehicles and recovered by the tow trucks.

Either they were enroute to the meeting and death, but dropped the baby off, or AD murdered them, then took the baby and carried it back to the place found.

The possible two car/colors fit the parents dropping off, but premonitions and continuing onward?
AD returning and dropping off the baby allows only one car, and he doing good, and why/how the drop location if he is fleeing the area?
Any adjustment/realignment or just me being wrong, feel free.

 

[su5ie]

The article is about Kade Butler who shares a daughter with Kaitlyn who has been / is in a relationship with Austin Drummond.

So article not related to Karen Swift but Kade’s father is Kevin Butler. I’m sure someone here sleuthed Karen Swift & can add more but it’s likely it’s just a coincidence.

The shocking death of Karen Swift, her husband's trial and the search for answers

Karen Swift's death rocked the town of Dyersburg, Tennessee, in October 2011, and her husband David was charged in her death 11 years later.

abcnews.go.com

Just went down the rabbit hole . Karen was so beautiful. Awful what's happened. Her poor daughter Ashley.

 

[PawneeDew]

he went to jail for stealing $44 from a 7-11 and wound up serving 13 years. He is bad at crime.
He was almost beaten to death last time he was in jail, this time he will be sentenced to death.
He will be caught this weekend right?

View attachment 605566

Kidnapping?? Jmo, I wouldn't exactly say he's harmless from his charges...lol

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I'm not law enforcement, but I don't actually think the sentence was that severe, considering everything he did.

From CourtTV:

"Drummond was tried as an adult for the July 2013 robbery in Jackson, Tennessee. During the incident, he pointed a pistol at the gas station store worker and ordered the cash register to be opened, taking the $44 inside, court records show.

During a 2020 hearing in which he was denied parole, Drummond said he was on Xanax the night of the robbery and doesn’t remember robbing the gas station. He said the gun was a BB gun.

After the jury convicted him of one count of aggravated robbery in August 2014, he made threats to go after jurors, Drummond said during the parole hearing. He pleaded guilty in February 2015 to 13 counts of retaliation for past action.

The district attorney that covers Madison County, Jody Pickens, urged against early release for Drummond, writing a letter in 2020 that called him “a dangerous felony offender and a confirmed member of the Vice Lords,” a street gang.

Pickens wrote that Drummond made threats against jurors and the victim in the robbery during a phone call with his father.

Drummond was given a combined 13-year sentence. His sentence ended in September 2024, according to the parole board meeting and Tennessee Department of Corrections records."

--

I'm not usually one for harsh sentences, but given that he threatened the jurors in his robbery trial, I think 13 years was a very reasonable combined sentence for all of those felonies.

Also, MOO, this guy doesn't sound particularly intelligent. (I imagine the sentence for threatening jurors and witnesses was longer than the sentence for stealing $44 with a BB gun would have been.) I can't imagine he pulled this off alone. Just my opinion.

Thanks for your reply. I do appreciate the additional things to think about.

I wish we had more of an understanding of that call to his father. He was still quite young and could have been throwing a lot of words around.

However, clearly we have an evil criminal in the making here.
Soooo... with the pending "attempted murder" charges while he was still in jail... why in heavens name DID they let him out.

 

[Serononin]

Officers keep themselves and each other safe. It's the general public and local residents who are at risk, most especially anyone vulnerable, elderly, or alone.

All he's got to do is force or menace his way into someone's home and that'll keep him covered and catered to for a while. If they've found his vehicle, he's probably already done that and taken their vehicle. I really hope not but it's the next logical move.

JMO MOO

At this time of year, there's probably a decent number of people away on vacation, so he could well be hiding out in one of their empty houses

 

[Trime]

TBI asks for surveillance footage in search for Austin Drummond

The Tennessee Bureau of investigaiton

newschannel9.com

 

[SaranWrapPetunia]

So there is another white SUV (Rogue) that we didn't originally know about. So, perhaps this Rogue was the one that dropped the baby off, and not the Traverse that was seen being towed from the crime location.

From the Dyer County Sheriff's Office post seeking public assistance for any video of the 5 recovered vehicles:

- White Nissan Rogue
- Black Dodge Charger
- Older model White Ford F-150 truck (with a red stripe)
- White Audi
- White Traverse

JMO

 

[Soulmagent]

Maybe nothing nefarious, just something as simple as shared Google Location, Life 360, or Find My Phone. It's entirely probable that at least one of the deceased had a phone on them.

MOO

Sometimes family members just know when things are off.

 

[OldAce]

At this time of year, there's probably a decent number of people away on vacation, so he could well be hiding out in one of their empty houses

This could well turn out like the case we followed in Centerville. TX of the escaped prisoner, lying around close . Then owners return to die.. see next:

Thread 'TX - Escaped convicted murderer, stabbed guard, 12 May 22; murdered family of 5, Centerville, shot dead near SA, 2 JUNE 2022'

May 13, 2022

A Texas prison inmate remains on the loose after he stabbed a guard, took control of a prison bus, and crashed it before escaping in Leon County on Thursday.
Gonzalo Lopez, 46, was on board the bus along with 15 other inmates headed for Huntsville when he slipped out of his shackles, made his way to the front of the bus, and stabbed the driver in the hand, authorities said.

Lopez was last seen running across a pasture, prompting an intense search and forcing two nearby school districts to cancel classes for the day. Officers fired shots toward Lopez, but it wasn't clear if he...

• jellybean96
• Replies: 224
• Forum: In the News

• 
• 

 

[Trino]

I don’t think possession of firearm was while in custody, or it should be labeled in a penal facility. I’m not ruling it out. I’m just stating from common knowledge inside TDOC system and also working with TDOC from both sides of the fence.

• Possession of a handgun – convicted felon (Violation date: 07/21/2023) while incarcerated.

I don’t think possession of firearm was while in custody, or it should be labeled in a penal facility. I’m not ruling it out. I’m just stating from common knowledge inside TDOC system and also working with TDOC from both sides of the fence.

As of the 2020 parole hearing, Drummond had more than two dozen disciplinary issues in prison, including possession of a deadly weapon, assault, refusing a drug test and gang activity. Drummond said the assault and the deadly weapon charges occurred because he was almost beaten to death.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

The Jackson Post​

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Update from TBI