THE fugitive accused of murdering four family members is said to be part of a powerful gang that one expert fears could have helped him evade cops.
Austin Drummond’s Almighty Vice Lords is a Chicago, Illinois-based gang with members who one law enforcement official called the “worst of the worst.”
On July 29, a seven-month-old baby was found abandoned on a stranger’s front lawn in rural West Tennessee, and she was taken to safety.
Just hours later, cops found the bodies of the baby’s parents, 20-year-old Adrianna Williams and 21-year-old Matthew Wilson, on the side of a road.
Their bodies were found alongside Williams’ mom Cortney Rose, 38, and her younger brother Braydon Williams, 15.
After a days-long search, investigators captured Drummond on Tuesday, who they believe kidnapped the family and murdered all four family members.
He was pictured looking sweat-soaked and humiliated in images released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The suspect was found in Jackson after a construction crew saw him darting into the woods, about an hour from where the baby was abandoned.
Investigators haven’t confirmed any connection between the suspect and the victims, but family members have claimed online that he had dated one of Rose’s sisters.
Drummond is an ex-convict who served a 13-year prison sentence for robbing a store at gunpoint and kidnapping someone. He was released in September.
Three more people have been arrested and accused of helping Drummond allegedly commit the sick murders.
Investigators believe Drummond is a part of the dangerous Vice Lords gang, which is known to have a presence in West Tennessee.
The crime ring was started in the 1950s by a crew of African American teens who met while they were in juvenile detention.
In just ten years, they recruited a number of members and established a dangerous presence on the streets of Chicago, where they were known for violent robberies and assaults.
Officials also say the gang has an established presence in prisons, which may have been how Drummond was first introduced to members.
In the decades since its inception, the Vice Lords and their various factions have been linked to a number of shocking crimes across the US.
In 2019, Vice Lords Supreme Elite Chief Ronald Terry and his girlfriend were murdered in Memphis.
An internal investigation conducted by the faction Unknown Vice Lords found that a fellow member had killed them, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee said.
However, they first blamed a rival gang, and the two attacked each other in a bloody shootout, according to CBS affiliate WREG.
Meanwhile, in December, three Vice Lords members in Detroit were sentenced to decades each of prison time for terrorizing the city for years, prosecutors said.
The gangsters, who were known as “Chief,” “Universal Elite,” and “Chief Enforcer,” were described as “the worst of the worst in our community” by federal investigators at the time.
“Greed bought them a one-way ticket straight into federal prison,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent James Deir, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Tuesday, July 29: A seven-month-old baby girl was found abandoned in a car seat in the front yard of a residence in Tigrett, Dyer County, Tennessee, at around 3 pm.
Hours later: Four individuals were found dead in Lake County approximately 40 miles from where the baby was located.
Wednesday, July 30: Investigators identify the victims as:
Thursday, July 31: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation name Austin Drummond, 28, as a suspect in the quadruple homicide.
Friday, August 1: Cops locate Drummond’s damaged Audi A3 abandoned on a road in Jackson. Tanaka Brown has been arrested and is accused of being an accessory to first degree murder after the fact and tampering with evidence.
Saturday, August 2: Agents arrest second man Giovontie Thomas for accessory to first degree murder after the fact. They also locate a Ford pick up truck believed to be connected to Drummond in Dyer County.
Monday, August 4: Dearrah Sanders is the third person to be arrested and charged for accessory to first degree murder after the fact.
Jackson cops also release surveillance footage of Drummond, wearing camouflaged gear, stalking a neighborhood and trying to get into a church building.
Tuesday, August 5: Drummond taken into custody after being captured in Jackson. He was arrested after cops issued a shelter-in-place order following a suspected sighting.
With an elaborate crime network spanning across the US, experts fear that Drummond could have benefited from the brotherhood while he evaded capture.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, criminology professor Dr. Angelo Brown, who teaches at Arkansas State University, said that Drummond could have been at “fellow gang member locations.”
He said that Drummond’s brothers may have delivered him “essential supplies” and helped him to change his appearance until the search dies down.
Brown was concerned for officials searching for Drummond because of the grisly nature of the crimes.
He said, “He knows that if he gets caught, he will likely never see freedom again, which puts him in a situation where he has little to lose.
“Therefore, if he harms more people, it probably won’t increase the punishment he will face if convicted.”
Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box celebrated Drummond’s capture and said that it came after “tireless work and dedication of our local, state, and federal partners.”
“Their commitment to justice and public safety around the clock since Tuesday at 3 pm has been invaluable throughout this investigation,” he said.
“Also, our citizens have been extremely helpful and cooperative. Thank you so much for always being a willing partner with our deputies and investigators.”
Drummond was captured on chilling surveillance stalking around in Jackson on Monday night, after investigators previously feared he had fled the state.
The convict filled his rap sheet while he was behind bars. He was charged with attempted murder in December 2024 over a fight with an inmate.
He was out on bail for that charge when he allegedly killed the family.
Drummond was also punished for being caught with drugs in prison.
Tennessee police shared the following statement to announce the arrest of alleged murderer Austin Drummond:
Sheriff Jeff Box of the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to confirm that the man responsible for the murder of four Dyer County citizens has been captured by the Jackson Police Department.
Sheriff Box expressed his gratitude to all agencies involved. “This would not have been achieved without the tireless work and dedication of our local, state, and federal partners. Their commitment to justice and public safety around the clock since Tuesday at 3pm has been invaluable throughout this investigation. Also, our citizens have been extremely helpful and cooperative. Thank you so much for always being a willing partner with our deputies and investigators.”
The Dyer County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the immense pain and suffering experienced by the families of the victims during this incredibly difficult time. “Our focus now shifts to honoring the lives lost and providing support to their grieving families. We urge the community and the media to respect their privacy as they navigate through this tragic loss.”
The investigation is ongoing and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is the lead investigative agency.
The Dyer County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work diligently to ensure justice is served for the victims and their loved ones while fostering a safe environment for our community.
Source: DCSO
NEARLY nine million more shoppers will be banned from purchasing junk food products as new regulations go into effect in six states.
As the state governments roll out laws restricting what food and drinks can be purchased using SNAP benefits, many fan-favorite products are on the chopping block.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides monthly food benefits to cash-strapped families to help them afford nutritious food.
However, these benefits – formerly known as food stamps – have historically been spent on not-so-healthy purchases, with roughly 20 cents for each $1 spent on sweetened drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar, per the USDA.
As a result, many states have begun cracking down on SNAP regulations in an effort to encourage their residents to make healthier food choices.
Six additional states have all had new waivers approved, enforcing new laws that ban junk foods from being purchased using SNAP benefits, the USDA announced on Monday.
The new food choice state waivers will take effect in West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas starting in 2026.
“For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy – products that fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr in the Monday press release.
Over 41 million people in America receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits each month.
SNAP provides food benefits to low-income households to help people get groceries.
Recipients get money on a debit card that can be used at grocery stores and farmers markets.
The amount of money distributed depends on several factors including how much money you make, how much money you receive from other benefits, and how many people are in your household.
The electronic benefits can help people buy food including food and vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products, breads, cereals, and snacks.
You can’t use SNAP to buy alcohol, cigarettes, hot foods, or cooking utensils.
Source: USDA
“These waivers help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health.”
The waivers grant states flexibility by allowing them to administer the SNAP program in different ways, including changing the definition of food that can be purchased using the electronic benefit transfer cards that are loaded each month.
Over in Florida, lawmakers plan to ban soda, energy drinks, candy, and prepared desserts, while in Louisiana, SNAP beneficiaries will no longer be able to purchase soft drinks, energy drinks, and candy with their EBT cards.
The food choice state waivers in Colorado and West Virginia are less restrictive, banning only soft drinks from being bought using food stamps.
Oklahoma will restrict the purchase of soft drinks and candy come 2026, and Texans on SNAP will similarly be banned from buying sweetened beverages and candies.
Before these waivers, Americans on food stamps could purchase anything except for alcohol, tobacco, hot and prepared foods, and personal care products.
Across all six states, the new SNAP limitations will affect roughly 8.5 million people.
The wave of new state waivers aligns with President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, aimed at addressing the country’s high rates of chronic disease.
Six additional states had new food choice state waivers approved, bringing the total number of states banning certain junk food purchases using SNAP benefits to 12.
Arkansas
Colorado
Florida
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Texas
Utah
West Virginia
Source: USDA
The policy shift towards healthier SNAP purchases is championed by US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, both of whom have been vocal proponents of the changes.
On Rollins’ first full day in office, she sent a letter to the country’s governors sharing her vision for the USDA, inviting them to participate in a new “Laboratories of Innovation” initiative and encouraging them to request state SNAP waivers.
She previously signed waivers for Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho, and Utah, bringing the total number of states restricting junk food purchases using SNAP dollars to 12.
Republican states have primarily led the movement to tighten rules around food stamp spending, with Colorado being the only Democratic state in the current lineup.
Those in favor of banning unhealthy SNAP purchases have argued that more strictly regulating the federal program will help to improve our country’s health.
Critics, on the other hand, feel as if the new changes simply control how the nation’s poorest eat, failing to address the more profound issue of providing access to affordable, healthy food.
Aside from the 12 states with approved waivers, another state is looking to pass a September bill banning another grocery staple after 51 years.
Plus, read up on why taxpayers are on the hook for millions of dollars under a new bill after a “payment error” linked to SNAP benefits.
BEN SHELTON was involved in a tense exchange with Flavio Cobolli on Live TV.
The two tennis stars clashed after Shelton mimicked a controversial gesture at his rival ahead of the US Open.
Shelton, 22, had beaten Cobolli 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (1) at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
But tensions rose as they spoke to each other at the net after the final point was scored.
Shelton mimicked the gesture he saw Cobolli, 23, do during the tiebreaker and asked if it had been aimed at him.
Cobolli insisted that it was not meant to be at Shelton as they shook hands.
He said: “You deserve it, this match, but it’s not always with you.”
But it continued to cause debate as they walked to the sidelines.
Shelton said: “And if you do say something [directed at me], then I’m going to say something to you because we’re friends, no?”
To which Cobolli said: “Of course.”
They then shook hands again as Shelton put it behind him.
He said: “But you said it’s not [about] me, we cleared it up and we’re good.
“I’m sorry about the match.”
Cobolli answered: “It’s one match, I don’t care. You won and that’s it.
“You can understand my frustration, no?”
And Shelton said: “I can. We’ll talk.”
The world No. 7 spoke further on the topic during his post-match press conference.
He revealed that they spoke in private away from the cameras and insisted that they were fine.
He said: “He just made a gesture in the tiebreaker (and I) asked him about it.
“He said it wasn’t towards me so we’re cool.
“We’re good. We talked about it in the locker room, so I’m not going to answer any more questions about that.
“There’s no story, we’re good, that’s it, so, thanks.”
He will now take on the eighth-seeded Alex De Minaur in the quarter-final on Tuesday.