Four family members were found murdered ‘execution style’ in a wooded area of rural Tennessee moments after their baby girl was mysteriously abandoned in a car seat on a stranger’s front lawn.
The disturbing details were revealed on Wednesday after the family was discovered dead after a ‘calculated and targeted’ killing about 25 miles away from where the child was left.
‘This is a deeply saddening day for our community,’ said Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box. ‘We are committed to uncovering the truth and ensuring justice is served.
Police identified the victims as the abandoned baby’s mother, Adrianna Williams, 20; her father, Matthew Wilson, 21; maternal grandmother, Cortney Rose, 38; and 15-year-old uncle, Braydon Williams.
The brutal chain of events raises disturbing new questions about the motive behind the massacre, as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has launched a full-scale manhunt for the killer or killers.
The nightmare began just after 3pm on Tuesday when a startled resident in a quiet rural area in northwest Tennessee spotted an infant in a car seat alone on the front lawn.
A dark-colored minivan or white SUV had pulled into the yard, dropped off the child, then sped away. Moments later, the resident called 911.
The Crockett County Ambulance Service responded immediately, and the baby, who was found to be unharmed, was taken into care.
But as law enforcement scrambled to identify the child and locate her family, a second, far more chilling discovery was made only hours later in nearby Lake County.
Investigators found four bodies in a dense, wooded area. On Wednesday, the foursome were all confirmed to be the immediate family of the abandoned child.
Authorities now believe that whoever left the infant on the lawn may have done so just minutes before carrying out a coordinated killing of the family in a neighboring county.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has taken over the case and confirmed they are actively searching for a ‘suspect or suspects.’
‘Right now, we believe the victims were targeted,’ said District Attorney Danny Goodman Jr., who oversees both Dyer and Lake counties.
‘This does not appear to be a random act.’
Investigators are working to determine when and where the murders occurred and whether the killer drove directly from the murder scene to drop the infant off, or vice versa.
A intense police operation was filmed by Fox 13 crews on the scene just as authorities pulled two vehicles out of the wooded crime scene, where the bodies were found.
The condition of the victims has not been released, nor has the cause of death, but sources close to the investigation described it as a ‘gruesome, execution-style’ killing.
The TBI has yet to confirm if the vehicles retrieved match the descriptions given by witnesses who saw the baby being left behind in Dyer County.
Local law enforcement agencies are urging residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
Meanwhile, the orphaned infant remains in protective custody as investigators work to unravel the motive and circumstances behind what officials are calling one of the most disturbing crimes in recent Tennessee history.
‘This remains a very active and ongoing investigation, and we want to assure the public that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is leading this case with the highest level of diligence and professionalism,’ Lake County Sheriff Bryan Avery said.