Baby found on 'random' Tennessee yard before 4 relatives are found dead

Create your free profile or log in to save this article

An infant was found abandoned Tuesday on a “random” yard shortly before four of the child’s relatives were discovered dead in a nearby county, authorities in Tennessee said.

There have been no arrests, and authorities have provided few details about the deaths.

“The investigation, including efforts to identify and apprehend the suspect or suspects, remains active and ongoing,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Wednesday.

An intersection in Dyer County, Tenn., near where the infant was abandoned. WMC

Nearly a dozen law enforcement agencies are assisting in the investigation, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force, the state bureau said.

Neither federal agency immediately responded to requests for comment.

A witness dialed 911 after seeing the baby in a car seat on "a random individual’s front yard" in the Tigrett area, the Dyer County Sheriff's Office said. Tigrett is nearly 80 miles north of Memphis.

The post, which said the child was being evaluated by medical personnel, included a photo of the infant “in the arms of a loving paramedic.”

Investigators were searching for the vehicle believed to have dropped the infant off on Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said. It was described as a dark minivan or white midsize SUV.

The sheriff's office said in an update that it was seeking to talk with three people later identified as the child's deceased relatives — Cortney Rose, Matthew Wilson and Adrianna Williams.

That evening, the sheriff's office said, four people had been found dead in neighboring Lake County in connection with the case.

Dyer County District Attorney Danny Goodman identified the dead Wednesday as Wilson, 21, the child’s father; Williams, 20, the mother; Rose, 38, the maternal grandmother; and Braydon Williams, 15, the maternal uncle.

They were discovered in a wooded area in Tiptonville, roughly 40 miles north of Tigrett, according to NBC affiliate WMC of Memphis.

“This is a deeply saddening day for our community,” Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box said in a statement. “We are committed to uncovering the truth and ensuring justice is served.”