Abandoned Baby Found in Yard’s Parents and Family Were Murdered, Officials Say

The deaths of four people who were found dead in Lake County, Tenn., will be investigated as homicides, officials confirmed.

James M. Wilson, 21, Adrianna Williams, 20, Cortney Rose, 38, and Braydon Williams, 15, were all found deceased on Tuesday, July 29. That discovery was made amid the ongoing investigation into the abandonment of James and Adrianna’s 7-month-old baby daughter.

On Tuesday, July 29, at approximately 3:11 p.m. local time, their infant was found in a baby seat abandoned in someone’s front yard at a residence on Old Highway 20 in Dyer County, Tenn., the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“A dark-colored minivan or a white mid-size SUV was reported to have dropped off an infant in a car seat at a random individual’s front yard,” the sheriff’s office added, alongside a photo of the infant. “Thankfully a witness saw the car seat with the child and called 911.”

After the baby was identified, the sheriff’s office said they wanted to speak with Rose, Wilson and Williams.

However, at 10:26 p.m., a 911 call was made reporting that Rose and her daughter, Adrianna, were missing. The caller said during the call that they were actively searching around a home with a flashlight, per Action News 5. 

Later that night, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office announced that four individuals had been discovered dead in Lake County, Tenn., which is approximately 25 miles north of Dyer County.

On Wednesday, July 30, District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. confirmed to PEOPLE that the four deceased were related to the infant. 

Goodman said a homicide investigation into their deaths is “active and ongoing.” He said that, along with several local agencies, the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) are investigating the incidents.

“We knew we were dealing with something more than your typical homicide so I knew we were going to need the expertise of TBI,” Goodman told WREG 3.

“They’re devastated. We’re just thankful that the baby was spared, grateful for that,” family friend Amy Anderson told WREG 3. “They were really good people, Adrianna was the sweetest person, she loved being a mama.”

“He was a wonderful daddy. He loved the baby,” she added of Wilson, before commenting on Rose, “And Cortney, she loved her kids.”  

“It’s tragic. It’s tearing everybody apart,” Anderson told WREG 3. “Everybody don’t know what to think, there’s been rumors here and there, but I just wish everybody would slow down on the rumors and wait until stuff is actually put out there as far as the truth goes so that there’s no more heartache than what already is.”

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Anyone with information about this case should contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.