Dallas family blames sheriff's office for overdose death of 21-year-old jail inmate
Opal Brinkley, her 74-year-old grandmother, said the family was grieving without any answers from authorities.
Opal Brinkley said she started raising Quinnetta Ariana Brinkley, known as Ari, when the girl was two years old. She also took in Ari's siblings due to parenting issues, and raised them in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.
Ari's family described her as having a strong independent streak with a knack for defending herself. Her uncle Reginald Brinkley said that is how she ended up in jail.
"She wasn't there because of some, the way it makes it seem like that she is, like she was a drug addict," Reginald Brinkley said.
He blamed her failure to return home on the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
"When she got out, she was coming back here," he said. "And she's not coming back here. And she's not coming back here. That's it for her."
An arrest affidavit said Daisy Zuniga, 26, faces a murder charge in his Quinnetta Brinkley's death. Authorities say Zuniga confessed to hiding drugs in a body cavity so Dallas police officers would not find them during an arrest for trespassing.
The drugs also got by the Dallas County Jail's X-ray scanner and a strip search, investigators said. Inside the jail, the affidavit said, at least four women including Zuniga took Xanax pills that contained methamphetamine and fentanyl. It's unclear if the women knew what was in the pills.
All four women who took the pills had a second dose, after which they needed medical treatment. Ari Brinkley was found around 8:23 p.m. and pronounced dead less than an hour later. Her family said they got notice from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office but have not heard from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
"I'm still waiting on it," Opal Brinkley said. "To this day, no one has talked to me from the jail."
The Dallas County Sheriff's Office declind to comment due to the ongoing investigation.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, in an interview with CBS News Texas, said he believes Quinnetta Brinkley's next of kin was notified.
Price said that as he awaits the outcome of the sheriff's investigation, he is standing with the officers because he's seen what they do.
"Contraband is always a challenge for us," Price said. "It's not the fact that they missed anything. I mean, it was in her cavity, you know, it wasn't like she, you know, had it around her neck or in her hand."
Price also said the death was reported to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
In the meantime, the Brinkley family is dealing with a wound her uncle said is just starting to open. Plus, Ari had a one-year-old daughter who does not realize her mother isn't coming home.
"Motto, to protect and serve went out the door," Reginald Brinkley said. "Now she's gone because somebody didn't do their job."
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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Police find car they say was driven by man wanted in killing of 4 in Tennessee
NASHVILLE — Authorities searching for a man wanted in the killing of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found alive in Tennessee uncovered a car Friday they believe the suspect was living in and offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. The abandoned car that police said 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond had been driving was found in Jackson, Tenn., about 70 miles from where the bodies were found and some 40 miles from where the baby was left in a car seat in a front yard. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said at a news conference that he believes it was a targeted attack by Drummond, who had a relationship with the family. He is most likely still in the area and should be considered armed and dangerous, Rausch said. Drummond dropped off the infant and brought attention to people nearby to come get the child, Rausch said. The baby is safe and being cared for, said Stephen Sutton, a spokesperson for the Lake and Dyer county sheriffs. 'While this was an extremely tragic and violent event, ... there was a sign of compassion, if you will, that we know happened,' Rausch said. 'That tells us that there's a possibility that Austin may have a sense that there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened.' The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has said it obtained warrants for Drummond charging him with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping and weapons offenses. Authorities have not yet answered questions about the manner in which the four were killed. According to court records, Drummond had spent years in prison for robbing a convenience store as a 16-year-old and threatening jurors. He was tried as an adult for the July 2013 robbery in Jackson, Tenn. During the incident, he pointed a pistol at the gas station store worker and ordered them to open the cash register, taking the $44 inside, court records show. At 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 his pistol was a BB gun. After the jury convicted him of one count of aggravated robbery in August 2014, he threatened 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 the threats against jurors and the victim in the robbery during a phone call with his father. 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The Dyer County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on social media that a caller reported the infant had been dropped off by a minivan or midsize SUV at a 'random individual's front yard.' The statement was accompanied by a photo of the baby in a paramedic's arms. After identifying the infant, the Sheriff's Office said that night it was working with investigators in neighboring Lake County, where four people had been found dead. On Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the four as James M. Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15. Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the infant's parents, and Rose was Adrianna and Braydon Williams' mother, according to Goodman. All four of the victims lived in Dyer County, he said. 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 in Tiptonville, Goodman said. All four victims had been killed, he said, but he declined to say how. Authorities did not name the infant, but an obituary for Wilson says he is survived by his daughter, Weslynne Wilson. An attorney who represented Drummond in his case as a teenager did not immediately return a message requesting a comment. A telephone listing for Drummond could not be found. Mattise writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Md., contributed to this report.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Police find a car they say was driven by the man wanted in the death of 4 Tennessee family members
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities searching for the man wanted in the killing of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found alive in Tennessee uncovered a car Friday that they believe the suspect was living in and offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. The unoccupied car that police said 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond had been driving was found in Jackson, Tennessee, about 70 miles from where the bodies were found and some 40 miles from where the baby was left in a car seat in a front yard. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said at a news conference that he believes it was a targeted attack by Drummond, who had a relationship with the family. He is most likely still in the area and should be considered armed and dangerous, Rausch said. Drummond dropped off the infant off and brought attention to people nearby to come get the child, Rausch said. The baby is safe and being cared for, said Stephen Sutton, a spokesperson for the Lake and Dyer county sheriffs. 'While this was an extremely tragic and violent event, that there was a sign of compassion, if you will, that we know happened,' Rausch said. 'That tells us that there's a possibility that Austin may have a sense that there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened.' The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has said it obtained warrants for Drummond charging him with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping and weapons offenses. Authorities have not yet answered questions about the manner in which the four were killed. According to court records, Drummond had spent years in prison for robbing a convenience store as a 16-year-old and threatening to go after jurors. He 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. At 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 the threats against jurors and the victim in the robbery during a phone call with his father. The Associated Press obtained audio and documents from the parole board hearing through public records requests. Drummond was given a combined 13-year sentence. His sentence ended in September 2024, according to Tennessee Department of Correction records. 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. Drummond was charged criminally for activities inside the prison, included attempted murder, after he completed the sentence that put him behind bars, District Attorney Danny Goodman said at the news conference. Drummond was out on bond on the other charges at the time of the killings, Goodman said. The investigation began after an infant in a car seat was found in a front yard in the Tigrett area on Tuesday afternoon. The Dyer County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on social media that a caller reported the infant had been dropped off by a minivan or mid-size SUV at a 'random individual's front yard' with a photo of the baby in a paramedic's arms. After identifying the infant, the sheriff's office said later that night that they were working with investigators in neighboring Lake County where four people had been found dead. On Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the four people found dead in Tiptonville as James M. Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15. Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the infant's parents, and Rose was Adrianna and Braydon Williams' mother, according to Goodman. All four of the victims lived in Dyer County, he said. 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. All four victims had been killed, Goodman said, but he declined to say how. Authorities did not name the infant, but an obituary for Wilson says he is survived by his daughter, Weslynne Wilson. An attorney who represented Drummond in his case as a teenager did not immediately return a message requesting a comment. A telephone listing for Drummond could not be found. ___ Reporter Sarah Brumfield contributed from Cockeysville, Maryland. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tennessee man sought in 4 deaths spent years in prison for robbing a convenience store at age 16
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The man wanted in the northwest Tennessee deaths of four people — two of whom had an infant who was found alive in a front yard more than 30 miles away — had spent years in prison for robbing a convenience store as a 16-year-old and threatening to go after jurors, court records show. Authorities are now offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of 28-year-old Austin Robert Drummond. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has said it obtained warrants for Drummond charging him with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping and weapons offenses. Drummond, who has been added to the TBI's Most Wanted List, should be considered armed and dangerous, officials said. 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 Associated Press obtained audio of the parole board hearing through a public records request. Drummond was given a combined 13-year sentence. His sentence ended in September 2024, according to the parole board meeting and Tennessee Department of Correction records. 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. The investigation began after an infant in a car seat was found in a front yard in the Tigrett area on Tuesday afternoon. The Dyer County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on social media that a caller reported the infant had been dropped off by a minivan or mid-size SUV at a 'random individual's front yard' with a photo of the baby in a paramedic's arms. After identifying the infant, the sheriff's office said later that night that they were working with investigators in neighboring Lake County where four people had been found dead. On Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the four people found dead in Tiptonville as James M. Wilson, 21; Adrianna Williams, 20; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15. Wilson and Adrianna Williams were the infant's parents and Rose was Adrianna and Braydon Williams' mother, according to District Attorney Danny Goodman. All four of the victims lived in Dyer County, he said. 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. All four victims had been killed, Goodman said, but he declined to say how. Authorities did not name the infant, but an obituary for Wilson says he is survived by his daughter, Weslynne Wilson.
