2019 Sumner County murders
The Sumner County Slayings was a mass murder which occurred on April 27, 2019, when seven bodies were discovered at multiple locations in Sumner County, Tennessee.[1] There was one sole survivor who was in critical condition but survived the injuries.[2][3] The case was the worst mass murder in Tennessee in 20 years.[4]
Sumner County Mass murder | |
---|---|
Location | Sumner County, Tennessee, U.S. |
Date | April 27, 2019 |
Attack type | Mass murder |
Weapon | Unknown blunt weapon |
Deaths | 7 |
Injured | 1 |
Perpetrator | Michael Lee Cummins |
Murders
On April 17 a headless body was found (who was later identified as Jim Dunn) at a burned out cabin.[3] This was just the start to the massacre which took place 10 days later when police responded to multiple crime scenes finding four members of Cummins family slayed in their home at Charles Brown Road.[5] They discovered another deceased victim on Luby Brown Road. Two more victims were discovered the next day and a victim who survived her wounds. One of the deceased victims was a 12-year-old girl who was partially nude but no sexual assault occurred. All the victim deaths were caused by blunt force trauma to the head.[4]
Arrest of Cummins
Cummins was going to be arrested in the upcoming days before the bodies were found due to a violation of probation of not having a mental health evaluation. A warrant was in the works.[6] After the murders, Cummins was a suspect due to not being seen and his family's untimely deaths. Cummins was later spotted and shot after he was cornered near a creek by multiple police officers.[7]
References
- Theresa Waldrop; Eliott C. McLaughlin. "Suspect charged in 7 Tennessee slayings". CNN. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- Matthews, David. "Tennessee man suspected in eight slayings, including mother and father, formally charged after hospital release". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- Kelman, Brett. "Burned cabin and a headless body: Michael Cummins charged with eighth homicide". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- "Seven killed in 'deadliest homicide event in Tennessee in at least 20 yrs.'". WTVF. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- Shelton, Caitlyn (2019-05-10). "Michael Cummins arrested, charged in 8 Westmoreland murders". WZTV. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- Nixon, Amy. "Probation officer prepared to arrest Michael Cummins day before bodies were found, Sumner County DA says". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- "Suspect's parents, uncle among 7 killed in 'gruesome' mass slayings in Tennessee". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-02-09.