POZA RICA, Mexico (AP) — Flooding and landslides over the past week have cut off 300 towns in central and eastern Mexico and left dozens of people dead and missing. Soldiers and rescue workers were scrambling to help civilians to safety and unblock roads. The flooding followed the convergence of two tropical storms off Mexico’s western coast at the end of an unusually heavy rainy season that swelled rivers and weakened hillsides.
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People arrive at Bella Vista, Hidalgo state, Mexico, after evacuating Chapula, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A boy evacuated from Chapula receives medical aid at an improvised shelter in Bella Vista, Hidalgo state, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A man hangs recovered belongings inside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after landslides and torrential rain. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Portraits hang on the Ramirez family's houses wall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People clean the Olvera Gomez family's house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A plush toy lies in the mud inside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Damaged vehicles sit in mud after flooding in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Houses sit damaged after flooding in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Rescue workers patrol a street in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after widespread flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A local cleans a flooded house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
President Claudia Sheinbaum, left, and Veracruz Gov. Rocío Nahle García survey authorities' aid distribution in Poza Rica, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after widespread flooding and landslides. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People loot a supermarket damaged by heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Neighbors gather around a damaged house after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A Marine helps a woman cross a flooded street in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A woman walks through a damaged bus station after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Relatives of Gustavo Azuara, who died during a flood, stand outside their damaged house after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Arturo Huidobro, center, and a worker prepare to remove dead pigs from a farm following heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A man who cleaning flooded homes takes a break in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A pickup truck hangs over a fence in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after rain and flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A local holds a rescued cat in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after rain and flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Damaged vehicles sit in mud after flooding in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Locals embrace outside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after widespread flooding and landslides. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People arrive at Bella Vista, Hidalgo state, Mexico, after evacuating Chapula, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A boy evacuated from Chapula receives medical aid at an improvised shelter in Bella Vista, Hidalgo state, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A man hangs recovered belongings inside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, after landslides and torrential rain. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Portraits hang on the Ramirez family's houses wall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People clean the Olvera Gomez family's house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A plush toy lies in the mud inside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Damaged vehicles sit in mud after flooding in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Houses sit damaged after flooding in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Rescue workers patrol a street in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after widespread flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A local cleans a flooded house in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
President Claudia Sheinbaum, left, and Veracruz Gov. Rocío Nahle García survey authorities' aid distribution in Poza Rica, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after widespread flooding and landslides. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
People loot a supermarket damaged by heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Neighbors gather around a damaged house after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A Marine helps a woman cross a flooded street in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A woman walks through a damaged bus station after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Relatives of Gustavo Azuara, who died during a flood, stand outside their damaged house after heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Arturo Huidobro, center, and a worker prepare to remove dead pigs from a farm following heavy rainfall in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A man who cleaning flooded homes takes a break in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A pickup truck hangs over a fence in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after rain and flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A local holds a rescued cat in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after rain and flooding. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Damaged vehicles sit in mud after flooding in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Locals embrace outside a flooded house in Poza Rica, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after widespread flooding and landslides. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A Tennessee man charged with killing four members of the same family and kidnapping a baby before eluding authorities for a week is scheduled Monday to make his first court appearance since he was indicted.
Austin Robert Drummond is expected to appear before a judge for an afternoon arraignment in circuit court in Lake County, located in rural northwest Tennessee.
A grand jury indicted Drummond on Nov. 10 on charges including first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the July 29 shootings. Drummond had pleaded not guilty in a lower court before a judge ruled there was enough evidence for his case to proceed to the grand jury.
Drummond is accused of the deaths of the parents, grandmother and uncle of an infant found abandoned in a home’s front yard in rural west Tennessee. A weeklong search for Drummond ended on Aug. 5 in Jackson, about 70 miles (115 kilometers) southeast of the location of the killings in Tiptonville.
Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty if Drummond is convicted of first-degree murder at trial.
An FBI agent testified at a hearing in September that data from a cellphone used by Drummond showed he was in the vicinity of a wooded area where the bodies were found with gunshot wounds and covered by tarpaulins.
But Drummond’s attorney, Bryan Huffman, argued that there was no evidence presented during the hearing that showed Drummond actually shot any of the victims.
On the day of the shootings, officers responded to a call of an infant in a car seat being dropped off at a “random individual’s front yard” roughly 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Tiptonville, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office has said.
Then investigators in neighboring Lake County reported four people had been found dead from gunshot wounds in Tiptonville. They were identified as the baby’s parents, James M. Wilson, 21, and Adrianna Williams, 20; Williams’ brother, Braydon Williams, 15; and their mother, Cortney Rose, 38.
Drummond’s girlfriend is the sister of the infant’s grandmother, according to Lake County District Attorney Danny Goodman.
In all, five people have been charged with being accessories after the fact in the case.
Drummond has served prison time for robbing a convenience store and threatening to go after jurors. He was also charged with the attempted murder of a prison guard while behind bars, and he was out on bond at the time of the killings, Goodman has said.
With a population of about 3,400 people, Tiptonville is about 120 miles (195 kilometers) north of Memphis, near the Mississippi River and scenic Reelfoot Lake.
FILE - Defendant Austin Drummond, accused of quadruple murder, appears in court during a preliminary hearing Sept. 4, 2025, in Tiptonville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, Pool, File)