Gray Jr. is charged only in Knox County. But his parents face prosecution in both Knox and Roane counties. In fact, District Attorney General Russell Johnson has filed notice he s ready to seek the death penalty against the elder Gray if the case goes to trial in Roane County.
Authorities learned about the family s alleged crimes in May 2020 after one of the adoptive children, a boy, was found wandering on a Roane County road down from his home.
Investigative interviews led to the discovery of the remains of an adoptive girl, Sophie Gray, on the Grays property in the Ten Mile community of Roane County. Sophie is thought to have died in early 2017 after years of abuse and neglect.