It has now been two weeks since Tad Cummins, 50, and Elizabeth Thomas, 15, went missing. Despite many tips received from the public, there have been no credible sightings of the pair. Authorities now believe they may be hiding out somewhere in Mexico. An Amber alert is still active for the missing Tennessee teenager.
Mexican authorities notified of the Amber Alert for Elizabeth Thomas
A former teacher at Elizabeth’s school, Cummins is wanted on charges of aggravated kidnapping along with sexual contact with a minor, after kidnapping Thomas on March 13.
The Tennessean reports that District Attorney Brent Cooper of Maury County, Tennessee on Wednesday requested members of the public to copy the Amber Alert details for Elizabeth and share it with friends and family in Mexico and Central America to make them aware of the situation. Cooper said they have alerted the Mexican law enforcement to the situation, as it is possible they are in Mexico. However, he says he is unsure how widely the alert would be spread in that country.
According to Cooper, Cummins had planned the whole thing very carefully, including giving himself a 24-hour head start, which would easily have given the former teacher time to get to Mexico. He also theorized that with Cummins being a “religious man,” the teacher might decide to play a role as a missionary in Mexico.
He told ABC News after the news conference that the former teacher is reportedly familiar with missionary work and that he would easily be able to blend into this type of culture.
The kidnapping of Elizabeth is not a romance or fairy tale
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director, Mark Gwyn, stressed that the relationship between the pair is not a “romance” but a manipulation.
He cautioned the public against anything that might sound like victim blaming and said it is not a fairy tale; it is a story of grooming and kidnapping. Gwyn directly addressed Elizabeth to say they won’t stop until they find her and bring her safely home.
This #AMBERAlert is ACTIVE! Mary Catherine (Elizabeth) Thomas was last seen on March 13, 2017. She may be in the company of Tad Cummins. pic.twitter.com/t4uXGVW8Gg
— NCMEC (@MissingKids) March 22, 2017
Cooper went on to tell ABC News that Cummins had made up a fictional past for his students and most believe he is a former FBI or CIA agent with a mysterious past.
Cooper said this is a type of brainwashing that would make the students believe their teacher was something he wasn’t. He continued by saying Elizabeth might not even realize she is in any kind of danger. He warned the public that should they see the couple looking happy, this does not matter, as this is a serious crime. The public was warned at the news conference that if they saw Cummins and Elizabeth traveling in a vehicle, they should try to take a photo of the license plate and then immediately dial 911 to alert the authorities.
