The month-long search for Elizabeth Thomas, the 15-year-old Tennessee girl who was kidnapped, is finally over. She was found safe and her alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins is in Police Custody, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday. Cummins, 50, was a teacher at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, Tennessee and Thomas was his student. The two were last seen in March.
The former teacher will be reportedly charged with transportation of a minor across state lines for the purpose of sexual intercourse. The Bureau was able to find Cummins and Thomas on a tip they received, indicating that the duo had taken up residence in a cabin in a remote area in California.
The person who tipped the Bureau said that the two arrived at the cabin last week.
Cummins in police custody
Cummins is in police custody and will face charges of sexual contact with a minor and aggravated kidnapping. He is being held without bond and will be extradited to Tennessee. According to a report by USA Today, TBI Director Mark Gwyn said in a statement, “What happened in California this morning proves it only takes one person to lead to a successful end. We are extremely thankful the hard work of all partners in this search has paid off.”
Kidnapper searched for 'teen marriage'
According to TBI, Cummins searched for the term “teen marriage” on the internet just over a week before he disappeared with Thomas.
He also searched for what features of his vehicle, a Nissan Rogue, might allow police to track him down. Cummins was fired from the school the day after he and Thomas disappeared.
Cummins always wanted to be a teacher
Cummins graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1984 and held several short-term jobs during his 20’s. He worked as a dialysis machine technician, an employee at a sponge factory, an office manager at a gas station, a car salesman, and a parts manager at an automotive store.
In 1991, he enrolled at Columbia State Community College to study respiratory therapy, where he graduated with flying colors, finishing magna cum laude in 1993. In 1994, Cummins started working at Maury Regional Hospital in Columbia as a respiratory therapy supervisor. He left in 2003, making this the longest job he has ever held in his career.
Since then, Cummins worked as a freelance respiratory therapist. In 2011, he applied for the position of health science teacher at Culleoka Unit School where he was accepted, indicating in his application that teaching was something he always wanted to do.
