The nationwide manhunt for Tad Cummins, the teacher from tennessee accused of kidnapping one of his students, has ended after more than a month. Cummings was found in the rural community of Cecilville, a small town in northern California. Elizabeth Thomas, the 15-year-old girl who was the subject of a nationwide Amber Alert, was found safe in the same cabin as her accused kidnapper.
The car Tad Cummins was spotted in Cecilville. The authorities found the two in a rural cabin in the area. At the time of publication, it was unknown if Cecilville had been the final destination or if he was planning to continue running with his young student.
The teen girl disappeared in mid-March, as did Tad Cummins. Before being found in California, the kidnapper and the young teen were last seen at a Walmart in southeastern Oklahoma City. It was believed he might have been trying to get medication for his high blood pressure when he was caught on the security camera at the Walmart.
Ignored report
The teacher was allowed to continue teaching for two weeks after reports of the teacher kissing his student. Both Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas denied they had kissed. He was not fired from his job as a teacher until after they both disappeared. Court papers filed after the two disappeared stated the teenage girl was worried about “repercussions” at the school if she resisted her teacher's advances.
“I can't imagine he wasn't fired on the spot,” Audrey Lewis, a mother of one son from Oklahoma City, said. “The school should not have let him come back. If they had taken action when it was first reported then that little girl might not have been kidnapped and pulled across the country. God only knows what he did to her while they were on the run.”
Tad Cummins is facing several charges in the state of Tennessee.
Those charges include transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of having unlawful sexual intercourse, sexual contact with a juvenile and aggravated kidnapping. At the time of publication, it was unknown if Tad Cummins will be facing any additional charges.
Elizabeth Thomas is currently in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
She is expected to be back home with her family in Tennessee within 24 hours. The Thomas family has expressed they will not be making any statements until they have had a chance to see and speak with their daughter. The family's attorney made that statement for the Thomas family.
