Elizabeth Thomas and Tad Cummins Found After Six Weeks of Searches

Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas were hiding in Cecilville, California.

According to a recent statement issued by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the nerve-racking search for Ted Cummins, the 50-year-old former school teacher who abducted his 15-year-old student, Elizabeth Thomas, has been concluded. Acting on a tip received from an eye-witness, the authorities tracked down Cummins and Thomas to a secluded cabin, bordering Oregon.

Elizabeth Thomas Found. Tad Cummins Is in Custody.

Josh DeVine, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson, declared during a press conference held on Thursday afternoon, that Elizabeth Thomas was found, thus ending a nationwide search that took almost six weeks.

Acting on a tip received from an eyewitness, on Wednesday night, the authorities moved in and arrested Tad Cummins. According to DeVine’s statements, the two of them sought refuge in a remote cabin located in Cecilville, California, approximately 100 miles away from Oregon’s border.

DeVine added that the cabin where Cummins and Thomas were discovered is in a very remote area, with the limited mobile signal. Since the disappearance of Elizabeth Thomas on the 13^th of March, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and several other agencies received no less than 1,500 tips regarding the couple’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, not of all them were reliable enough.

The Story of Tad Cummins’ Arrest

Soon after receiving the tip that the two of them might be hiding in a cabin located in a secluded Californian area, the TBI coordinated with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and managed to track down Cummins’s vehicle, a silver Nissan Rouge.

The authorities quickly located the vehicle and placed it under surveillance. Several hours later, the law enforcement agents stormed the cabin and took Tad Cummins into custody. Mark Gwyn, TBI’s acting director, declared that the 15-year-old girl was in a good physical condition and that she will be reunited with her family as soon as possible. TBI’s director said that the girl would be transported on a TBI jet.

As for Tad Cummins, the authorities believe that, given his deeds, he will spend at least several years in jail. Cummins was charged with aggravated kidnapping, engaging in sexual relations with a minor, and transporting a minor into another state with the intent of engaging in sexual relations, an offense which carries a 10-year sentence.

Thomas’s father told the reporters that he is more than relieved that this nightmare has ended and that he waits for his daughter to return home. The man also added that his family might need professional help in reaching Elizabeth, whose state of mind is currently unknown.

Image source: Pixabay

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Matthew Slotkin

Matthew Slotkin has graduated from Rice University with a degree in History and English. He worked as an assistant professor before joining The Mirror Daily as a full time writer.