TAD CUMMINGS, ABDUCTOR OF ELIZABETH THOMAS, ADDED TO TBI ‘TOP 10 MOST WANTED’
The TBI urges the public to remain vigilant, reporting any information that may prove beneficial in the ongoing search of Elizabeth Thomas to 1-800-TBI-FIND. If you spot the vehicle and can verify the license plate to be TN 976-ZPT, call 911.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has added Tad Cummins, of Columbia, to ‘Top 10 Most Wanted’ list for kidnapping 15-Year Old Elizabeth Thomas on Monday, March 13, 2017.
Tad Cummins is wanted by the Maury County Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for Aggravated Kidnapping and Sexual Assault of a Minor. He is believed to be armed with two handguns and dangerous.
The investigation has uncovered troubling behavior patterns of 50-year-old Tad Cummins that has led investigators to suspect he’d been abusing his teaching role in an effort to groom and lure a young vulnerable victim into sexual exploitation.
TBI belives15-year-old elizabeth thomas, kidnapped by tad thomas, is in imminent danger.
DESCRIPTION OF ELIZABETH THOMAS:
15-year-old white female with blonde hair, hazel eyes, approximately 120 pounds and stands 5’5. She was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings.
TAD CUMMINS is possibly driving a 2015 SILVER NISSAN ROGUE, TENNESSEE LICENSE PLATE TAG 976-ZPT.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF TAD CUMMINS:
TAD CUMMINS – TBI ‘TOP 10 MOST WANTED’ IN THE ABDUCTION OF ELIZABETH THOMAS ON MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017. Photo courtesy of TBI Newsroom. www.tbinewsroom.com
50-year-old white man with brown hair and brown eyes standing 6’0″ and weighing approximately 200 pounds.
CONTACT TBI:
Anyone with general information about their whereabouts should contact 1-800-TBI-FIND. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
If anyone sees the vehicle and plate mentioned above, call 911 immediately. Additional information about the AMBER Alert can be found online: http://tn.gov/tbi/topic/active-amber-alerts. AMBER Alerts have been issued in Tennessee and Alabama.
The TBI has provided the following timeline on the disappearance of Elizabeth Thomas:
The TBI has been able to develop the following timeline of the events placing Cummins and Thomas in the same vicinity just prior to their disappearance on Monday:
APPROXIMATELY 7:30-7:45 AM CST: A friend of Elizabeth Thomas dropped Thomas off at the Shoney’s in Columbia, Tennessee. 8:32 AM CST:
Surveillance video appears to show Tad Cummins at the nearby Shell station, fueling his Nissan Rogue.
12:41 PM CST: The Maury County Sheriff’s Department entered the child as ‘missing’ in NCIC, the nation’s law enforcement internal communications database.
3:06 PM CST: Information places Thomas in the area of Decatur, Alabama.
Tuesday, March 14th:
3:49 PM CST: The Maury County Sheriff’s Department officially requested an alert.
4:18 PM CST: TBI issued an Endangered Child Alert.4:49 PM CST: The Maury County Sheriff’s Department secures the warrant for Cummins, charging him with one count of Sexual Contact with a Minor.
5:53 PM CST: Due to the warrant being placed against Cummins, TBI upgraded its alert to an AMBER Alert.
Wednesday,March 22nd
District Attorney General Brent Cooper confirmed the details of the incident for which Cummins now faces a charge is connected to an alleged interaction between Cummins and Thomas at the school where he taught and where she was a student.
The school district suspended Cummins when the allegations surfaced and terminated his employment Tuesday.
The TBI continues to investigates the actions of Cummins in the weeks leading up to the AMBER Alert.
They have been able to determine Cummins secured a title loan for a personal vehicle and other personal effects several days before his disappearance, netting $4,500 in cash. The TBI wants to hear from anyone that may have had interaction with either Tad Cummins or Elizabeth Thomas prior to their disappearance on Monday, March 13, 2017.
