Thomas and Cummins wrote emails to each other but did not send them - instead they would save the email in the drafts folder of Cummins' school email account, the Maury County District Attorney and the Sheriff's Office revealed Friday. EST on ABC.(ABC NewsOne) - As law enforcement officers across the country continue to hunt for Tennessee teen Elizabeth Thomas and her former teacher Tad Cummins - the 50-year-old man who allegedly kidnapped the 15-year-old - investigators have shed light on their relationship, revealing that emails between the pair have uncovered a "romantic interest in each other." Thankfully, Cummins won’t be able to hurt anyone for at least 20 years.įor more on this story tune into 20/20, Friday Dec. “I won’t let him hurt me like that again,” she said. “I said, ‘Well, did you sleep with her?’ And he said, ‘Yes I did.'” Evidently Cummins begged Jill for forgiveness, but she was not having it. In an exclusive interview with Inside Edition, she spoke about an alarming phone call she had with Cummins mere days after his arrest. “We were helping her, I thought.”ĭespite all this, Jill filed for divorce soon after Cummins was arrested. “Our preacher’s wife was going to be talking about abuse and how to get past it, get over it and he decided to invite Beth because she had a past,” said Jill. When Cummins took an interest in Thomas, Jill saw it as more of a father-daughter relationship and even treated Thomas as a “third daughter.” He would often bring Thomas to church on Sundays. Their marriage was deeply rooted in their mutual faith in God. The two were high school sweethearts who were married immediately after graduation. “God is the center of our marriage in our life, and our faith is the most important thing to us and I think it was to him too, and still is,” said Jill. Jill Cummins sat down with ABC News in May 2017, a month after Cummins’s arrest, where she spoke about the man she knew. Tad, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Alabama, requested to be released from prison in 2020 over COVID-19 concerns. At his trial, federal prosecutor Sara Beth Myers read a victim impact statement on Thomas’s behalf. Cummins was keeping Thomas in a remote cabin in Cecilville, Calif. He was finally apprehended by authorities in April 2017. The following month, Cummins was suspended, and on March 3, 2017, he “left a note telling his wife he was leaving town to clear his head - he said he was heading east and asked her not to call police.” However, he forced Thomas to come with him.įor two months, he brought her from state to state, staying in hotel rooms where he made her have sex with him. 23 by a 12 year-old student who told school administrators what they witnessed. Cummins was spotted kissing Thomas on Jan. Prior to kidnapping Thomas, Cummins spent months “cultivating a sexual relationship with her,” in 2017, reported The Tennessean. Cummins had just been found guilty of transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, as well as obstruction of justice. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, to reporters outside of a Tennessee courthouse in January 2019. “Today, we got justice for a brave victim,” said Don Cochran, U.S. SOURCE: NEWS (VIDEO STILL) Where is Tad Cummins now? So, where is Tad Cummins now? Here’s what we know. Now, ABC News shares this upsetting story in an upcoming episode of 20/20. He was caught 38 days later, but the damage was done. In 2017, the 15-year-old was taken from Culleoke by Tad Cummins, her 50-year-old teacher who repeatedly sexually abused her on a cross-country trip from hell. In situations like that, children are often victimized further by other people in their lives, which is exactly what happened to Elizabeth Thomas. Its matriarch, Kimberly Thomas, allegedly abused her children until “authorities removed her from their home.” According to ABC News, the Thomas family was often in a state of upheaval. And while the city itself can be peaceful, its residents are sometimes less so. There isn’t much beyond the post office, and if you’re looking for something to do, well good luck. A teacher groomed, kidnapped, and abused one of his students - ”20/20′ tells this harrowing story.Ĭontent warning: This article contains mentions of physical and sexual abuse of a minor.
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