NEW PICTURE: Here’s Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas at school in January, days before his alleged inappropriate contact with her.
Tennessee authorities have released a new photo showing high school freshman Elizabeth Thomas together in school with teacher Tad Cummins – the same teacher she has been on the run with for more than a week.
You can see the photo above.
The teenager vanished with the 50-year-old married teacher on March 13. The pair are now the subject of a massive manhunt in Tennessee, and authorities with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have released a series of photos and videos of the two in a continuing effort to drum up leads.
Here are some other recent photos and videos that TBI has posted in the case:
UPDATE: We have determined the purchase of hair dye by Tad Cummins was not part of his intended plan for #ElizabethThomas. #TNAMBERAlert
NEW PICTURE: Here’s the last known photograph of Elizabeth Thomas prior to her alleged kidnapping. Spot her? 1-800-TBI-FIND! #TNAMBERAlert
MORE VIDEO: Here’s a second clip of AMBER Alert suspect Tad Cummins.
VIDEO: Here’s surveillance of AMBER Alert suspect Tad Cummins, days before disappearing with Elizabeth Thomas.
AMBER ALERT: Here are new pictures of suspect Tad Cummins, captured the week prior to the kidnapping of Elizabeth Thomas. Please RT!
It’s been a week, but we’re not giving up hope. Stay vigilant, stay alert, and let us know if you spot these individuals or this vehicle.
Police have issued an Amber Alert for Thomas, 15, and they believe she is with Cummins, a now fired teacher, father, and grandfather accused of kissing the girl in a classroom. Thomas was a student at the school where he taught.
Thomas’ Instagram profile calls her a “wife” and contains numerous recent graphics about love and soulmates but also about being broken, ugly, and wanting to die. One of her last posts was about Beauty and the Beast and contained the saying, “every beauty needs her beast to protect her from everything but him.”
Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas. (TBI and Twitter photos)
On Twitter, Cummins described himself as “Jesus freak/child of The King, husband, father, grandfather, high-school teacher, clinician, drummer, audio tech, jeep owner, singer/songwriter, warrior-poet.” He’s been married since 1985, according to his Facebook page, which is filled with photos of Cummins and his wife, Jill, and family.
Cummins’ wife has publicly pleaded with her husband to return, but so far there’s been no sign of the student and teacher, despite authorities releasing a string of new videos and photos of Thomas and Tad Cummins in recent days.
Tad Cummins. (Twitter)
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, authorities say Thomas was last seen on a Monday morning, March 13, “at approximately 8:00 AM at the Shoney’s in Columbia, Tennessee, after being dropped off there by a friend. Her parents reported her as missing later that same day.”
Authorities wrote on March 20, “One week ago today, Elizabeth Thomas vanished from Columbia, Tennessee. Our efforts to locate her – and the man believed to have kidnapped her – remain active and ongoing, but to this point have produced no credible sightings or actionable information about their whereabouts. The individuals could be anywhere.”
Tennessee authorities say they “can place Thomas in Decatur, Alabama at approximately 3:06 CST on Monday afternoon (March 13), though neither individual has a known connection there and may have just been passing through the area.”
They say they have received 450 tips, but have no credible sightings of the girl and teacher since the one in Alabama, leading them to believe “Cummins could have Thomas hidden from view of the general public or far away from Tennessee.”
The TBI urged “property owners – especially in rural areas – to search their grounds for the individuals, the vehicle, or any sign of suspicious activity” and said people should be vigilant around campgrounds.
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