Teacher Suspected in Teen's Kidnapping Spotted at Walmart

Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas were caught on surveillance video
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 31, 2017 2:03 PM CDT
Teacher Suspected in Teen's Kidnapping Caught on Video
Former teacher Tad Cummins and alleged kidnapping victim Elizabeth Thomas are seen on security video earlier this month at a Walmart in Oklahoma.   (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)

A 50-year-old teacher was caught on security cameras at a Walmart in Oklahoma two days after he allegedly kidnapped a 15-year-old girl in Tennessee, the Oklahoman reports. Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas are seen in the video—taken March 15 but not confirmed or released until Friday—using cash to buy food at the Walmart. According to the Tennessean, the video represents the first images of Cummins and Thomas since the alleged kidnapping on March 13. Cummins appears to have darkened his hair, and Thomas now appears to have red hair, WIAT reports. The video was made public after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation received a tip Thursday.

Cummins was fired from his teaching job following alleged inappropriate contact with Thomas, a student at his school, earlier this year. The two reportedly exchanged potentially romantic emails, though Thomas' family says she once hid from Cummins. There was a possible sighting of Cummins' car in Texas, and there have also been reports Cummins and Thomas are now in Mexico. Investigators have received more than 1,200 tips regarding Cummins and Thomas so far. (More Tad Cummins stories.)

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