The TBI held a press conference Thursday afternoon to share details on the rescue of Elizabeth Thomas and arrest of Tad Cummins.
The TBI received a tip on the 1-800 FIND TBI line at 11pm Wednesday night which led to the rescue of 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas, who has been missing for six weeks and the arrest of Tad Cummins, who is suspected of kidnapping her.
The tipster said that he may have encountered Elizabeth and Tad Cummins and that they had taken up residence in a cabin in Cecilville, California in the last week and a half.
The TBI spoke to officers in Siskiyou County, who said they received the same tip from the same individual. The TBI moved swiftly working with California agencies. This morning, authorities from Siskiyou County located the Nissan Rogue in which the pair were traveling and later located the pair. Cummins surrendered without incident. Thomas was subsequently recovered by law enforcement officers. At the time of this release, efforts to reunite her with her family remained ongoing.
The area where the pair were reported to be was very isolated and remote with no or limited cell phone service. Despite that, as daylight broke Thursday, they were able to take Tad Cummins into custody and get Elizabeth to safety.
“To the public, I can’t say how thankful we are for the tips, concern, and support,” said Mark Gwyn, Director of TBI.
Elizabeth will be traveling home soon via TBI aircraft.
At the time of this release, Cummins, 50, remained in the custody of the Siskiyou County (CA) Sheriff’s Department without bond, awaiting extradition to Tennessee to face charges of Sexual Contact with a Minor and Aggravated Kidnapping.
Watch the press conference in its entirety below:
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