Tad Cummins is under arrest and Elizabeth Thomas has been safely recovered in Northern California.
NEWS ALERT: Tad Cummins is under arrest and Elizabeth Thomas has been safely recovered in Northern California. More details soon! pic.twitter.com/QezSERDzHV
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) April 20, 2017
Background from a previous CNN Wire report:Â
Thomas and Cummins left Culleoka on March 13. Since then, there has been only one confirmed sighting of the pair. On March 15, surveillance footage captured them together at a Walmart in Oklahoma City.
It looked as if both had changed their appearance: Cummins may have dyed his gray beard and hair darker, and Thomas may have dyed her hair red.
Cummins was Thomas' forensics teacher when she was a freshman at Culleoka Unit School in 2016.
Over time, signs pointed to some sort of romantic relationship developing.
A student reported seeing Thomas and Cummins kissing in a classroom in 2016, a claim both of them denied. However, the teen and the teacher both stated that Cummins gave Thomas emotional support and that they were close.
After the pair went missing, authorities discovered Cummins had conducted research on teen marriage, and the two exchanged romantic messages using the draft folder of Cummins' email.
Cummins' wife, Jill Cummins, initially pleaded for her husband to return home with the girl, saying "This is not who you are." However, a few weeks after their disappearance, Jill Cummins filed documents for divorce, saying her husband is "guilty of inappropriate marital conduct."
READ BACK:Â What we know (and don't) about the Tennessee abduction
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