Wife Of Ex-Teacher Pleads With Husband To Bring Student Home
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The wife of a former Tennessee schoolteacher accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old student pleaded Friday for her husband to bring the girl home.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it remains "extremely concerned" about the well-being of Elizabeth Thomas, who was last seen Monday in Columbia. The TBI has placed former school teacher Tad Cummins on its Top 10 Most Wanted List.
NEW PICTURES: Various shots of Ted Cummins in the past few weeks, including the vehicle he's believed to be driving. TN TAG: 976-ZPT. pic.twitter.com/mlrPPlcXoQ
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 17, 2017
The agency said its investigative efforts so far have revealed a "troubling pattern of behavior" by the 50-year-old former teacher in regard to the student. The agency, in its press release, declined to provide more details.
WSMV-TV reports that Jill Cummins beseeched her husband to turn himself in and bring the teenager home.
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"Like so many of you, I am deeply troubled by what has happened in the past few days," Cummins said during a Friday press conference. "I had no idea my husband was involved."
The TBI issued an Amber Alert this week for the girl.
Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper said Tad Cummins now faces an aggravated kidnapping charge.
Tad Cummins formerly taught at the Culleoka Unit School. He was fired from the school after the Amber Alert was issued.
Investigators have placed the girl in Decatur, Alabama, on Monday afternoon, but neither she nor the former teacher has any connections there, the TBI said.
Tad Cummins, the TBI said, is believed to be armed with two handguns and driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976.