Details of the long and hard struggle invovling a missing teenager in Tennessee were revealed during the two-hour-long hearing of the accused, Tad Cummins, who allegedly manipulated and brainwashed 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas. The pair were on the run for 38 days before a tipper recognized them and reported their location to local authorities.
The Tennessean reports an account of the details first revealed during the hearing of Cummins' case. It starts out when Cummins met the teenager at a restaurant parking lot and was quickly followed by an elaborate plan to flee with Cummins, trying to understand teenage marriages and going online to buy a mattress that could fit into his car. Before he and Thomas went missing, Cummins left a letter for his wife, Jill, and told her that he was going to Virginia Beach to clear his mind.
Prepared for a police search, Cummins destroyed the global positioning system (GPS) in his car and both he and Thomas drove to and spent the night in Mississippi. The account further details Cummins' concern about their safety and how he slept with a gun; the pair's first encounter with the police, who failed to recognize them; and finally, how they met the tipster who did recognize them and was able to contact law enforcement officers.
Cummins is currently in custody and will remain there until his case has been concluded. He was charged on April 20 for knowingly transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in sexual activity.
Meanwhile, Thomas' mother Kim is awaiting trial on abuse and neglect charges after the police arrested her for beating her children, forcing them to strip in front of people and being a violent parent, as reported by The Daily Herald. Thomas' father Anthony has custody of her 10 siblings.
Cummins has yet to be indicted for the high-profile incident but he could face additional charges.
