Amber Alert still active for Middle Tenn. teenager; TBI releases more info

MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has updated the statewide Amber Alert issued Tuesday evening in the search for a 15-year-old girl.

Elizabeth Thomas, 15, is believed to be in the company of Tad Cummins, 50, according to the TBI.

Elizabeth Thomas

The TBI issued the Amber Alert around 6 p.m. Tuesday. They announced Wednesday that a warrant has been issued for Cummins for sexual contact with a minor.

The charge is connected to an alleged sexual interaction between Cummins and Thomas at the school where he taught and where she was a student, according to the TBI.

The school terminated Cummins Tuesday.

Cummins is believed to be armed with two handguns and driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT.

Thomas was last seen around 8 a.m. Monday at the Shoney’s in Columbia, Tenn., after being dropped off there by a friend, according to the TBI. Her parents reported her as missing later that day.

Investigators can place Thomas in Decatur, Ala., at around 3 p.m. Monday, though neither individual has a known connection to the area.

Since then, efforts to identify their exact location have proven unsuccessful.

Since issuing the Amber Alert, the TBI says they have received about 80 leads but that none has led to a credible sighting.

Thomas is described as white with blond hair, hazel eyes, standing five feet five inches tall and weighing 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings.

Cummins is described as a white male standing six feet tall and weighing 200 pounds with brown hair and eyes.

Anyone with information on Thomas or Cummins is urged to call the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. If you spot the vehicle and can verify the license plate to be TN 976-ZPT, call 911.