Former Tennessee teacher Tad Cummins remains on the run with a 15-year-old girl, but his family just wants him home, including two daughters who are willing to forgive him.
Cummins, 50, a father and grandfather, vanished from Columbia, Tennessee, a month ago. He’s accused of taking his former student, Elizabeth Thomas, with him. He left behind a wife and two grown daughters who all indicated they wanted him home. His wife, Jill Cummins, recently filed for divorce, but she admitted in an interview with ABC that although she doesn’t trust him anymore, she still loves him.
“It was, to me, the perfect marriage. We had everything we ever wanted, two beautiful kids, beautiful grandkids, and I really truly believed that he loved me. The Tad that I know is not the Tad that the world is seeing now. He is a wonderful person.”
ELIZABETH THOMAS: Missing from Columbia, TN – 13 March 2017 – Age 15 https://t.co/4F3Pn7DBUi pic.twitter.com/HgTJAP77aK
— CRIMEWATCHERS (@Kimster_CW) April 14, 2017
Cummins’ oldest daughter, Erica Osborne, 29, said that it doesn’t matter what he’s done, she just wants her dad back home.
“No matter where you are, Daddy, no matter what you’ve done we just want you to come home. We miss you so much. We’re here for you, no matter what anytime, any place, anywhere.”
His youngest daughter, Ashlee Conner, 26, referred to the Bible when discussing her father’s disappearance with ABC. Similar to her sister, Conner indicated that she has forgiven her father, despite what he’s accused of.
“There’s one thing that he’s reminded us for our entire life. And that’s Romans 8:28, and that’s, ‘God uses all things for the glory of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purposes’ and that means even this.”
Today marks a month since she disappeared. We aren't giving up hope and will continue to do anything and everything to #BringElizabethHome. pic.twitter.com/OudUD2D7CV
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) April 13, 2017
It’s unclear whether Cummins is actually hearing his family’s desperate pleas. They haven’t heard from him since he disappeared with Elizabeth on March 13, and despite being spotted in an Oklahoma City Walmart a few days after he fled, no one seems to know where he is.
Cummins is accused of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor. He’s also on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s (TBI) Top 10 Most Wanted list. And while people are scratching their heads over why a seemingly happily married man ran away from his family, Jill thinks she may have the answer.
“He wasn’t running away from us, he wasn’t running away from our family, he was running away from his own shame.”
Jill Cummins previously shied away from being in the public. Aside from a few brief media appearances, she’s tried her best to stay out of the spotlight. She realized, however, that speaking out, in hopes that her husband hears her, may help bring Elizabeth home.
“That’s not me. It was hard. But I knew I had to be strong and do it. For him and for Beth, because I wanted him found and I wanted him to either change his mind and come home, or I knew that would give more media exposure for more people to hear the story and see their faces and see them somewhere.”
Keep in mind that Tad Cummins is considered dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone who sees Tad Cummins or Elizabeth Thomas should call 911, or the Maury County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office at (931) 375-8654, or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
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[Feature Photo: TBI]