California cabin caretaker who turned in Tad Cummins to receive $10K reward

The Siskiyou, California, man who turned alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins in to authorities on April 20 is scheduled to travel to Tennessee to accept a $10,000 reward.

Griffin Barry, 29, came across Cummins and 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas when the pair stopped by a gas station located on the Cecilville, California, property where Barry works as a caretaker. Barry said that Cummins told him that his house in Colorado caught on fire and that he had no money. Cummins presented himself as John, and presented Elizabeth as his 22-year-old wife, Joanna.

Barry, originally from Nashville, felt bad for the pair and decided to fill up Cummins’ car with fuel, give him $40, and offer them a place in a small cabin on the property. At first, he wasn’t aware that Cummins was a fugitive and Elizabeth was a minor. After a neighbor spotted Cummins, he placed his face with a story he read about the former teacher, and alerted Barry, who contacted authorities. Within a few days, police had Cummins in custody.

“In my head I’m thinking he had a house fire and lost everything. I came out here on a prayer and people helped me out and got me on my feet and hopefully I can pass it on,” Barry said.

Weeks earlier, a former co-worker of Cummins, Chandler Anderson, who met Cummins in 1988, put up a $10,000 reward for anyone who could help Elizabeth Thomas return home. The funds were safely secured at the office of Jason Whatley, attorney for the Thomas family.

On April 28, Barry will accept the funds at the Whatley’s law office, located at 29 Public Square, Columbia, TN 38401. The event is public and open to media.

Meanwhile, the Thomas family has decided to cease all media interviews for the time being, in order to focus on helping Elizabeth with emotional trauma healing. They ask for privacy at this time, but according to Whatley, the family sends out many thanks and a “debt of gratitude” to law enforcement, the media, and the public who supported them.

[Feature Photo: YouTube/Screenshot]