Alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins remains behind bars for abducting a minor and having illegal sexual relations with her. On top of that, the former teacher is accused of making the teen eat wildflowers for nutrition after he ran out of money.
Jason Whatley, the family lawyer for the Thomas family, said that although 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas is now home and safe with her family, she’ll need intensive counseling to help her deal with and process the hardships she endured while she was held captive by Cummins, 50, her former health sciences teacher.
Elizabeth Thomas lost a lot of weight while with Tad Cummins https://t.co/JgJza9FEe0
— 620 WJDX (@620WJDX) April 28, 2017
According to Whatley, Cummins and Elizabeth spent several days in Siskiyou County, California, in a small, shabby cabin that was unfit to house two people. Aside from a dirty mattress, there was no furniture in the cabin, and no heat, running water, or electricity.
Although there were a few packages of food found lying around, cabin caretaker Barry Griffin said that the teen was overly-excited when he offered her food.
“One time I had given him food that night and [she] was like, ‘Thank you.’ She got excited over some food.”
Whatley said that at times, Elizabeth had to eat wildflowers to survive. She’d lost a significant amount of weight by the time she returned home and looked as if she hadn’t showered in weeks. In fact, according to Whatley, one of the first things Elizabeth asked for when she was rescued was a shower.
“I was so shocked when I saw her first. “I didn’t know it but she was even smaller than she was used to be being. She [had] lost a lot [of weight].”
Now that Elizabeth is home with family, she’s been quiet mostly. Whatley said it will be a long process to get her emotional and mental health back to normal, but she has highly-qualified and experienced mental health professionals working with her.
[Feature Photo: TBI]
