1:32
- ABC News
- March 31, 2017
Missing teen, ex-teacher spotted at Wal-Marton March 15
Tad Cummins, 50, and Elizabeth Thomas, 15, disappeared March 13.
1:32
Early on, we issued the picture on the left, from several days before the #TNAMBERAlert, Note the apparent change in Tad's appearance. pic.twitter.com/ZaET35u0C7
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 31, 2017
Cummins used cash to buy food at the Wal-Mart but he didn't buy \"anything else of significance,\" the TBI said. \"Efforts to determine what vehicle they were traveling in remain ongoing.\"
It's the first confirmed sighting of the pair since Cummins was accused of kidnapping Elizabeth on March 13.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/HT-tad-cummins-elizabeth-thomas-split-float-jt-170318_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Cummins, who was fired one day after the alleged kidnapping, is wanted on allegations of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor. An Amber Alert has been issued for Elizabeth.
Your RT may just get this information in front of the one person who needs to see it. Help us spread this across the country! Thanks! pic.twitter.com/c5jI8ER816
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 17, 2017
An attorney for the Thomas family, Jason Whatley, told ABC News today of the new image, \"she looks subservient to him, walking behind him, looking to him.\"
\"It's a very scary image,\" he said. \"And frankly, it's exactly the kind of image that we were expecting; it's just very shocking to finally see it.\"
This new sighting is tearing Elizabeth's father apart, Whatley said. \"It's just really more than he can take.\"
Charles Crowson, a senior manager at Wal-Mart Corporate Communications, said in a statement to ABC News, “We are aware of this situation and will continue helping law enforcement with their investigation.\"
The TBI said it has received more than 1,200 tips.
Josh DeVine, a TBI spokesman, said today, \"We are encouraged by the sighting in Oklahoma City.\"
\"They could still be anywhere, but [the sighting] proves that we need the national public to stay vigilant. We must encourage the public to keep their eyes open,\" he said.
The TBI said earlier that Cummins \"may have been abusing his role as a teacher to groom [the teen] ... in an effort to lure and potentially sexually exploit her.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/HT-tad-cummins-jt-170318_4x3t_384.jpg\")
One of Elizabeth's schoolmates reported seeing her and Cummins kiss in his classroom on Jan. 23, according to a school district investigative report, but both denied the claim. A school report from January reads that neither one \"admitted to behaving inappropriately towards the other.\"
Cummins, a married father and grandfather, researched teen marriage online, specifically the age of consent, according to law enforcement officials.
A lawyer for Cummins' wife, Jill Cummins, said that she has filed for divorce after 31 years of marriage.
\"Jill will attempt to move forward with her life,\" attorney Michael Cox said in a statement provided to ABC News today. \"Jill continues to pray for the safe return of Elizabeth Thomas and for a peaceful resolution to this ordeal.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht-tennessee-tad-cummins-elizabeth-thomas-jc-170321_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Mark Gwyn, the director of the TBI, said this week, \"This is not a fairy tale. This is a case of kidnapping.\"
\"She may not realize she's in danger. She may not realize she's been taken against her will,\" Brent Cooper, the district attorney for Maury County, told ABC News this week. \"If you see them and they look happy, that doesn't matter. This is a serious crime.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/HT-elizabeth-thomas-jt-170318_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Authorities are asking that anyone with information call 1-800-TBI-FIND and that anyone who sees a car with Tennessee license plate number 976-ZPT call 911.
ABC News' Nery Ynclan and Dee Morales contributed to this report.
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