Found Safe TN - Mary Catherine Elizabeth Thomas, 15, Maury County, 13 March 2017 #1

[Lmustang89]

You can contact sister-in-law, she's on facebook DT are her initials. She's been very proactive posting updates.

Posting updates on facebook? or a different one? Didn't see a DT listed as a friend or in comments on his fb page. Thanks

 

[bestill]

Posting updates on facebook? or a different one? Didn't see a DT listed as a friend or in comments on his fb page. Thanks

DT is the sis-in-law of the missing girl. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[michmi]

I think they are either staying in the vehicle in a camp ground, or rest stop, or deserted barn/house. With the cold weather, they would need to either be in a warmer state, or are sleeping in the car with the heater. I think those cars have the seats that fold flat, and would be large enough to lay down.

Now, as much as Mary Catherine was using SM, I wonder how long those arrangements are going to satisfy her? No contact with friends, siblings, family? She's 15. She's going to quickly realize she misses people and things. I know when my kids were teens, and that was before all the smart phones etc, removing a cell phone for the weekend, or taking away their freedom to go see a movie, sports game, etc with a friend for a week or weekend was enough to send them into a hormone induced rage. Oh the times I heard " so and so's parents lets them do so and so" "I hate you!" etc during these turbulent years.

Praying tonight for a safe return!!!

He's been grooming her, though, so that and the fear (of going home, of what he might do) will keep her in that situation indefinitely. I hope they find them fast.

 

[alexwood]

15-year-old Mary Catherine Elizabeth Thomas may be in the area of Decatur, Alabama.

She is white, blonde hair, hazel eyes, 5 feet 5 inches and 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings.

Thomas is believed to be in the company of 50-year-old Tad Cummins, a white male, 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, brown hair and brown eyes. He is believed to be armed with two handguns and driving a Silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag number 976ZPT.

http://wate.com/2017/03/14/statewide-endangered-child-alert-for-missing-middle-tennessee-teen/
http://www.waff.com/story/34847631/endangered-tn-runaway-may-be-in-decatur-area
http://www.wbir.com/news/crime/statewide-endangered-child-alert-issued-for-missing-teen/422561108

For reference purposes, the above links contain the following information:

Contains timeline of events (as of Thurs., 03/16/2017 at 3:36 p.m. CST):
http://wate.com/2017/03/14/statewide-endangered-child-alert-for-missing-middle-tennessee-teen/

Cummins' wife, Jill Cummins, pleaded for her husband to return Thomas during a press conference Friday [03/17/2017].
http://www.waff.com/story/34847631/endangered-tn-runaway-may-be-in-decatur-area

TBI puts this out:
NEW PICTURES: Various shots of Ted Cummins in the past few weeks, including the vehicle he's believed to be driving. TN TAG: 976-ZPT.
7:01 PM - 17 Mar 2017
http://www.wbir.com/news/crime/statewide-endangered-child-alert-issued-for-missing-teen/422561108

[BBM}

"TAD" -- the suspect's name is "Tad Cummins."

 

[Lmustang89]

DT is the sis-in-law of the missing girl. Sorry for the confusion.

I get that but what page are the comments. Tenn Bureau of Investig facebook? joint facebook page? Thanks

 

[alexwood]

I think they are either staying in the vehicle in a camp ground, or rest stop, or deserted barn/house. With the cold weather, they would need to either be in a warmer state, or are sleeping in the car with the heater. I think those cars have the seats that fold flat, and would be large enough to lay down.

Now, as much as Mary Catherine was using SM, I wonder how long those arrangements are going to satisfy her? No contact with friends, siblings, family? She's 15. She's going to quickly realize she misses people and things. I know when my kids were teens, and that was before all the smart phones etc, removing a cell phone for the weekend, or taking away their freedom to go see a movie, sports game, etc with a friend for a week or weekend was enough to send them into a hormone induced rage. Oh the times I heard " so and so's parents lets them do so and so" "I hate you!" etc during these turbulent years.

Praying tonight for a safe return!!!

I can remember going through my rebellious stage (I'm still in it, last time I checked). When I would use that same argument, that "so-and-so is GOING TO DO IT, why can't I?", my father would say: "If so-and-so was going to jump off of a bridge, would you go too?":gaah: That would fuel the hormone-induced rage!

If my parents said I could not do something, generally, I wouldn't do it.
My sister, on the other hand, she went ahead and defied them and did whatever she pleased. And, in my opinion, didn't fare any worse -- punishment wise -- for breaking the rules more often!

 

[mbison]

There's some interesting comments on the SIL's FB. Seems a few more of Tad's female students are upset ET is getting sympathy. I don't know who it was but an earlier poster here said they wouldn't be surprised if he had more victims come out after this and I'm afraid they are probably right.

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I'd like to hear more about the nature of their interactions at school. The assumption seems to be he brainwashed her. To me, they both seem pretty brainwashed based on their instagrams.

 

[perfectingpink]

I can remember going through my rebellious stage (I'm still in it, last time I checked). When I would use that same argument, that "so-and-so is GOING TO DO IT, why can't I?", my father would say: "If so-and-so was going to jump off of a bridge, would you go too?":gaah: That would fuel the hormone-induced rage!

If my parents said I could not do something, generally, I wouldn't do it.
My sister, on the other hand, she went ahead and defied them and did whatever she pleased. And, in my opinion, didn't fare any worse -- punishment wise -- for breaking the rules more often!

My husband tried saying this with one of our children/troll and he answered back, "Well, you did." He had to make note to stop telling glory days stories.

 

[Deleted member 155000]

Wonder if TC has family/friends that might assist him in change of vehicles, shelter, funds, etc. I understand he is smart but IMO street smart is what counts when breaking the law. I would bet $100 he is being assisted by at least one person, possibly two depending on his short and long term plans. I also think he planned the first 30 days down to a science. He did not leave until he knew the odds were stacked in his favor. Clearly LE would know within a matter of hours so he needed to have a solid plan as well as people in designated locales.
MMO

I don't think he has adult accomplices--at least not who know the girl was kidnapped. I think this is one of the more calculated disappearances we are going to hear about. He is educated, has obvious organizational skills (given the extra curricular things he sponsored at school), and he had plenty of time. He would be well aware that a country wide search would be launched and would know their only chance of avoiding detection would be painstaking planning.

Here is my guess:

I bet he has more than $4,500. If he bothered to take a loan out on the car, I think he looked around at everything he has and tried to accumulate as much cash as he could.

My gut is he made some housing arrangements ahead of time, maybe using a fake name, to reserve a cabin, trailer, RV, or some other remote house where they could stay and lay low. He may also be staying in an extended stay motel.

Then I think he had a plan for getting a jump on law enforcement, driving a fast and direct route out of the region before friends and family realized she'd left with him and before the search became public.

He may have already abandoned his car in some remote area and purchased another one from some person who had it listed on Craigslist or had it posted for sale at the edge of their yard.

I think they have changed their appearances, are using fake names, and have a cover story prepared if asked (probably that they are father and daughter).

My guess is he is holed away on a campground or in a remote town, that he has stocked up on groceries so he doesn't have to be out in the public eye often, and he has access to the internet and a TV. He has enough money to keep a decent lifestyle for a while.

At some point, he will have to emerge and find a way to generate income if he intends to be on the run long term.


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[xmsmadex]

wow, it says Wife.[h=2]Elizabeth Thomas[/h] CHS | class of 2019. Wife💍

Where does it say that? Link?

 

[bestill]

I don't think he has adult accomplices--at least not who know the girl was kidnapped. I think this is one of the more calculated disappearances we are going to hear about. He is educated, has obvious organizational skills (given the extra curricular things he sponsored at school), and he had plenty of time. He would be well aware that a country wide search would be launched and would know their only chance of avoiding detection would be painstaking planning.

Here is my guess:

I bet he has more than $4,500. If he bothered to take a loan out on the car, I think he looked around at everything he has and tried to accumulate as much cash as he could.

My gut is he made some housing arrangements ahead of time, maybe using a fake name, to reserve a cabin, trailer, RV, or some other remote house where they could stay and lay low. He may also be staying in an extended stay motel.

Then I think he had a plan for getting a jump on law enforcement, driving a fast and direct route out of the region before friends and family realized she'd left with him and before the search became public.

He may have already abandoned his car in some remote area and purchased another one from some person who had it listed on Craigslist or had it posted for sale at the edge of their yard.

I think they have changed their appearances, are using fake names, and have a cover story prepared if asked (probably that they are father and daughter).

My guess is he is holed away on a campground or in a remote town, that he has stocked up on groceries so he doesn't have to be out in the public eye often, and he has access to the internet and a TV. He has enough money to keep a decent lifestyle for a while.

At some point, he will have to emerge and find a way to generate income if he intends to be on the run long term.

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Great post! I agree with you. I think LE understands this too. They probably have an idea of how much money he has and also what items he took or has purchased recently. Buying survival books and telling ET that he was an undercover agent shows how calculating and deceptive he is. I wonder what's going to happen if/when she realizes he's lied to her? That's going to be a scary time.

 

[Deleted member 155000]

Great post! I agree with you. I think LE understands this too. They probably have an idea of how much money he has and also what items he took or has purchased recently. Buying survival books and telling ET that he was an undercover agent shows how calculating and deceptive he is. I wonder what's going to happen if/when she realizes he's lied to her? That's going to be a scary time.

Right. Even if she doesn't realize that he lied, she will likely eventually begin to miss facets of her previous life as well as the freedom to socialize as a teenager. Being from a family of 10, it's possible she's already been functioning in an adult caretaker role to younger siblings, and is more prepared to live an adult life than most. But still, even if she does want to be with him, I think she will eventually want to speak to her father and siblings. That won't be an option.

I hope he takes the offer of volunteering their location to law enforcement, which could reduce the charges against him.


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[LolaMoon08]

I live in SW Florida and I work at a hotel off I-75. On the off chance he and Elizabeth have headed south, I have the Missing Poster and updated picture of Tad at our front desk. I have also handed them out to all the other hotels on our exit and have faxed them over to all Hilton properties in SW Florida and have asked the other hotels on our exit to do the same to their sister hotels/motels.

 

[Kapua]

I don't think he has adult accomplices--at least not who know the girl was kidnapped. I think this is one of the more calculated disappearances we are going to hear about. He is educated, has obvious organizational skills (given the extra curricular things he sponsored at school), and he had plenty of time. He would be well aware that a country wide search would be launched and would know their only chance of avoiding detection would be painstaking planning.

Here is my guess:

I bet he has more than $4,500. If he bothered to take a loan out on the car, I think he looked around at everything he has and tried to accumulate as much cash as he could.

My gut is he made some housing arrangements ahead of time, maybe using a fake name, to reserve a cabin, trailer, RV, or some other remote house where they could stay and lay low. He may also be staying in an extended stay motel.

Then I think he had a plan for getting a jump on law enforcement, driving a fast and direct route out of the region before friends and family realized she'd left with him and before the search became public.

He may have already abandoned his car in some remote area and purchased another one from some person who had it listed on Craigslist or had it posted for sale at the edge of their yard.

I think they have changed their appearances, are using fake names, and have a cover story prepared if asked (probably that they are father and daughter).

My guess is he is holed away on a campground or in a remote town, that he has stocked up on groceries so he doesn't have to be out in the public eye often, and he has access to the internet and a TV. He has enough money to keep a decent lifestyle for a while.

At some point, he will have to emerge and find a way to generate income if he intends to be on the run long term.


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I agree. I think he has been saving up cash for a while and has quite a bit on hand. Yesterday, I suggested that a forensic search of his computer might reveal possible locations where they may have gone. He could have made arrangements to rent a small, inexpensive cabin in a remote area. My gut feeling is that it's in another state. They will be able to lay low for weeks if he planned well. But eventually, they'll need more groceries, and they will have to come out of hiding. Also, eventually, they'll run out of money. And ET will tire of living life on the run.

 

[wendybtn]

His looks or hers are irrelevant. He cannot be with a woman his age and be happy. She would see him as juvenile, immature, arrogant. He needs a naive confused girl who will provide sex, hang on his every word, treating him like he feels should be treated. This is about his needs met. He doesn't care about her beyond that.

 

[alucardsdream]

Regardless of the age of consent, many (most?) states have laws that make it illegal for teachers to have sex with their students (EVEN IF THE STUDENT IS 18!!!). Teachers are authority figures and cannot interact with their students like this.

I bet the school board is paying their attorneys a nice sum of cash right now trying to manage this nightmare. I understand teachers can't be put on administrative leave for every allegation that is made, but when it's the welfare of a student (in my state it doesn't matter if the student is 18) action should be taken immediately while it's investigated. The day the accusation was made, the teacher should have been put on paid leave, the parents should have been contacted, and the investigation should have started. If anything, it's the school just doing CYA in case it got leaked to the media. Obviously, student welfare should be first concern, but close second is keeping a low profile in the media. It doesn't surprise me one bit the school board tried to keep this under wraps. And now they have a nightmare on their hands AND a potential huge law suit by the parents.

Exactly! My brother is in his second year as a college professor...all of his students are over 18 and some are pretty close to his age, but it would still be going against school policy for him to date any of them. The university made that very clear from the start.

 

[Kensie]

His looks or hers are irrelevant. He cannot be with a woman his age and be happy. She would see him as juvenile, immature, arrogant. He needs a naive confused girl who will provide sex, hang on his every word, treating him like he feels should be treated. This is about his needs met. He doesn't care about her beyond that.

I agree 120 percent.

 

[dontbreakme]

Great post! I agree with you. I think LE understands this too. They probably have an idea of how much money he has and also what items he took or has purchased recently. Buying survival books and telling ET that he was an undercover agent shows how calculating and deceptive he is. I wonder what's going to happen if/when she realizes he's lied to her? That's going to be a scary time.

Sorry I'm a bit behind and just woke up but where did we learn about him buying survival books and telling ET about being an undercover agent?

I'm so worried for her.

 

[tlcya]

His looks or hers are irrelevant. He cannot be with a woman his age and be happy. She would see him as juvenile, immature, arrogant. He needs a naive confused girl who will provide sex, hang on his every word, treating him like he feels should be treated. This is about his needs met. He doesn't care about her beyond that.

Bouncing off of yours because it touches on a thought I have had about TC since first reading his SM posts and the interactions between he and ET there. He comes across as very immature, more like a lovestruck teen boy than a 50 year old man. He may be in love with the idea of being in love with this young girl and the risk factor of getting caught with his "true love" probably amplified the attraction for him.

Kind of like having an affair with anyone of any age. They are perfect and fun and make you feel special and adored while your spouse is the one who nags, has expectations, real life requires paying bills, holding down a job and all those things that are harder in life. You have to sneak around to spend time with your "love" in stolen moments and time spent to together is perfect for that reason, it is limited and special time, adding to the illusion that this is your soul mate.

I am not defending this jerk. Just trying to get in his head a bit.

 

[Deleted member 155000]

I want to pause and talk to Tad for a minute because I think this is one of the cases where the person we are taking about might be searching the web to determine his next move and evade capture. He could easily stumble on this site.

Tad, if you are reading, I understand that you hit a place in your life where you longed for a deep connection, to find a level of excitement and romance you may not have experienced in a long time. And I understand you likely feel a deep connection to this student, that she may even seem to need someone like you to watch out for her, and that you may feel you are doing the right thing by giving her a new life...even if it's unconventional.

But I also think there is part of you that questions your own choice.

I understand that you have spent the majority of your adult life contributing good to your community. You have invested in students for years and seem to have an active faith as well. Neighbors and acquaintances agree you have always been the type of person who has extended yourself to help others. And most importantly, you have raised a family. You have children you care about and grandchildren who you want the best for.

Because of all this good in you, I also believe that there will be times when you begin to doubt whether you've made the right choice. Times when you wonder if you really did the best thing for this student--if she should have to give up socializing and having fun like a normal teenager to hide away the rest of her life. If she should have to give up the very basic step of earning her high school diploma. If she should have to cut ties to her siblings.

You may begin to look back on your previous choice and realize it was somewhat emotion filled and impulsive...that it set you on a path that isn't realistic to stay on. You may even question at some point--when the challenges of this new reality set in--if you REALLY want to trade in everything you have ever been and could be with your family. And you may decide that if you really love this girl, that it is unfair to ask her to make such a drastic adjustment. That she may need the stability of ongoing contact with her family and community of origin.

In these times, I want to encourage you that you still have an opportunity to make a respectable decision and redeem how you will be remembered by arranging to safely return this girl to her community. The police have said your sentencing can be greatly reduced if you act, of your own free will, to restore the situation rather than waiting until someone notices you or tracks you down. While it's true, your life will be different, it sounds like you needed a change anyways. If you can take responsibility, you can find new ways to live that allow you to stay in connection with the people who call you Dad and Poppa. You can get support from other people of faith, and from counselors, and sleep with a clear conscience again. You don't have to spend every waking moment for the rest of your life in fear of being hunted.

Please don't let yourself go to an irrational place when you feel anxious. Even in your darkest hour,God can still hear you wherever you are and there are people who are still wishing for your well-being.

If you get into a sticky scenario, please don't use your firearms in an effort to prevent being captured and risk this girl's life and your own as well as the lives of other good people. Surrender peacefully and give this girl the gift of growing up in freedom. Lay down your own preferences for her ultimate, long term well-being. That is real love.

Give your children and grandchildren peace of mind to not lay awake worrying and wondering about you every single day. Lay down your own preferences for their well-being. That is real love.

God be with you and help you find a path to restoring yourself.


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