Missing Tennessee Girl: Suspected Kidnapping Could Be A ‘Misdemeanor’
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Alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins — accused of running off with his 15-year-old student Elizabeth Thomas — may get away with just facing misdemeanor charges! The troubling new claim by a Tennessee district attorney runs counter to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s official position on creepy Cummins. Investigators are saying that it doesn’t matter whether or not Elizabeth left with him willingly — but Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper says it does!
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Alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins — accused of running off with his 15-year-old student Elizabeth Thomas — may get away with just facing misdemeanor charges! The troubling new claim by a Tennessee district attorney runs counter to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s official position on creepy Cummins. Investigators are saying that it doesn’t matter whether or not Elizabeth left with him willingly — but Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper says it does!
"If she comes back and she is absolutely adamant that this is all voluntary, her own doing, that he didn't touch her, it's going to be difficult to prove that," Cooper told reporters. Cops say Cummins, Elizabeth’s high school forensics teacher, abducted her on March 13, employing an elaborate plan enabling him to elude police for weeks.
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Alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins — accused of running off with his 15-year-old student Elizabeth Thomas — may get away with just facing misdemeanor charges! The troubling new claim by a Tennessee district attorney runs counter to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s official position on creepy Cummins. Investigators are saying that it doesn’t matter whether or not Elizabeth left with him willingly — but Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper says it does!
"If she comes back and she is absolutely adamant that this is all voluntary, her own doing, that he didn't touch her, it's going to be difficult to prove that," Cooper told reporters. Cops say Cummins, Elizabeth’s high school forensics teacher, abducted her on March 13, employing an elaborate plan enabling him to elude police for weeks.
But the district attorney told WHNT TV: "You can be between 13 and 18 and you can legally make the mature decision to leave your family and run off with a person never to be seen again." Cooper has advocated for a change in Tennessee’s abduction statutes that he sees as favoring kidnappers. Under the current laws, the burden of proving that Cummins coerced Elizabeth will likely hinge on the teen’s statements in the weeks and hours leading up to the alleged abduction. (As seen here, Elizabeth changed her Instagram status to "wife" shortly before disappearing.)
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Alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins — accused of running off with his 15-year-old student Elizabeth Thomas — may get away with just facing misdemeanor charges! The troubling new claim by a Tennessee district attorney runs counter to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s official position on creepy Cummins. Investigators are saying that it doesn’t matter whether or not Elizabeth left with him willingly — but Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper says it does!
"If she comes back and she is absolutely adamant that this is all voluntary, her own doing, that he didn't touch her, it's going to be difficult to prove that," Cooper told reporters. Cops say Cummins, Elizabeth’s high school forensics teacher, abducted her on March 13, employing an elaborate plan enabling him to elude police for weeks.
But the district attorney told WHNT TV: "You can be between 13 and 18 and you can legally make the mature decision to leave your family and run off with a person never to be seen again." Cooper has advocated for a change in Tennessee’s abduction statutes that he sees as favoring kidnappers. Under the current laws, the burden of proving that Cummins coerced Elizabeth will likely hinge on the teen’s statements in the weeks and hours leading up to the alleged abduction. (As seen here, Elizabeth changed her Instagram status to "wife" shortly before disappearing.)
In a grim twist, though, Elizabeth also made some chilling statements before she went missing. Those include her parting words to her older sister Sarah: “If I’m not back by six, call the police.” Reports have also surfaced that Elizabeth had changed her mind while being taken to a meeting on the night she disappeared, saying to her friend who was driving: “Please take me home!”
Alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins — accused of running off with his 15-year-old student Elizabeth Thomas — may get away with just facing misdemeanor charges! The troubling new claim by a Tennessee district attorney runs counter to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s official position on creepy Cummins. Investigators are saying that it doesn’t matter whether or not Elizabeth left with him willingly — but Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper says it does!
"If she comes back and she is absolutely adamant that this is all voluntary, her own doing, that he didn't touch her, it's going to be difficult to prove that," Cooper told reporters. Cops say Cummins, Elizabeth’s high school forensics teacher, abducted her on March 13, employing an elaborate plan enabling him to elude police for weeks.
But the district attorney told WHNT TV: "You can be between 13 and 18 and you can legally make the mature decision to leave your family and run off with a person never to be seen again." Cooper has advocated for a change in Tennessee’s abduction statutes that he sees as favoring kidnappers. Under the current laws, the burden of proving that Cummins coerced Elizabeth will likely hinge on the teen’s statements in the weeks and hours leading up to the alleged abduction. (As seen here, Elizabeth changed her Instagram status to "wife" shortly before disappearing.)
In a grim twist, though, Elizabeth also made some chilling statements before she went missing. Those include her parting words to her older sister Sarah: “If I’m not back by six, call the police.” Reports have also surfaced that Elizabeth had changed her mind while being taken to a meeting on the night she disappeared, saying to her friend who was driving: “Please take me home!”
