Subject Of Tennessee Amber Alert Spotted in OKC

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirms the 15-year-old victim in an ongoing AMBER Alert, along with the 50-year-old man believed to have kidnapped her earlier this month, have been spotted in south Oklahoma City.

Late Thursday, investigators obtained surveillance images from a Walmart on East I-240 Service Road from the afternoon of March 15th, showing Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas shopping at the store. Authorities say Cummins kidnapped the girl March 13. 

Agents say Cummins used cash to purchase various food items at the Wal-Mart, but did not purchase anything else of significance. The surveillance images of Cummins and Thomas clearly show Tad Cummins with an altered appearance to darken his hair. The same images show Elizabeth may currently have red hair. Efforts to determine what vehicle they were traveling in remain ongoing.

Friday, Oklahoma City Police said its missing persons unit is not investigating this incident at this time. 

Investigators say Cummins is a former teacher at the girl's school in Maury County, Tennessee. The school district says it fired Cummins in the wake of an ongoing investigation into alleged inappropriate contact he had with Thomas at the school earlier this year.

Thomas is a 15-year-old white female, with hazel eyes, stands 5’0” and weighs 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings. Cummins is a white male, who stands 6’0”, weighs approximately 200 pounds, and has brown hair and eyes. He is believe to be armed with two handguns and driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT.

A warrant has been issued for Cummins for Sexual Contact with a Minor and Aggravated Kidnapping. On Friday, the TBI added him to the state’s ‘Top 10 Most Wanted’ list. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

As of this morning, the TBI received more than 1,200 tips from across the country. The TBI would urge the public to remain vigilant and report any information that may prove beneficial in the ongoing search to 1-800-TBI-FIND. If you spot the vehicle and can verify the license plate to be TN 976-ZPT, call 911 immediately.