On March 13, 2017, Elizabeth Thomas, 15 years old, went missing from Maury County in  Tennessee, 50 miles southwest of Nashville and, shortly after, was declared kidnapped. Thomas’s alleged kidnapper is Tad Cummins, who was reportedly seen kissing Elizabeth Thomas two months ago in his classroom.

An Amber Alert has been sent out in Tennessee and Alabama, with more than 350 tips, but no solid leads. There have been no sightings of 15 year old Elizabeth , and 50 year old Tad Cummins in the two weeks they have been missing.

Brent Cooper, who is the district attorney for Maury County, Tennessee, asked for members of the public to share the Amber Alert with friends and family in Mexico and Central America, saying that they are possibly in Mexico. Cooper said Cummins planned this in such a way that he had a 24 hour head start.. Easily enough time for them to make it to Mexico. Cooper said Cummins was a “religious man” and said that it’s possible he is playing a missionary in that area.

Mark Gwyn, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said, “Some have characterized this relationship as a romance. But this morning I want to caution the public to avoid anything that might look or sound like victim blaming,” he said. “This is not a fairy tale. This is a case of kidnapping.“

According to law enforcement officials, Cummins, researched teen marriage, specifically the age of consent. Investigators also, found email draft messages between Cummin’s and Thomas. Mark Gwyn said, “We remain gravely concerned for the well-being of this young girl. We will keep doing everything and anything we can do to bring Elizabeth home and pursue justice against Tad Cummins.”