Tennessee high school freshman Elizabeth Thomas is still missing a week after she was believed to have been kidnapped by her former teacher, Tad Cummins.
The two were under investigation in January for having an inappropriate relationship after they were seen kissing in a classroom. Cummins had been warned to stay away from Thomas and suspended from his job as a health science teacher at the high school in Culleoka, Tennessee, when the two were seen together again, according to CNN.
Cummins is believed to be armed with two handguns and to have planned the abduction, which reportedly took place after Thomas’s friend drove her to a restaurant in the area. Police said Cummins took out a loan for $4,500 just before his disappearance and there is evidence that he was preparing to live off the grid, CNN reported.
CBS News reported both Thomas and Cummins posted cryptic messages on their Instagram pages before disappearing. Thomas posted about Beauty and the Beast, and Cummins posted, “This is going to be an amazing day! Let’s do this! #strong #unbreakable #love.”
Although initial tips placed Cummins and Thomas in the Decatur, Alabama, area, which is about 70 miles from Culleoka, last Monday, there have been no tips or sightings since then, according to ABC News.
“Having now been on the run for more than five days, Cummins may have taken her, frankly, anywhere,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations said on Sunday, CNN reported.
Cummins has been placed on the TBI Most Wanted List, and was fired from the high school after disappearing, CNN reported.
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