Where Is Elizabeth Thomas Now?
Lifetime is telling another true story of a woman who was abducted by a predator but lived to tell the tale. After movies about the ordeals of Mary Stauffer (a Minnesota teacher who was kidnapped by one of her students) and Abby Hernandez (a 14-year-old who was snatched as she walked home from school), the network is tackling the case of Elizabeth Thomas in Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story.
‘Abducted By My Teacher’ airs August 12 on Lifetime
Abducted By My Teacher, which is part of Lifetime’s “Ripped From the Headlines” slate, stars Summer Howell as Elizabeth and Michael Fishman as her teacher, Tad Cummins.
Elizabeth was just 15 when she caught the attention of Cummins, a married high school teacher. He groomed her for months, ultimately forcing her to go on the run with him after another student spotted them kissing.
Elizabeth’s disappearance sparked a nationwide manhunt. Just over a month later, she and Cummins were finally discovered hiding out in northern California, and Cummins was arrested. But when Elizabeth returned home, she had to face those who believed she was complicit in her own abduction. However, the teen bravely stood up in court and testified against her former teacher, who eventually went to prison.
Abducted by My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story is Lifetime’s third collaboration with kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, who also executive produced The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story and I Am Elizabeth Smart. Smart will also interview Elizabeth Thomas in a 1-hour special that will air after Abducted By My Teacher.
Where is Tad Cummins now?
Elizabeth met Cummins at school in Tennessee, where she was “just a kid who wanted to make friends,” as she said in a statement at his sentencing (via The Tennessean). She had just entered public school after years of homeschooling, and the 50-year-old health sciences teacher saw someone he could take advantage of. Cummins groomed Elizabeth for months before finally taking her with him to California, where they were discovered in April 2017, more than a month after they vanished.
In 2019, Cummins was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He’s currently behind bars at Talladega FCI in Alabama. He’s scheduled for release in May 2033. When he does get out of prison, he’ll have to register as a sex offender.
Where is Elizabeth Thomas now?
In her statement, Elizabeth described the effects of Cummins’ abuse as “devastating and permanent.” But since Cummins’ arrest and sentencing, she has tried to put the ordeal behind her.
In 2019, she married a longtime friend turned boyfriend and now has one child.
In a 2022 interview with ABC’s 20/20, she revealed her dreams for her future.
“To have a family and protect them,” she said. “Not let them lead down the road like I was, and make them have a better life.”
Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story airs Saturday, August 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. It will be followed by Beyond the Headlines: The Elizabeth Thomas Story With Elizabeth Smart at 10 p.m. ET.
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