• U.S.

Tennessee Police Searching for 15-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Kidnapped by Armed Teacher

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Tennessee police are searching for a 15-year-old high school freshman who authorities believe was abducted by her 50-year-old former teacher.

Elizabeth Thomas disappeared on March 13 after a student caught her kissing teacher Tad Cummins in a classroom, CNN reports.

“Our efforts to locate her — and the man believed to have kidnapped her — remain active and ongoing, but to this point have produced no credible sightings or actionable information about their whereabouts,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI) said in a release.

Cummins is believed to be armed with two handguns, according to the TBI. An amber alert was activated in Tennessee and Alabama following Thomas’ disappearance, and investigators were last able to locate her near Decatur, Ala.

The TBI said they had received 450 tips, but no confirmed sightings, which makes investigators think he is purposely keeping Thomas out of the public eye.

The TBI added Cummins to its top 10 most wanted list on March 17.

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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com