Strange and heartwrenching story begins. Its the dimple of the universe. Reporter once known for its booming cantaloupe crop, its not cattle that keeps them alive. Tucked in the lush green of these rolling hills, youll find a post office, gas station and not much else. The schools always been the heartbeat of the community. Reporter culleoka unit school, a sprawling twostory complex, which will become the epicenter of a seismic scandal. Its known for its drill team and the musical theater troupe. Boogie Fever Reporter but its drama that quickly circles the new girl in class, 15yearold Elizabeth Thomas. Those kids are from a Small Community and any outsider becomes a target immediately. Reporter she had been home schooled her whole life. She was somewhat of a tomboy, she played really rough. She could switch to being really nice and sweet. Reporter Paige Griffith is a kind of surrogate mom to elizabeth. Her daughter erin is elizabeths best friend. Shed come over to my house and we would talk and watch tv, and eat junk food, and we just hung out together. Reporter thats erin and elizabeth playfighting in the back of a car. The pair loved to goof around. No, i wasnt she was always a social butterfly, been described to some people as being a diva. Reporter for the first time her sister sarah shows me elizabeths room. Now a kind of museum of an adolescent caught between two ages. Thats her xbox . On the one hand, the teen who bought herself an xbox with money from her afterschool job. She just stayed up playing games. She was obsessed with guns and stuff. Reporter on the other, a child. She made this. Reporter still enchanted by princesses and ponies. Was she pretty excited about this . She loved the bed covers that she just got. Reporter and still clinging to her security blanket. This is her baby blanket. She takes it to school with her. Reporter like everyday . Yes. She has it in her backpack and cuddles with it. Reporter she cuddles with it because the smiles in home movies like this mask her hidden reality. Instead of home schooling she was allegedly getting harsh lessons from the school of hard knocks. Growing up, my mom abused us. It was a whole lot of things she did. A few times to where she would beat our heads up against the dressers. Reporter elizabeths siblings say they all suffered for years, culminating with their mother Kimberly Thomas hitting one of them with a twobyfour. After watching all this abuse we couldnt stand it anymore. Reporter the kids alert Child Protective Services on their own. Authorities later remove their mother from the home. She is currently facing five counts of child abuse and neglect. She denies the charges, telling a local tv station im not guilty of those. Reporter how did you find out what was going on at home . Theres two sheriffs deputies in my yard, and two case workers. Reporter their father Anthony Thomas, often working around the clock as an exterminator to support his five young children, insists he didnt know how bad things had gotten at home. Its hard for you to talk about, isnt it . Yeah. Reporter you dont like to think about what was happening. I need to take a break. Reporter their mothers removal is a welcome relief. But almost immediately elizabeth is pushed into the teenage piranha pool known as high school. The ultimate outsider, she is bullied early and often. I mean, theres always cliques and she didnt fit in anywhere. Reporter what were they making fun of her about . They were calling her names. They were making fun of the way she dressed, her hair. No one would be her friend. So she was miserable. Reporter but elizabeth eventually found one person she thought she could trust. She had no one in that school to talk to except for this teacher. Reporter a popular and friendly science teacher, tad cummins. And that is how hot dogs are made. Reporter who would end up impacting her life more than anyone would have expected or wanted. She was in his class, health. And he began to help her make this transition from home school to public school. Reporter 50yearold tad cummins is quite the charmer, maury County District attorney brent cooper went to high school with him. Kind of funny, kind of a cutup, pretty outgoing guy. Reporter you knew him. You saw him around. He and jill, his wife, they were High School Sweethearts and married the year they graduated high school. Reporter and theyve been together ever since. 30plus years. Jill says cummins lived by the tenets of faith, family and fellowship. God is the center of our marriage and our life, and our faith is the most important thing to us, and i think it was to him too and it still is. Reporter cummins had even done mission work in the rainforests of panama. Now he volunteers at his Church Teaching sunday school, singing in the choir, chaperoning and preaching to teens. We did jail ministries and a boot camp ministry, me and him singing together to the people at the jail. Reporter what was it like growing up with him . He was your allamerican dad. The epitome of protector, hero, dad. Mmhmm. No matter what we were going through, he was the one you could call and he would fix it. Reporter tad cummins flourishes in the classroom. Watch this Youtube Video of him teaching how to perform cpr. You see the difference. Im actually taking weight off of it. Reporter did he enjoy teaching . He loved it. He said he never had a job he enjoyed more. He was the cool teacher. Like, everybody loved him. He was everyones friend, everyones mentor, helped so many people through so many things. Reporter and for elizabeth, hes an the encouraging adult role model. Everything that she need, he was there. He had bought a microwave and put it in his room so she could heat up food and eat her lunch in his room. Reporter his kindness even extended outside the classroom, taking elizabeth to church on sundays with his wife. Why did he decide to take her to church with you . Our preachers wife was going to be talking about abuse and how to get past it, get over it. We decided to invite beth because she had also a past. We were helping her, i thought. Reporter did you ever think anything of their interactions together . It was like a fatherdaughter relationship. Its the way i saw it too, in fact, i called her our third daughter sometimes. Reporter but elizabeth wasnt his First Special student. Next, the girl who made tad cummins croon. Youre the kind of woman a man could love for the rest of his Life Reporter he sang that song to you . Students would make jokes about us being in love. Reporter stay with us. 20 20 continues. Once again, eva pilgrim. Reporter churchgoing family man tad cummins seemed like a model citizen. But look closer and youll find some cracks in that happy facade. Tad was kind of a bully about things. Reporter Chandler Anderson worked with cummins back when cummins worked as a respiratory therapist at a local hospital. He would say things like, youre stupid. You shouldnt be in the e. R. Reporter in front of other people. Oh, yeah, in front of other people. I have seen tad be told no previously. And ive see the rage and anger he gets. Reporter he doesnt take no well. No, absolutely. Reporter anderson says cummins had a problem with authority. He didnt have enough of it. He says thats why cummins switched careers and took a big pay cut. If moneys not the central issue and feeding your ego is, thats what he chose. Thats why he became a teacher. Who tells a teacher no . Certainly not students. Reporter cummins hold on some students was particularly strong. Destany parrish, now 20, was in cummins class back in 2011. It was literally like a best friend that youd known your entire life, or like a Family Member that youd confide in. Reporter like elizabeth, destany struggled to fit in. He made you feel normal. And safe and protected and i didnt have anything to worry about. Reporter they shared a love of music. An aspiring singer songwriter, cummins once broke out in song for destany in the music room. She recorded the performance. Youre the kind of woman a man could love for the rest of his Life Reporter was the Health Teacher showing her his heart . I think he probably meant it the way, when he was singing it. Reporter he sang that song to you, on purpose, you think . I think. Im not sure, obviously. Reporter did the other students think Something Weird was going on between the two of you . Some of the students would make jokes about us being in love or whatever. I kind of blew it off, like, no, its just me and tad. Were friends. Reporter destany moved away before graduating and says nothing inappropriate ever happened between them. But a few years later, cummins found another student to shower with special attention, Elizabeth Thomas. She had no friends. I think thats one of the reasons tad cummings was able to move in on her so quick. Reporter Jason Whatley is the thomas familys attorney. Do you think he targeted her . No doubt. Reporter he sought her out . No doubt. He was specifically grooming this child for a very specific purpose, and that was a relationship. He chose a girl that was clearly having issues, because she went to him for, quote, unquote, counseling. She was the perfect victim. Reporter as part of the seduction, cummins portrayed himself an International Man of mystery. Apparently he told a lot of tales about his fictional background. Hes a cia operative. Hes an fbi agent. Hes a millionaire. Reporter Anthony Thomas says his daughter was impressed with cummins alleged exploits. And i said, youre telling me hes been in these fbi and the cia. Oh, yeah. Oh, tad has got a bunch of money. Actually a couple Million Dollars in the bank. Reporter still, thomas didnt object when cummins took elizabeth to church. Former fbi agent brad garrett is an abc news consultant. The idea that he would bring elizabeth to this church doesnt surprise me one bit because he needs a cover story. Look at this, im bringing you to church with my family. Isnt this a wonderful thing . Reporter despite outward appearances, Authorities Say cummins intentions become less of the spirit and more of the flesh. D. A. Brent cooper says investigators discovered a special system cummins devised to exchange secret messages with elizabeth using the same email account. What was kind of the nature of those messages . Things that only people that were in an intimate relationship would share. There was a message that says, i saw you standing by your backpack and just wanted to tell you, you have a really nice blank. Reporter it appears the two were much less inhibited on instagram. Cummins posts, youre all my heart ever talks about. It was love at first sight, at last sight. And elizabeth, i look forward to going to school just to see you. I love you. And she told her friend erin she had big news about a relationship. She said she really liked this guy, she really loved him, she really wanted to be around this guy all the time, 24 7. Reporter that carelessness made the situation highly combustible. And on january 23rd, it all blew up when a middle School Student reported seeing cummins and elizabeth kissing in his classroom. This was an honors student who saw them kissing. Reporter that 12yearold honors student later described the kiss to detectives as a romantic peck rather than fatherdaughter type. The school, and eventually local cops investigate. Elizabeth denies everything. I said, why is the sheriffs deputy calling me about an incident at school . She said, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, some girl lied. Its nothing. Nothing happened. She told me that she had gotten in trouble at school because her teacher was calming her from a panic attack. And some girl walked in and saw it and told everybody that they were kissing. Reporter cummins continues the coverup. On february 1st, in an interview with detectives, he describes the relationship as that of a father figure at school. And denied ever kissing elizabeth. A few days later cummins is suspended. How did he explain it to you . That, he was, it was either someone telling a lie, or thought they saw something that they didnt, and that it absolutely did not happen. I had no reason not to believe him. 31 years of marriage, you know, with no problems, why would you not believe him . Reporter for many it was hard to believe. And the already bullied teen now marked with a Scarlet Letter of sorts. There were things being said that were extremely hurtful. Reporter elizabeths father told Whatley Elizabeth faced ridicule and had been called a whore. Meanwhile cummins, now in exile from the school, begins acting strangely at home. He always made the coffee the night before he would go to bed. He started telling me how to make the coffee. I was like, why are you telling me this . Why are you telling me how to make the coffee . And i was in tears because i thought he was afraid he was going to go to jail. Reporter he was planning to go somewhere. Apparently the teacher had convinced himself, and his favorite student, that there was only one way out. With each other. On the open road. He worked on her, he manipulated her, and he did this until finally, she was just a girl that would do whatever he wanted. Reporter up next, exclusive video as Elizabeth Thomas walks out of her front door and into the unknown. Im a journalist. I am a singer. A businesswoman. I am an artist. An educator. A sister. An advocate. A leader. A queen. I am a friend. I am. I am one of more than a Million People living with hiv in the u. S. We are not alone. And now, 20 20 continues. Reporter its monday morning in columbia, tennessee. The beginning of the work week for most. The beginning of a new life for tad cummins. A Beautiful Day to start, he posts on instagram. The 50yearold tells his wife he has a Job Interview and needs to borrow her nissan rogue, but the disgraced teacher is about to go rogue in more ways than one. He took your car. He did. He switched vehicles with me on the day that he left, because he was going out of town, not far, but far enough that where he didnt want to take the jeep so he took the rogue and he never came back. Reporter across town, that same morning, sister sarah says elizabeth was agitated. She kept on saying, you need to wake up, and im like, what . And she was like, if im not back by six, call the cops. Reporter elizabeth is not yet of the age of consent. Her state of mind and her true feelings about cummins are still a matter of dispute, but this much we know. In video obtained exclusively by 20 20, we see a friend pull up to the thomas house in the morning hours. A few minutes later, elizabeth emerges carrying what looks like an overnight bag and a backpack. It will be more than a month before her family sees her again. At 7 45 that friend drops elizabeth off at a shoneys restaurant. 8 32 a. M. , cummins silver nissan suv fills up at a shell station neighboring that shoneys. Six minutes later, it pulls out. Soon elizabeth is in the car with cummins and to date there is no evidence he physically coerced her. But would elizabeth willingly leave behind her family and that security blanket she holds so dear . She loved it. Reporter medication and makeup still sitting on her dresser at home. Its an abduction either way you look at it. You can either abduct by grabbing someone out of their house at night by force or you can abduct over time. Reporter that evening tads wife comes home from work to find an empty house and a note from her husband telling her he needed to clear his head, claiming hes headed to either Virginia Beach or d. C. He promises to return and makes an unusual request. Asking her not to contact police. I was just in total shock when i read it. I just didnt know what to think. Reporter did you realize all of a sudden that he had been lying about everything, or at that moment, then i, i knew that it was all a lie. Reporter when elizabeth fails to return by 6 00, sarah senses something is wrong. I started feeling really guilty. I felt like it was my responsibility to take care of my sister, and i didnt take care of my sister. Reporter after hours of driving around searching, Anthony Thomas calls the sheriff and immediately points the finger at cummins. I said, you guys need to hunt down tad cummins and see if hes in town. See where he is. Reporter easier said than done. When cummins breaks his promise to return home, jill breaks her silence. She tells cops he took two handguns and 4,500 from a loan he got a week earlier. Jill also say her husband refilled a prescription for cialis before leaving town. Shortly after that, an arrest warrant is issued and tad cummins is officially a wanted man. But tad cummins got what he wanted. Hes got the girl and some separation. Hes been gone for nearly a day before cops figure out whats going on. An amber alert issued for Mary KatherineElizabeth Thomas. Reporter the only possible lead, a cell phone ping from elizabeths phone around 3 30 monday in decatur, alabama. And a disturbing update. Her instagram profile changed adding wife. I was a little bit sick when i saw that. Reporter amber alerts go out in tennessee and alabama. On day five, wife jill holds a press conference to try to reason with her husband. Your family wants their poppy back. Please do the right thing and turn yourself in to the police and bring beth home. Reporter cummins might not have watched his wifes televised plea, but millions cant stop watching. The small town teachers case goes national. The Tennessee Bureau of investigation works to retrace cummins steps in the days before he vanished, releasing this security video from a local tennessee walmart. Cummins casually strolls the aisles, making repeated visits to one. The hair color aisle. We have a little bit of knowledge about where they were at the beginning of their journey and then its really been kind of a cold trail. Reporter meanwhile, investigators keep working, looking through tad cummins computer, discovering an unsettling Search History that included googling how to marry a teen bride and looking up the age of consent. Weve been able to develop a consistent pattern of behavior on cummins behalf that indicates he planned this for some time before disappearing with elizabeth. Theyre putting up the green ribbons all over town. Weve had prayer vigils where people have come. Reporter Chandler Anderson shows his support with a different kind of green. Were hoping that 10,000 will get someone to talk or tell us where elizabeth is. Someone knows where she is. Reporter just as many are losing hope, a break in the case. Big news, a confirmed sighting of tad cummins and Elizabeth Thomas in Oklahoma City. A tip leads investigators to an Oklahoma City walmart to recover this security footage. Recorded two weeks earlier, it provides the first images of the two since they disappeared. Tad cummins hair and goatee now appear dark brown and elizabeths hair darkened red. They buy some food and pay with cash. Hes very smart. I knew he would try to change his appearance. Reporter in nebraska, another possible sighting. The local police post these security images from a mcdonalds onto their facebook page, but quickly discover it was one of many false leads. A month of no direction, no contact. Somehow this high School Teacher with no priors is proving as elusive as a master criminal. Hes not a stupid person. Hes a smart man. Reporter and he still has the support of his family. No matter where you are, daddy, no matter what youve done, we just want you to come home. We miss you so much. Reporter you still sort of defend him . I do. I find myself defending him. Reporter why . After what he did to you . Not only did he betray your marriage, he thrust your whole family i know. Unbelievable. Reporter while the lights continue to burn bright for elizabeths safe return, tad cummins has other ideas and other places to hide. We honestly just dont know. Theyre a bit of a needle in a haystack right now, so to speak. They could be anywhere. Reporter stay with us. And now, 20 20 continues. Once again, eva pilgrim. Reporter you cant understand this story, or this country, without grasping the allure of the american road. The freedom, the control, the ability to put your whole past in your rearview mirror. This was tad cummins sell to Elizabeth Thomas, who was clearly open to suggestion, just days before shed posted on instagram, i want to leave, go away, far away. We know that tad cummins and Elizabeth Thomas drove out of tennessee with their bags packed for warmer weather. He had shorts and tshirts, she had her bathing suit, she left her makeup behind. They headed south, then west, often evading authorities by sticking to the back roads. As their pictures spread in media across the country, they make that stop in Oklahoma City, the first we know of, where investigators say they checked in to this super 8 motel. Staff here telling investigators cummins asked for directions to the local walmart. That slipup gave authorities the lead they needed to pull the store security video. Fugitives, particularly if they havent been fugitives before, are fairly unsophisticated and they make mistakes. Reporter we learned that cummins made that mistake here at the super 8, using his real name, even giving the motel his real i. D. , before checking in to room 114. This is what a single bed room looks like at this super 8. Here in Oklahoma City. Newly renovated, new linens, with a microwave and a refrigerator. All a far cry from where they would end up once tad cummins money runs out. Hotel staff say the two spent most of their time in their room, keeping to themselves. So you think his biggest trouble is going to be keeping her in line, on his side, under control. Yes, keeping her in a place where she doesnt either want to run from him, call somebody, text somebody. Maybe he said, look, youre in as much as trouble as i am. Your life will be awful if you go back there. You have to stay with me. Reporter throughout their journey, Authorities Say, cummins tries to cover his tracks, avoiding credit cards in favor of cash, switching out stolen plates twice, disabling his cars gps system, and even throwing out their cell phones to keep from being tracked. Now, remember, tad cummins had a history south of the border. 20 years earlier hed traveled to the rainforests of panama on a Church Medical mission trip. Now, in need of a hiding place off the grid, it could be an ideal destination. Did you ever hear him talking about being off the grid . Well, we used to watch tv shows together about that sort of thing. Im going to show you what it takes to get out alive of some of the most dangerous places. And, you know, i never would in a million years would i have dreamed that he would be doing that. Reporter since elizabeth had no passport, cummins couldnt take her by land and would have to take her by sea. How . Authorities say cummins wanted to go by boat from here in san diego down to mexico. From there they could continue on to panama. It would be more like a movie stunt. Thats not for real life. Reporter bryan zulka is the owner and captain of el gato sport fishing. Is it easy to take a boat from here into mexico . No, its not. You have to have the right boat, you have to have the right weather, you have to have the right skills and navigation, otherwise youre not going to make it. Reporter and weve just learned from investigators that cummins didnt get a motorboat. Just a humble manpowered kayak. That might be fine in this tranquil channel, but once hed hit the mouth of the ocean as you can see were coming out here, these are good waves. This is easy a 4to8foot swell real close together. Reporter no shock, cummins ab aband abandoned his mexico plans. Instead he pursued another plan. We dont know the precise route, but cummins and his teenage passenger ended up in berkeley, california. And here they learn of a remote commune on the Northern Edge of the state. Believe it or not, there are still places in this country where people live completely disconnected from society. This is one of them. The black bear ranch, the focus of the documentary commune. My slogan at the time was free land for three people. Reporter since 1968 its been a place to shed both your clothing, and the inhibitions of life, if you can overcome the obstacles of getting there. We start the trip with fog and rain. Paved highways soon turn into narrow dirt roads. The final gasp of civilization, this gas station in tiny cecilville. Im eva. Im griffin. Reporter here we found Griffin Barry, who says he met tad cummins on day 26 of his journey. You felt bad for him . Yeah. Reporter you helped him out . Yeah, yeah. I put 15 in his tank, you know . He was looking for black bear. He said he heard about it. Reporter were they lost . It could be a hard place to find. Reporter he wasnt kidding. So, we are trying to get to black bear ranch, weve been driving for 2 1 2 hours. No cell phone signal, very spotty gps, we thought we were close, but now its impassable so we are going to have to turn around and try to find a different way to get there. We finally find ourselves at black bear ranch, where we definitely get the story we came for. Those are chickens up there. Yeah, chickens and ducks. Reporter the reclusive residents made us shoot this video on an older model iphone, and they had to vote before letting us use it. Our host, april showers, gives us a tour. The communes fortunes have ebbed and flowed over the years. Today, there are only a handful of members left. Most shaken by the recent events. Several weeks ago this couple arrived and they failed to identify their true selves and identities. Reporter cummins and elizabeth used the fake names of john and joanna, and told everyone they were 44 and 24 years old. The residents here had no reason to suspect anything different. Were an offthegrid homesteading community. We dont have any television, radio, cell phone, internet. Theres no Newspaper Delivery or other contact with the outside world besides what comes in and out of the driveway. Reporter they took the pair in, giving them a bed here in the main house, and sharing their food. But while tad cummins has left so much behind him, one thing he hasnt shed is his hot temper. So they didnt fit in here very well . No, they didnt fit in here very well. He brought that into our sacred space, this terrible behavior and acting on wrong impulse and a perverted instinct, i would say. Reporter the couple openly defying the communes work rules, instead staying in bed all day. Tad insisted on carrying around a pocket knife for protection. How did they leave . It was a unanimous decision. We didnt want them here at all and we had to ask them to leave. He was very uncomfortable, tad cummins, and he got very angry and almost blew a gasket, i would say, but he left without hurting anyone or damaging property. Reporter when we return, after 3,000 miles on the run through nine states, an Unlikely Hero comes to elizabeths rescue. Hes one of the best people in the world. Reporter stay with us. If you grow up here, you really can be anything. Sutter health. Proudly caring for northern california, birthplace of pioneers. Once again, 20 20. Reporter its now 36 days into their flight from tennessee. Tad cummins and Elizabeth Thomas have spent the last week and a half living in the remote black bear commune. Now they suddenly find themselves cast out of paradise. The idea that she has been gone a month and hasnt gone sideways on him would just shock me, which really concerns me because in cases like this where people become desperate, they do desperate things. Reporter that desperation apparently forces cummins to let his guard down, reaching out to others for help. Returning to the nearby village of cecilville, they find Griffin Barry, that Good Samaritan whod given them money and directions a week earlier. Did you remember them . No, i couldnt remember his name. I was like, whats your name again . But i was like, ill help you out. I put him in the cabin. Reporter can you show us the cabin that you put him in . Yeah, for sure. Its at the end. Reporter cut off from the world, griffin is completely unaware of the nationwide manhunt for the couple he was helping out. Did he say if they wanted to be by themselves or yeah, he was, you know, of course he told me they want to be left alone. Reporter so this is where they stayed. And those bottles . The wood cabin is unfinished, and has no heat or insulation. It does little to keep out the cold. So thats what they were using to have clean water . To make some extra money, griffin put them to work collecting river rocks for a masonry project. So they were hungry . Yeah. The girl got excited when i gave them some food. Reporter and her, you didnt really get to talk to her a whole lot . When i was trying to strike up a conversation i picked them up in the morning. I was like, whats your name . And she was like, joanna, and then it was almost with like an accent. Reporter the quiet girl and weird accent seem odd, so strange that griffin tells a neighbor nearby. Something seems off. I was like, that girl wont talk, you know, to me really or anything. Reporter that night, the neighbor makes a startling discovery, finding this amber alert, and warns griffin that one of his new friends may actually be a wanted fugitive. I mean, i saw a photo of the guy and i was like, thats definitely him. Reporter then what did you guys decide to do . You know, we went and called the police. Reporter overnight, a s. W. A. T. Team assembles outside the tiny cabin. There they wait for cummins to emerge. There were people everywhere. They were hidden. Knowing that cummins is armed with two guns, authorities lay a trap to lure him out. The plan, Griffin Barry is supposed to pick them up for another day of hard labor. I yelled a little bit, like, hey, hey i guess thats what ended up waking them up. Reporter the Police Pounce on cummins, and in an instant, the monthlodge search is over. The news spreads quickly back east. I get a text from the tbi that said weve got her. Reporter when you saw that text wow, i think the world stopped and went backwards a couple of degrees. Reporter less than 24 hours later elizabeth tearfully reunites with her family. I actually got out of the vehicle and ran to where she was. It was just amazing to finally get to see her. It was really great to have her tell me that she loves me. Reporter i know you were worried she wouldnt want to see you. I went to tears of course. I think tad had told her too, she cant go home, your dad is going to be mad at you. Reporter still, in some ways this 15yearold girl has changed, both inside sometimes shell be happy and laughing, and sometimes shell be sometimes in a fetal position crying. Reporter and out. She has lost a lot of weight. She said they were eating flowers. Reporter in tennessee, locals are thrilled with the news of elizabeths rescue, but her family is furious at the school, convinced they missed a chance to prevent the abduction in the first place. Well, the kissing incident happened on the 23rd of january. The investigation into the incident started on the 24th. On the 27th, they went on a field trip together. Reporter and how many chaperones were there . We understand there just to be one, tad cummins. Reporter elizabeths father didnt hear about the kissing incident until more than a week after, cummins still teaching at school. Elizabeth removed from his class, but the two finding a way to be together. Do you feel like the people at the school should have had a better eye on what was going on . Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, yes. Did the school drop the ball . Thats an understatement, in my opinion. Reporter the superintendent has said that they followed all policies and procedures but has created a task force to strengthen policies. Before school, we try to get answers from principal penny love. Can you just tell us why you didnt call authorities right away when you found out about the tad cummins incident . Do you have any comment . She may have taken her time alerting police in elizabeths case but certainly didnt hesitate to call when we approached with a question. As for tad cummins wife jill, some question whether she could have done more. They see that you knew her, that you interacted with them, and they say, how did she not know something was up . I think a lot of people didnt know. No one knew. He was friendly with, with everyone. I mean, a caring person. Reporter so you never suspected anything . No. Reporter not once . No. Reporter when we return, the souvenirs elizabeth collected on the way. Were they clues . Reporter just days ago, Griffin Barry, that Good Samaritan who helped elizabeth, flew to columbia, tennessee, to pick up his reward, a 10,000 check. He brought our family back together. Hes a hero in my book. Reporter meanwhile, tad cummins has been charged with transporting a minor with the intent to engage in Sexual Activity across state lines. His lawyer told abc news cummins actions involved no force, threats or coercion, and the alleged victim left of her own free will. This was not a kidnapping. As for his wife jill, whose marriage was left in shambles he betrayed my trust to the point that i its totally broken. Reporter its not surprising that she just filed for divorce. Elizabeth is now being treated at a Mental Health facility, but there is one more revealing fact about her time on the road. With little money to spend, elizabeth collected the cheapest souvenir of all. Roadside rocks like this, from some of their stops along the way, labeling each with the location where she picked it up. Perhaps a sign that she had always hoped to return home. She kept one especially for me and she said the fbi took them all. Just the thought that she got one for me. Reporter that she was still thinking about you. Yes, it made me very happy. The father clearly so happy that his gaugter is back. She has been in a Treatment Center for trauma victims. And the School District is creating a protocol about reporting abuse. Experts showing teachers and students the warning science. Thanks so much for watching. From all of us here at 20 20 and abc news, good night. Start by taking care of families for 70 years. Earn the trust of 32 nfl teams. 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