Disturbing Details About Elizabeth Thomas Being Abused By Mom Before Teacher Kidnapped Her
Court documents paint a horrific picture.
People/WKRN/IJN Though Elizabeth Thomas was found safely on April 20, 2017, ending a nationwide manhunt, it seems the story is really just beginning.
On March 13, 2017, Tad Cummins, a 50-year-old social science teacher allegedly kidnapped 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas and held her for over a month as he traveled across numerous state lines looking for a safe haven where they wouldn't be found.
Luckily, thanks to a cabin owner and his maintenance worker, they were able to identify and alert authorities about Cummins and Thomas who were staying at the cabin.
Elizabeth Thomas is staying in a secure, undisclosed location while she receives treatment for the trauma she went through for nearly 6 weeks on the run.
But as of Monday, Anthony Thomas, Elizabeth's father, has filed for divorce from his estranged wife Kimberly Thomas and was granted a restraining order.
The couple had been married for 30 years and share ten children together, 4 of whom are still underage (including Elizabeth) but according to court documents, separated in November of 2015.
Cory Ricci, Anthony Thomas' divorce attorney, said that a judge granted the restraining order to prevent Kimberly from speaking to the public about her daughter's disappearance or the case, even through a third party source.
“We are afraid of Ms. Thomas giving interviews or speaking. If it airs, Elizabeth will be terrified. She’s very, very scared of her mother.” Ricci told The Tennesseean.
According to Anthony Thomas, he separated from his wife when he was made aware that she had been physically abusing the children.
Documents show that Kimberly Thomas had allegedly bashed Elizabeth's head against a washing machine, threw her down basement steps and locked her in.
Elizabeth's siblings received similar treatment, with one having a chair thrown at them, another child had been hit in the head after injecting herself with her brother's EpiPen, and another left unconscious after being hit with a wooden board.
Kimberly Thomas denied these allegations during an interview she gave while Elizabeth was missing.
PEOPLE spoke to the Executive Director of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Dr. Janet Rosenzweig and she had this to say, “When you have parents who aren’t parenting their child correctly, whether they’re abusive or not, when parents don’t adequately prepare their kids to navigate this crazy period of life called adolescence, they’re incredibly vulnerable ... [when a child is looking for stability] and instead finds a predator, we end up with tragedy.”
Kimberly Thomas will appear in court on May 12 for a review of her upcoming criminal trial that includes five counts of abuse and neglect.