with elizabeth thomas leaving her home. now, "20/20" is retracing the desperate road trip. >> through nine states, 3,000 miles. sticking to the back roads. >> once you get into you're home free. >> getting to the back to earth commune that kicked them out. >> he got angry, and almost blew a gasket. >> and then the then the then te where they were finally found. >> this was manipulation. not a fairy tale, this is a case of kidnapping. >> good evening. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm david muir. as we come on the air here tonight, that high school teacher, tad cummins, is being transported to a tennessee jail, facing felony charges because of how far he took that girl, across state lines. >> meanwhile, she is trying to stitch her life together. here's eva pilgrim, who has been covering the story since the first amber alert. as things went from classroom to captive. >> reporter: tonight we are heading to rural culleoka, tennessee, where this strange and heart-wrenching story begins. >> it's the dimple of the universe. >> repo

we hear from those closest sonight on 2020 two pat cumming and elizabeth thomas. undetected for so long? >> it was a combination of henning, investigators say planned, but also look for rad -- tad cummings. lindsey: what did he say to compel her to come with him? >> he created this relationship with her over on amount of time. not something that happened in just days or simple weeks. he created a safe place for her in his classroom. he put a microwave and coffeemaker, even a cot in her classroom, she came from homeschooled to put in the public school system. that would be a difficult thing to do. hard to fit in in high school and now than you have ever experienced. -- a harde for her time for her and he helped her make the transition and gained her trust. lindsey: are there lessons here for parents worried about their own children in school systems? >> i think the lesson for parents is to ask a lot of questions. that, even if the school is supposed to be doing their job, you have to ask questions. and to be very careful and alert to even things that seem innocent.

cummins and elizabeth thomas were found in california last month after more than a month on the run. thomas' family claims he brainwashed the teen into thinking she was in love with him. cummins is due back in court on friday for a preliminary hearing. aaron hernandez now declared an innocent man. a judge threw out his murder conviction yesterday. it's based on legal precedent -- since hernandez had an appeal in progress before his suicide. the mother of his alleged victim is speaking out. lawyers for the former n-f-l player say his prison death is still being investigated. new developments -- terrifying deadly amtrak derailment in pennsylvania back in 2015. official word now that no criminal charges will be filed against the engineer! authorities state: the train was going more than double the speed limit -- and the engineer was distracted. but-- prosecutors say there's no evidence of criminal intent or recklessness. eight people were killed in that crash and about 200 others were hurt. look at these intense flames consuming a bus in south carolina. there were more than 50 kids onbo

cummins and elizabeth thomas missing for 38 days crossing the country.agent taking the stand to testify about alleged details of their journey. >> investigators have said that he left you a note. >> he did. >> reporter: this note submitted in court as written by tad cummins for his wife writing, i'll be back. don't call police. they'll think i ran because i'm guilty and i'm not. i love you. authorities say cummins and elizabeth thomas left columbia, tennessee, and went south to decatur, alabama, stopping there to throw their phones into the tennessee river. cummins then disabled the gchs on his suv. authorities say the pair continued on to mississippi then northwest to oklahoma where they were caught on this walmart security camera. staying in super 8 motels like this one before going on to colorado, utah, nevada and eventually southern california. investigators say cummins spent $1500 on a two-person kayak in san diego with the idea that they would use that kayak to get to mexico. >> easy to take a boat from here into mexico. >> it would be more like a

he is charged with taking 15-year-old elizabeth thomas across state lines for the purpose of criminal will face mandatory ten years, possibly quite longer. >> reporter: footage just before the teenager went missing leaving her home to meet up with cummins. law enforcement said he took the teen through nine states before being captured in this remote california cabin. while on the run, prosecutors say he swapped license plate's disabled his car's gps, changed the appearance of his suv, and made cash purchases. court documents showed his original plan was to take the victim south of the border to mexico and beyond. the 15-year-old's father describing to abc news her emotional road to recovery. >> sometimes she'll be happy and laughing and back to the same old girl. and then she'll be sometimes just in a fetal position crying. it's been a roller coaster for her. >> reporter: the father says cummins brain washed his daughter. cummins attorney says she went with him willingly. abc7 news, los angeles. >> former new england patriots aaron hernandez is no longer a convicted fel convicted murd

accused of kidnapping former student. 15-year-old elizabeth thomas taking her on ape cross-country trip. arrested in northern california april 20th. unclear when cummins will arrive in tennessee. authorities say he will make a court appearance shortly after that arrival. and a florida man is under arrest after a bizarre incident caught on camera. dash-cam video shows the man's pickup truck backing into a patrol car. he jumps out. while the truck is moving. and then, dances in the road. wearing own boxer shorts. and the officer eventually tatzed ed tased the suspect. you can hear the man saying he thought nuclear bombs were coming. he was taken to a hospital and to jail. >> now to one of the little moments that most parents can relate to. some times you don't know what is going to get your child's attention. >> that's right. >> including this one. so, you can see that little guy. at the window. he is really excited. let's see why? >> the firetruck is here! it's so exciting! it's right here! it's a firetruck! adorable reaction. the firetruck is here not what you want to hear from your kid

across state lines for the purpose of sexual activity he disappeared back in march with student elizabeth thomas. they were found 39 days later outside a cabin near redding. a federal judge told cummins he could face life in prison. a letter that cummins wrote to his wife was made public today.. in the note he tells her that he is sorry...and needed to clear his mind. (pam) still ahead - new at tenhow a couple used facebook to get back a package that was stolen right off their porch in broad daylight. (steve) and next:mother's day is this sunday... we'll look at some fresh ideas to give mom the royal treatment. if you'd really like to treat mom like royalty --(voice of pierre antoine raberin, laduree co-ceo): we have macaron with hearts. we have this amazing cake that we created for the mother's day. and breakfast in bed, brunch or dinner seem overdone, consider another meal.(voice of rachel webb, lady camellia tea room:) vanilla creme brulee, and a red velvet tea cake...the moniker of "afternoon tea" can be deceptive to a nation fueled by coffee to go. but done properly, it's a ritual well beyo

d.c., wee, back have a black woman who is at the battle of stevens here in 1864 and you know elizabeth thomasshe met in lincoln, according to her, a story she told many times and she was telling it on the advent of world war i. she was a celebrity. she made an important contribution to the history of lincoln and to the history of her neighborhood which would become the 40 stevens community -- fort stevens community born in the 1700s and use the money from selling fruits and vegetables at the park across the street from the white house. was say president jefferson one of her early customers. she lived until 1860 four and got to see emancipation in the district. was married in the year the civil war ended and would be a community activist and a major player in the black women's movement. we moved to san francisco during the civil war, mary ellen pleasant, she did not like the other night that people called , she had one brown eye and one blue eye and was a terrible or on the underground railroad. she conducted in antidiscrimination suit against one of the city's cars. -- in alexandria, virginia

know elizabeth thomas. she met lincoln according to her. she told many times. she was telling it on the advent 1.world war she was a celebrity and made an important contribution to the the ry of lincoln and to history of her neighborhood which would become the fort stevens community. alicia browning tan are born in money from sed the selling fruits and vegetables at the park across the street from white house. they say president jefferson was customers. early she lived until 1864 and had a chance to finally see in the district. hester everyduring the single the year the war ended and she would be a major ty activist and figure in the black women's club. across rancisco we run during the civil war mary ellen pleasant. he didn't like the other names that called her which was mammy. she had one brown eye and one blue eye. terror on the und underground railroad, donated and to john brown's raid conducted an antidiscrimination suit against one of the city's cars. there was great number in eleveeleven -- tumult in eleven, virginia during the war and some of the of co

the fbi says he and elizabeth thomas were planning to kayak to mexico before police found them this northern finish cummins could face at least ten years in prison if convicted. >>> northbound lanes on a collapsed highway reopening in atlanta six weeks after it was damaged by a fire. official say southbound lanes are expected to reopen tomorrow. >>> and treasury secretary steven mnuchin says his counterparts now say they're more reassured about president trump's trade policies. this after a two-day summit of g7 finance ministers in italy. the talks also covered cyber security and fighting tax e evasion. julie: pope francis addressing his upcoming visit with president trump today, saying that he will not try to convince trump to soften his policies on immigration or the environment when they meet at the vatican next week. john huddy is live from jerusalem with more. hi, john. >> reporter: yeah. well, julie, president trump will be meeting with pope francis on may 24th at the vatican, as you just mentioned, and a little while ago on his flight back to rome, the pope talked with reporters and j

tad cummins a former health science teacher had an inappropriate relationship with his student elizabeth thomasee leading police on a nationwide manhunt for over a month. he and the girl were found in a remotely located cabin in california. one legal expert says cummins more than likely will face life in prison. >> the reason the federal government has indicted him versus a state prosecuting office is that he took the child across state lines. he's made it a federal offense and he's going to likely be behind bars in a federal prison his life. cummins faces a state charge of aggravated kidnapping sexual contact with a minor and one cerebral charge of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. terese garner fox news. >> the engineer involved in that deadly 2015 amtrak train derailment has now been charged with causing the crash. brandon bostian faces involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges just days after prosecutors cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing. bostian was the engineer on a train that derailed back were in 2015 killing 18 and injuring more than 200 others. >>>

cummins and his former student, elizabeth thomas disapeared in march, and were found 39 days later outsidewyers argued in a preliminary hearing that thomas went with him willingly. he faces 10 years to life in prison. ( darya ) a texas family is considering a lawsuit after their son was labeled "ugly" in the school yearbook. steven seal's yearbook picture has an arrow pointing at it with a quote calling him ugly. it is just one of several offensive comments which made it into the 20-17 yearbook at this high school in humble, texas. school officials admit the quotes were not vetted properly. the yearbook editor says he simply screened quotes for profanity but anything else was fair game. he says he submitted them to administrators back in november. <"i was livid. i felt like it was so disrespectful. i did not blame the child that had wrote it, i blamed the school for not editing.">( darya ) the texas school district says it will continue to distribute the yearbooks. ( mark ) former national security adviser michael flynn says he will provide ásome of the documents requested by the senate in

cummins and his former student, elizabeth thomas disapeared in march, and were found 39 days later outsideearing that thomas went with him willingly. he faces 10 years to life in prison. ( darya ) and... a bay area company releases a camera with new technology to help catch burglars. that is after the break. . did you know 90% of couples disagree on mattress firmness? fortunately there's a bed where you both get what you want every night. enter sleep number and the semi-annual sale going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store. oh, and right now, save $200 on our queen c2 mattresses now only $699. ends sunday. go to sleepnumber.com for a store near you. and here's a live look outside... san mateo bridge. (robin)

he disappeared back in march with elizabeth thomas.in near redding. a federal judge told cummins yesterday he faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and could get life. he is expected back in court firday for a preliminary ( mark ) firefighters have put out a fire at a business in pleasant hill. this is video from the scene. the fire was right behind a goodwill store on contra costa boulevard. it broke out around 9:30 last night. there are no reports of any injuries. firefighters are working this morning to figure out started. ( darya ) coming up... new efforts are being made to make bay area freeways safer. what drivers could soon see that will be keeping a watchful eye. a brawl breaks out on an airplane later heading to oakland. see what sparked the fight coming up after the and here's a live look outside... san mateo bridge. <"i'm spencer blake and coming up tonight at 10, we're taking you to the top of the tallest office building west of the mississippi. we're showing you the view and what it means for the iconic skyline of san fran

mary heaton vorse and elizabeth gurley flynn. norman thomas. wright.ephen solomon all of these people played a role in trying to build support for this strike. the other interesting thing about the way this shark was built was that, in many ways, it was the first mass media strike. of the0's was a period growth of tabloids in the newspapers in new york city. there were many of them. there is the "evening post" and the "daily news," but also the pioneer popular style with the use of photography. almost on a would daily basis print pictures of the strike going on. one of the tactics of that the used was tossaic arrest and beat up newspaper workers which, in the age of mass media, created a spectacle and made the papers hostile, for obvious reasons, and made the strike that much better known. i think that the most important, the key element of the passaic strike, was really the role of the communist party. the strike was not about communism. the strike was about economic demand, particularly, as i said, fighting against the wage cut, fighting agai

elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm david a story that's quite fitting as so many families come together . >> alan thomas serveduny in viel facebook, and asked how theyima "20/20." t young lady i want to talk to. >> i'm the girl, hopefully for the job.y mossyrock, washington, to join forces with former sergeant allen thomas. the retired veteran fought for his country. now, pam vows to fight for him. >> if i don't get the answers i want, i'll work my way to the top. but i can assure you that if anyone's going to try hard it's going to be me. so that much i can guarantee you, okay? it's fair enough, i reckon. come on in. >> reporter: allen's daughter eg nice to meet you. you okay? these are fo >> reporter: pam brings flowers and hugs, and hope. >> this will be okay, this will be okay. my name's pamela slaton. i'm an investigative genealogist, and my passion is reuniting people. i put in the biological father's name. >> reporter: you may remember pam's work in a previous episode heartwarming, sometimes heart-stopping revelations about missing loved ones. on a never-ending search for the missing pieces of people's liv

elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm david muir. a story that's quite fitting as so many families come together for memorial day. >> alan thomas served his country in forced to leave his family behind. millions saw his post on facebook, and asked how they could serve him, and so did "20/20." >> it's nice to meet you. >> so you're the young lady i want to talk to. >> i'm the girl, hopefully for the job. >> reporter: we flew pam slaton cross-country to mossyrock, washington, to join forces with former sergeant allen thomas. the retired veteran fought for his country. now, pam vows to fight for him. >> if i don't get the answers i want, i'll work my way to the top. but i can assure you that if anyone's going to try hard it's going to be me. so that much i can guarantee you, okay? >> that's all i can ask. it's fair enough, i reckon. come on in. >> reporter: allen's daughter charlene is helping her father on his four-decade quest to find the children she grew up knowing only as pictures on the wall. >> charlene? nice to meet you. you okay? these are >> reporter: pam brings flowers and hugs, and hope. >> this will be okay, this will be oka

thomas friedman, cory booker, just to name a few. we strive to bring the finest writers and thinkers for the new book this fight is all fight. if elizabeth is working and fighting for the families and middle-class in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, senator warren served as the chair of the congressional oversight panecongressionaloverd asset relief program. her efforts to protect taxpayers hold wall street accountable and have oversight of the administration's on both sides of the aisle. recognized as one of the top experts on bankruptcy and the financial working families. senator warren is credited for the original thinking, political courage and relentless persistence that led to the creation. [applause] [cheering] went to the creation of the consumer financial protection bureau. [cheering] senator warren is a member of the committees on banking, housing and urban affairs, health education labor and pension, armed services at a special committee on aging. the author of ten previous books including the nationally best-selling a fighting chance. her new book this fight is our fight is a call to action. in "the new york times,

elizabeth and name all of the important counselors for the various monarchs. my fathers prince of wales. the significance of the revolution is hard to overstate. thomas jefferson was a randolph, edmund randolph was a randolph. at one point when he was governor, the lieutenant governor was another randolph. jeffersons idea here was not only that the feudal land tenure should be eliminated so the gigantic landholdings would be broken up. that is so that we would announce that the market would allow the version of landholdings. but he also proposed in his draft constitution for virginia in 1776 that if you were a virginia man and you depend on 50 acres of land, he would be given 50 acres of land. virginia was an open space extending all the way to wisconsin. why not make everybody a small farmer by giving everybody a small farm. we have all of this land and this is all avoiding the question because we don't really know the answer. it's weird when you think about it. somebody should have been watching the situation and decide if therdecided has therea monarch because george washington was the closest thing. i could have supreme executive authority, but i

elizabeth hemmings is a concubine. madison hemmings was a man who gave his recollections about his life and monticello in 1873 trade he said he was the son of thomas jefferson and sally hemmings. he's telling the story of his family and grandmother. she became the concubine of john wales, and had six children by him. the youngest of those children was sarah. sarah was sally, the nickname at sally was given to her. john wales have these six children, his daughter was martha. that's one of the tough names about this book, they are all named martha and mary. [laughter] this family tree that i have to keep consulting to figure who was home in here. but martha grows up and mary struck -- thomas jefferson. when the john wales dies, the hemmings family and 135 other enslaved people, under the ownership of martha and thomas jefferson. as the husband, the blackstone quote, there's marriage -- the husband and wife become one, though one is him, the man. he is in control of this particular -- they bring the hemmings children to monticello and install the women as a favorite health offavored house servant martha. the boys become servants to jefferson. jeffers