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Elizabeth Thomas is being welcomed home to Columbia, Tennessee with signs and banner.

Her family says she is comfortable and resting, but has suffered severe emotional trauma.

I'm just so overjoyed to have her home that she's safe.

This is Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

The 15-year-old and her former teacher were found more than 2,000 miles away in a remote

cabin in Northern California with no electricity or running water.

They said they're from Colorado and they said they had a house fire.

They pulled me aside at one point and made a statement that he was glad that this was all

over.

His sister says he doesn't believe he kidnapped Elizabeth.

I asked him why.

Why would he do this?

And the answer he gave me is that she wanted to run away and she wanted to leave and

he didn't want her to go alone.

So he went with her so that he could know that she was safe.

The very latest regarding the Tennessee teacher, 50-year-old tad comins who goes on the

run with a little student of his, has gone into federal court and pled not guilty.

He's pleading in federal court to charges of transporting a minor across state lines

for the purposes of sex activity and one charge of obstruction to justice.

Now on those charges, the federal charges, he's looking at 10 years minimum if he is

convicted.

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