Updated at 5:19 p.m.with comments from Elizabeth Thomas family attorney Jason Whatley.
The family of Elizabeth Thomas is awaiting a phone call from the 15-year-old who was found in California today following more than five weeks of an Amber Alert search, an attorney said.
Thomas is now in the custody of the FBI and is expected to be returned home on Friday, the Thomas family's attorney Jason Whatley said at a news conference this afternoon outside his office. The news conference was broadcast on Facebook Live by AL.com's news partner WHNT-19.
Whatley said the family is "beyond elated," and "very anxious" to speak to Elizabeth.
The earlier version of this article continues below with details of Thomas being found and her accused kidnapper being arrested:
After more than five weeks as the subject of Amber Alerts, Elizabeth Thomas soon will be flying home to Tennessee from California, while Tad Cummins will face federal and state charges.
The nationwide search for 15-year-old Thomas and ex-teacher Cummins came to an end when Siskiyou County, California sheriff's deputies found the two at a secluded cabin near the Oregon state border early this morning. The cabin is in Cecilville, more than 2,000 miles from Maury County, Tennessee where Thomas lives.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation contacted the sheriff's office in California after receiving a tip around 11 p.m. Wednesday from a person who said he may have encountered Thomas and Cummins. The tipster said the two had been staying at the cabin for about a week and a half, according to TBI.
TBI spokesman Josh Devine said the cabin is located in a remote, secluded area of the county. To put into context how secluded the area is, Devine said the sheriff's office is located about two hours away from the cabin, though they are in the same county. The county covers more than 6,300 square miles. That's more than 10 times the geographical size of Maury County, Tennessee.
Devine said California officials located Cummins' Nissan Rogue at the cabin and put it under surveillance for several hours before taking the suspect into custody and safely collecting Thomas.
There is limited or no cellphone service in the area, and authorities had a difficult time getting to the cabin because of snow that's on the ground, Devine said. Agents from TBI and the FBI were en route to California around 3 p.m.
Brett Cooper, district attorney of Maury County, said Thomas' family is home in Columbia waiting for her to return.
"At this time, all we know is she is apparently healthy and unharmed," Cooper said, adding Thomas' mental and emotional state isn't yet clear. As soon as Thomas is ready, she will be provided help with counseling and other services, Cooper said.
Cummins, a 50-year-old ex-teacher at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, is wanted in Tennessee for felony kidnapping and misdemeanor having sexual contact with a minor.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Jack Smith said Cummins is being charged federally with transportation of a minor across state lines for sexual intercourse. The charge carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, Smith said.
Cummins was fired by the Maury County school system the day after he and Thomas disappeared. They disappeared after a friend dropped off Thomas at a Shoney's restaurant in Columbia, Tennessee the morning of March 13. TBI placed Cummins in Decatur, Alabama later that day.
TBI received more than 1,500 tips from around the U.S. Until this morning, the last known location of Thomas and Cummins was an Oklahoma City Wal-Mart on March 15.
Authorities have said Cummins groomed and lured Thomas before kidnapping her. Thomas' father alleged in court records that Cummins was stalking and threatening the girl during the weeks before the incident.
Since the disappearances, the families of Thomas and Cummins have publicly pleaded for the two to come home. Cummins' wife filed for divorce.
As far back as January, Cummins, a health sciences teacher, reportedly was caught by another student kissing Thomas in his classroom. Read more here about the school system's response.
Additional details about authorities locating Thomas and Cummins haven't yet been released.