Mom Allegedly Abused Her and Other Kids

The mother of Tennessee teenElizabeth Thomas was indicted on child abuse charges in January 2016, more than a year before her daughter was allegedly abducted by her teacher, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

On May 12, Kimberly Thomas, 48, will appear in a Tennessee courthouse for a review of her upcoming criminal trial, court officials confirm.

Thomas was indicted on four counts of misdemeanor child abuse and neglect and one felony count of abuse for a child under the age of eight, the documents state. She allegedly abused five of her 10 children, including Elizabeth.

Records show the alleged abuse began in November 2014 and went on for about a year. In late 2015, Thomas and her husband Anthony separated, and he took sole custody of the children.

In 2015, Thomas was ordered to stay away from her children and is still barred from having any contact with them.

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According to the allegations, Thomas once hit Elizabeth’s head against a washing machine and threw her down the basement’s steps, locking her inside.

When asked if the alleged abuse played a role in Elizabeth’s abduction, the teen’s older sister, Kat Bozeman, previously told PEOPLE, “Absolutely, 100 percent that affected her.”

The documents also allege that Thomas beat her children until they bled and threw a chair at one of her daughters. Another daughter was allegedly rendered unconscious after allegedly being struck with a wooden board. Another child was allegedly struck in the head after injecting herself with her brother’s EpiPen.

WATCH: Sister of Missing Tennessee Teen Reacts as She’s Found Safely Says ‘They Were Found in a Commune’

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Maury County Public Defender Kendall Stivers, who is defending Thomas in the case, could not be reached for comment. His client has entered a not guilty plea to all of the charges against her.

Elizabeth’s father, 49-year-old Anthony Thomas, filed for divorce from Kimberly Thomas on Monday, PEOPLE confirms. The divorce filing cites irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct, Maury County Chancery Court records show.

Anthony Thomas’ divorce lawyer, Cory Ricci, was not immediately available to comment on the filing. It is unclear if Kimberly Thomas has retained counsel for the civil filing.

Abused Children ‘Incredibly Vulnerable,’ Says Expert

Tad Cummins, the 50-year-old teacher who is accused of abducting Elizabeth, faces state and federal charges connected to the girl’s disappearance.

Cummins remains in the custody of federal authorities, awaiting extradition from California to Tennessee.

A federal judge on Monday ordered Cummins remain jailed and be transferred back to Tennessee as soon as possible.

Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, Executive Director of the American Professional Society of the Abuse of Child, tells PEOPLE, “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.”

She adds that when a child seeks stability “and instead finds a predator, we end up with tragedy.”

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