The Arizona sheriff leading the local investigation into the apparent kidnapping of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie shared an update on the level of communication between law enforcement and Savannah Guthrie’s family.
More than 100 days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson-area home, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told People in a May 18 report that he had not “personally” been in contact with Nancy Guthrie’s family, but that investigators working on the case would contact the Guthrie couple “if the family needs anything.”
“It works both ways,” Nanos added. When contacted by USA TODAY on May 18, the sheriff’s office declined to share further information.
Nancy Guthrie has three children: Savannah, Annie, and Camron Guthrie. Savannah Guthrie is married to Michael Feldman and she has two children. Annie Guthrie has a husband, Tommaso Cioni.
After leaving the Today show in February, Savannah Guthrie returned to the show in April and resumed her anchor duties. Sitting with longtime colleague Hoda Kotb in March, a tearful Guthrie said he and his siblings were “in pain” over their mother’s disappearance, adding: “It’s unbearable.”
The “Today” anchor’s elderly mother was last seen on January 31, when she was apparently abducted from her Catalina Foothills neighborhood just north of Tucson, Arizona. In February, the FBI released an image showing an armed man fiddling with a camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door before her disappearance, but the suspect in the image has not been identified.
As DNA analysis continues, sheriff’s office believes they’re “getting close”
The investigation into Guthrie’s kidnapping has yielded a variety of DNA evidence, from dried blood droplets on Nancy Guthrie’s front door tiles to multiple gloves, but so far no additional information has been obtained. Gloves found near Nancy Guthrie’s home were similar to those worn by the suspect and were at one point thought to be a potential lead in the investigation, but they were later deemed unrelated to the case.
Law enforcement previously confirmed that DNA not belonging to her or her inner circle was found in Nancy Guthrie’s home. They do not provide updates on their analysis.
“Our DNA lab is collaborating with researchers every day to brainstorm different ideas and ideas about how to make this DNA work for us,” Nanos told People. “How can we do more with what we have? That’s why I’m saying that. I think we’re getting closer to it.”
Speaking to Tucson station 13 News for the report, which was released on May 12, Nanos said local and federal law enforcement agencies “are working very hard to resolve this issue, and I think we’re getting closer to a resolution every day.”
In a May 5 statement to USA TODAY, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office said it “remains committed to a thorough, coordinated, fact-based investigation and will continue to work closely with our federal partners as the process progresses.”
More than $1.2 million in rewards are being offered for information leading to her recovery.
Law enforcement is asking anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Pima County Sheriff’s Office tips.fbi.gov. (520-351-4900) or 88-CRIME.
Contributor: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
