Amid the search for Nancy Guthrie, a true crime page on X shared the potential reason why the public may not be allowed to put up flyers of the suspect, known online as the Porch Guy. The page also questioned why law enforcement is not taking the initiative to put up flyers of the suspect.
“Nancy Guthrie, we’re trying,” @SherylT73874821 wrote on X. “I spoke with a sheriff’s deputy and was told Pima County may not want a perpetrator flyer put up around town for reasons such as… potential defamation! Or mistaken identity! Even if photos were first released by the FBI we can’t put them up.
The entire issue lands with public citizens. WE can’t.”
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“But law enforcement can. It’s considered an official law enforcement operation. So why hasn’t Pima County Sheriff’s Dept. or Tucson PD put any out there?” the post added.
According to FindLaw, it is technically legal under the First Amendment for members of the public to print and distribute flyers about a suspect in the US. However, While the act of making a flyer is protected speech, the specific content on the flyer and where it is placed are heavily regulated.
When ex-FBI agent called for nationwide manhunt for Porch Guy
{{/usCountry}}According to FindLaw, it is technically legal under the First Amendment for members of the public to print and distribute flyers about a suspect in the US. However, While the act of making a flyer is protected speech, the specific content on the flyer and where it is placed are heavily regulated.
When ex-FBI agent called for nationwide manhunt for Porch Guy
{{/usCountry}}Retired FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer previously called for a nationwide manhunt for the Nancy Guthrie suspect – the man who was captured on Nancy's property, widely known as the “Porch Guy” – urging investigators to “plaster his face everywhere.” She suggested that investigators should flood traditional and social media with the suspect's photos and even engage Spanish‑speaking communities, per The International Business Times.
Coffindaffer called for a full‑scale blitz campaign centred on the masked suspect. She said that the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department should push stills from the porch footage across local and national outlets, and online platforms and community spaces, so that people find it impossible to ignore the image.
Coffindaffer also revealed what she thinks is a "critical" factor that could prove pivotal in solving the Nancy Guthrie case. She said that it is important to keep Nancy’s name prominent in media coverage, as this could be significant in finding out what happened to her.