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Major new challenge threatens to slow search for Nancy Guthrie as police hunt for vehicle of interest
The search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie enters its seventh day, facing geographic and technical challenges in the Catalina Foothills.
The search for Nancy Guthrie enters its seventh day mark on February 7. Authorities are confronting significant geographic and technical obstacles that pose new challenges in search efforts.
Nancy resides in the Catalina Foothills, a neighborhood northeast of Tucson that is full of residential properties tucked away in desert and elevated landscapes. Her home's surroundings are dangerous, expansive, and full of difficult terrain.
The 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, anchor of the Today show, disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, home between January 31 and February 1.
Read more: What is Savannah Guthrie’s husband net worth? All we know as ransom note probed
New challenges and technical setbacks
The Catalina Foothills are a combination of federal and state-managed land and private residential property. These consist of portions of the Coronado National Forest that run through the Santa Catalina Mountains and Saguaro National Park.
Rocky slopes, narrow gorges, and desert vegetation, including bunch grasses, palo verde, mesquite, creosote, and cholla cacti, characterise a large portion of the public area.
Hence, the terrain has made it difficult for ground teams and aerial units to comb the area efficiently. These attempts are made more difficult by the area's frequent temperature fluctuations and occasional limited visibility.
To make matters more difficult, the doorbell camera in the house had been disconnected before her disappearance. Moreover, she did not have a current subscription, so detectives were unable to retrieve any valuable footage from it.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told the Associated Press in an interview that the absence of clear camera evidence was “disappointing” and has slowed identification of potential persons of interest.
Read more: Trump says ‘some things’ coming soon in Nancy Guthrie's case
Search development so far
Nanos told reporters during a press conference on Thursday that the investigators believe she is “out there” and was taken against her will.
“Taken against her will includes possible kidnapping or abduction. She couldn't walk 50 yards by herself,” Nanos said.
One of the neighbors around her house reported seeing an unmarked white van parked on the same street as Nancy's house.
On February 7, the authorities found surveillance footage that may have shown a "vehicle of interest" from a Circle K store, the New York Post reported. According to NBC News, the vehicle was at or close to the Tucson convenience store.
