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Nancy Guthrie case: 5 key questions that remain unanswered amid search for Savannah Guthrie's mom
A search is underway for Savannah Guthrie's mom Nancy Guthrie, who has disappeared from her Tucson home. Here are some questions that remain unanswered.
A massive search is underway for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of ‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie, who has disappeared from her Arizona home. Arizona police revealed on Monday, February 2, that Nancy was likely abducted from her Tucson house as she slept.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said that more than a hundred PCSD detectives are working the case in coordination with search and rescue, the FBI and other local and national law enforcement agencies, according to Fox 10 Phoenix. Authorities have said that the search is now becoming more investigative.
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“The air and ground searches … you’ll see that slow down,” Nanos said Tuesday morning. “Those things are going to slow down, we’re pushing more to the investigative side of this.”
Amid the search for 84-year-old Nancy, some questions remain unanswered.
Five unanswered questions in the Nancy Guthrie case
- Is Nancy still alive? – While it is unknown if Nancy is alive, Sheriff Nanos said that he believes she is. “We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here. She's here. She's alive, and we are determined to rescue her,” he said in an interview with NBC that was broadcast on Wednesday morning.
- Was Nancy targeted? – We do not know for certain if Nancy was targeted, but the Pima County Sheriff’s Department seems to believe she was not. While PCSD keeps the Guthrie family updated on the new developments in the case, it said, "they continue to receive updates as the investigation progresses. At this point, there is no credible information indicating this was a targeted incident."
- Who are the suspect(s)? – Despite Ashleigh Banfield claiming she has learned that Nancy’s son-in-law, Savannah’s sister Annie’s husband, is a suspect, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed that no suspect or person of interest has been identified in the case yet. It remains unknown who sent the ransom note to a local Arizona news station.
- Was Nancy alone during her abduction? – It remains unknown whether Nancy was alone when she was allegedly taken against her will. While Nancy did live alone, she employed staff who frequented the property, according to the Irish Star. It is unclear if any of her staff were at her home during the potential abduction.
- Is there a link between Nancy’s case and a previous trespasser? – A mysterious man was seen lurking in someone's yard near the Arizona home of Nancy, and police are now investigating the case to determine if it is linked to her disappearance, TMZ reported. The Pima County Sheriff's Department told TMZ that in early January, an elderly man spotted the trespasser at his Tucson home, which is located 10 minutes away from Nancy's house. The suspicious man ultimately fled, and the case was then forwarded to the unit investigating Nancy's case for possible leads, the sheriff's department noted.
