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Nancy Guthrie case: Ex-FBI agent reveals what happened in first hours after abduction, ‘A communication breakdown…’
A retired FBI agent offered insight into the first hours after Nancy Guthrie went missing from her Tucson, Arizona, home.
A retired FBI agent offered insight into the first hours after Nancy Guthrie went missing from her Tucson, Arizona, home. In the Monday, May 18 episode of Brian Entin Investigates, NewsNation Senior National Correspondent Brian Entin discussed the case with Steve Moore, a retired FBI special agent.
“I talked to a sergeant from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in the last week, his name is Aaron Cross, and he was describing sort of how chaotic it was the first week after Nancy went missing,” Entin explained. “And that there was a communication breakdown within the department that also bled into communication with the FBI.”
Entin mentioned the reported initial chaos at Nancy’s house, with her family there, and asked Moore how such a situation is handled.
“You’re not allowed to have confusion at a crime scene like that,” Moore explained. “Obviously, there’s going to be all sorts of things going on, and people will be confused. But law enforcement coming in, you are the ones who’ve done this all the time. You shouldn’t be acting like this is your first time at a crime scene, or the first time somebody’s been missing. And It certainly wasn’t with these people.”
He added, “Being confused is not a sign of, ‘This is really big crime, so we’re confused.’ That’s a sign of inadequate preparation.”
How does law enforcement deal with family members?
On being asked how law enforcement deals with family members in such a situation, when some is missing, Moore said, “First of all, you need to get them in an emotional position where they can provide lucid information. You get them away from the people who are running the case immediately. Get somebody that is really good with people to sit them down, get them some water, give them confidence — we’ve got this, this is what we do, we’re here to help you —now, please, quietly and as carefully as you can, and write things down if you need to, but I’m here to listen to every word you say.”
Moore explained that while that is happening, the person in charge of the investigation is usually on the other side of the room or in an area away from the family.
He said, “They’re able to think about this, saying, ‘What do we have?’ And they’ll get information from investigators. ‘We’ve got blood on the porch. OK, we’ve got a crime scene.’ Then have somebody set up a perimeter, somebody get evidence response out here on the way now. We need to start interviewing people around the neighborhood. You’re in charge of that. You go to that.”
He added, “It sounds to me like nobody took charge. If there’s confusion, that means nobody’s in charge who knows what they’re doing. Because if you have that person, they know to compartmentalize everything.”
No suspects have been identified even months after Nancy’s disappearance. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has reportedly said while providing a DNA analysis on the case that information on whose blood was found on the missing woman’s property could soon be revealed. Nanos told People that the Forensics Department, particularly those working on the DNA analysis, are getting closer to identifying whose blood was found.
