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Nancy Guthrie's son-in-law not off the hook; key questions raised about Tommaso Cioni amid Mexico claims
Days after police confirmed that all of Nancy Guthrie's relatives were cleared in the case, new claims have emerged
Days after police confirmed that all of Nancy Guthrie's relatives, including her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, have been cleared in the kidnapping case, a new claim has emerged. Journalist and attorney Megyn Kelly recently said that it would be ‘inappropriate’ to not cover Cioni, who was the last person to see the 84-year-old mother of ‘Today’ host Savannah Guthrie on January 31. Police believe that Nancy was abducted from her Tucson home in the early hours of February 1. No suspects have been named in the case yet.
When did Nancy Guthrie go missing?
Nancy Guthrie was at her other daughter Annie's home on January 31. Her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, dropped her off at her residence around 9:50 PM local time. The 84-year-old was reported missing the next morning when she skipped church.
Search, evidence and ransom notes
Pima County Sheriff's Department has been searching for Guthrie since. A major piece of evidence, the gloves found near the Tucson house, did not get a DNA match. A doorbell camera footage shows a man entering Nancy's home. The man, believed to be the suspect, has not been identified yet.
Several media outlets and the Guthrie family received ransom notes, with demands of millions in Bitcoin.
Tommaso Cioni claims
Meanwhile, journalist Ashleigh Banfield suggested that Cioni could be a ‘prime suspect’ in the case. The claim was rubbished by authorities. Now, Megyn Kelly has backed the theory.
Kelly, on her SiriusXM show, stated that journalism demands scrutiny of Annie's husband.
The sheriff's department in Pima County, Arizona, said DNA collected so far in the investigation has not turned up any matches in a national criminal justice database known as CODIS, which has DNA profiles from convicted criminals and, in some states, people arrested for certain crimes.
“Investigators are currently looking into additional investigative genetic genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches. CODIS is one option of many databases that are available,” the sheriff's department said Tuesday.
The department said Wednesday that biological evidence from Guthrie's Tucson-area home was being examined and that DNA profiles were at a lab for analysis.
Mexico claims
Mexican authorities responded to reports stating that the FBI had gotten in touch with them. The attorney general of Sonora clarified Wednesday that his office has not received a formal request.
Gustavo Rómulo Salas Chávez wrote on social media that “it has not received a formal request for collaboration in the case of a missing person in Arizona,” referring to Guthrie.
(With inputs from The Associated Press)
