As the search for Nancy Guthrie rages on, her elder daughter Annie Guthrie's husband, Tommaso Cioni, is getting a lot of media attention.
It started with NewsNation journalist Ashleigh Banfield claiming that Tommaso Cioni "may be" the "prime suspect" in the case. The interest escalated as police conducted a search at their residence on Saturday and Sunday. Investigators looked into the septic tank at the home and photographed evidence in the rooms, in an hour-long marathon search Sunday.
Though authorities have not named a suspect or person of interest, the speculations rage on amid the search operations at the Cioni residence. And with that, many false claims are also doing rounds on social media.
One such claim concerns Tommaso Cioni's alleged gambling problem. Many posts on social media claim that Cioni had a gambling problem, which could have led him and Annie Guthrie to financial trouble. Some posts also claim that Tommaso Cioni was allegedly in debt, having purportedly lost money in gambling.
However, no confirmed report suggests that Tommaso Cioni had a gambling problem or was in a lot of debt.
{{/usCountry}}However, no confirmed report suggests that Tommaso Cioni had a gambling problem or was in a lot of debt.
{{/usCountry}}Here is a Facebook post that falsely claims Tommaso Cioni had a gambling problem and owed $50 million to a Mexican casino.
Real Motive Behind Search Revealed
No details were revealed about the search at Annie Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie's residence when it took place on Saturday and Sunday. The reporters were blocked out beyond the gates and reports said agents took photos in the rooms and carried a steel briefcase inside the house.
Details of the evidence collection operations are becoming clearer now. A former SWAT captain explained to the Daily Mail why investigators may have looked into the septic tank.
"A lot of people forget that having a septic tank means waste water doesn't go into a city sewer, it goes into the tank," the ex-SWAT Josh Schirard said. "So, somebody may have flushed something thinking that would get rid of it, but instead it would actually just be deposited in the septic tank."
Schirard added that the steel briefcase was a Cellebrite case - a digital forensic evidence collection tool.