E-Paper
Tommaso Cioni role in Nancy Guthrie case: Reporter slams ‘corrupt’ cops after Ashleigh Banfield ‘suspect’ theory junked
Ashleigh Banfield, former NewsNation reporter, alleged Tommaso Cioni, brother in law of Savannah Guthrie, was a suspect in mother, Nancy's kidnapping.
Nancy Guthrie, mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on Sunday with authorities believing she's been kidnapped. As the Pima County Sheriff's Office continues their investigation, an independent journalist alleged that Tommaso Cioni, Savannah's brother-in-law was a suspect in the case.
The claims came from Ashleigh Banfield, who was formerly with NewsNation. Banfield also alleged that Cioni's wife and Savannah's sister, Annie, had her car seized by authorities as they believed it had some ‘connection’ with Cioni.
However, the sheriff's office was quick to quash these allegations.
Also Read | Tommaso Cioni update: Why cops spoke to Savannah Guthrie's brother-in-law in Nancy Guthrie case; ‘may have had contact’
“At this point, investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest in this case. Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie. Detectives are working closely with the Guthrie family. While we appreciate the public's concern, the sharing of unverified accusations or false information is irresponsible and does not assist the investigation. No suspect or person of interest has been identified at this time,” they said in a statement on social media.
Besides, they told TMZ that they could not confirm allegations of Annie's car being seized, noting that they were not aware where the reporter got their information.
While the sheriff's office largely discredited Banfield's claims in their statements, NewsNation colleague Katie Pavlich took a swipe at the law enforcement body.
On X, she wrote, “FYI, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department is notoriously corrupt and incompetent. Spans decades.”
While it is not clear if Pavlich was directly defending Banfield's claims, her post came after the latter's theory was quashed by authorities. The Pima County Sheriff's Office saw the misuse of RICO funds between 2016 and 2017, reportedly, which contributed to sheriff Nanos' election loss in 2016.
Pavlich doubles down on attack in Nancy Guthrie probe
Pavlich doubled down on her attack as the probe into Guthrie's kidnapping continued. Fellow colleague Brian Entin shared a video of police returning to Guthrie's house and putting up crime scene tape. They also carried out a grid search in the nearby area.
This comes a day after the cops had handed the house back to the family.
Authorities have now taken down the crime scene tape, as per reports. Notably, Annie and Nancy Guthrie had dinner on Saturday, and the former's house is close to Guthrie's place from where she was allegedly kidnapped. It is unclear if Cioni was also present at dinner.
As the search for Guthrie enters the fourth day, investigators have said that time is of the essence for the 84-year-old since she's in poor health without her daily medication. Access to a dispatch call by People showed that Guthrie has high blood pressure, cardiac problems, and uses a pacemaker. Her medication along with her phone and Apple Watch were all found at her home. Guthrie's pacemaker reportedly stopped syncing with the Apple devices around 2 am on the night of her disappearance.
