Nancy Guthrie, the 84 year old mother of Today anchorSavannah Guthrie, has now been missing for 100 days after investigators said she was allegedly taken against her will from her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI say the case remains active.
Sheriff Chris Nanos marked the 100 day milestonein an interview withlocal station KOLD, insisting the disappearance is still a live and painstaking investigation, not a case going cold. Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on 1 February, a day after relatives dropped her off at her home on 31 January. Detectives soon sealed off the property and surrounding area as a crime scene, and federal agents joined the investigation. Since then, officials have said evidence has been collected and tips reviewed, but no suspect has been publicly named and no arrest has been made.
From the start, detectives have treated the case as a likely abduction. In a statement given toEntertainment Weeklyon 2 February, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff's Department said investigators believe Nancy Guthrie 'was taken from the home against her will, possibly in the middle of the night'. The spokesperson said that wording could refer to kidnapping or abduction, but did not identify a suspect or suggest a motive.
Guthrie had been with family shortly before she vanished. Relatives last saw her when they dropped her off at her home in the affluent Catalina Foothills area of Tucson on 31 January. She was reported missing the following day. Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened in the hours between her arrival home and her disappearance.
Authorities have said they recovered physical evidence, including gloves and surveillance images. Those items have been processed and are being examined further, although officials have not said what conclusions, if any, they have drawn from them.
In aKOLDsegment published on 12 May, Nanos acknowledged the frustration surrounding the pace of the case. 'I think every day they get closer,' he said of his team. He added: 'There's way too much work to be done, that is ongoing, with some of the physical evidence we have. And we're not going to give up on it just because it's been 100 days.'
He also rejected the idea that the investigation had stalled. 'It moves at a snail's pace, I guess, for some,' Nanos said, adding that for his investigators the case is progressing as it should.
More than three months on, no suspect has been publicly identified. Even so, Nanos told KOLD he believes the investigation will eventually lead to an arrest. 'I believe, at some point in time, we will make an arrest on this case,' he said, adding that anyone detained would be entitled to 'a fair and impartial trial'.
Nanos struck a similar note in a separate interview withFox Newson 8 May, again saying his office was getting closer to solving the case. Asked whether he had a message for the Guthrie family ahead of Mother's Day weekend, he declined to comment.
While investigators have remained guarded, the family's public appeals have become more urgent. The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie's safe recovery. The reward remains active, and relatives and supporters have repeatedly shared the FBI tip line.
Source: International Business Times UK
