Where things stand
• Some progress: Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators have “good leads” in the Nancy Guthrie investigation, though there’s still no indication of where she may be, CNN affiliate KOLD reported.
• Hunt for evidence: People living within 2 miles of Guthrie’s Arizona home have been asked to submit any surveillance footage that includes cars and people from about a month before she disappeared February 1. Authorities believe the mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie was abducted, and the FBI has doubled its reward to $100,000 for any information leading to Nancy’s location or an arrest.
• Details on suspect emerge: The FBI described the suspect seen in doorbell footage as a 5’9”-5’10” tall male with an average build and wearing an Ozark Trail Hiker backpack. Investigators have also recovered gloves, which are being analyzed. It’s unclear whether authorities believe the suspect wore them.
Trump says “progress has been made" with FBI involvement in Guthrie investigation
President Donald Trump said Friday that “progress has been made” since the FBI got involved in the investigation of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
Trump said he understands that local law enforcement has jurisdiction but touted the FBI’s role.
“Well, they took it over originally, that was a local case originally,” Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House for North Carolina. “They didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine; it’s up to them. It’s really up to the community. But ultimately when the FBI got involved, I think, you know progress has been made.”
“Complicated,” Trump added of the situation.
Asked if he believes Mexican cartels or a foreign country is involved in Guthrie’s disappearance, the president said, “You can’t say that yet; it’s a little bit early, but it’s, uh, somebody either knew what they were doing very well or they were rank amateurs. Either way, it’s not a good situation.”
Earlier Friday on Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Our hearts break every day that this goes on, and again, the FBI is on the ground wanting to assist in any way that they can.”
Light showers in southern Arizona raise concerns in the search for Nancy Guthrie
As the search for Nancy Guthrie approaches two weeks, a winter weather system brought light rainfall to southwest Arizona and the Tucson area Friday, possibly disrupting evidence for law enforcement searching for new potential leads regarding her disappearance.
Video taken by CNN shows the showers pouring along a street near Guthrie’s home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona.
Environmental conditions like rain, snow or wind can further deteriorate already-vulnerable outdoor crime scenes, according to the National Institute of Justice.
Rainfall totals between a quarter to half an inch were expected today, according to the National Weather Service. A second wave of showers alongside embedded thunderstorms is expected to pass through the area late this morning to the early afternoon.
The FBI plans to continue investigating Guthrie’s disappearance “regardless of weather conditions,” FBI Phoenix Public Affairs Officer Connor Hagan has said.
CNN’s Joel Williams and Leigh Waldman contributed to this post.
Marc Klaas, whose daughter was abducted in 1993, reflects on the Nancy Guthrie case
Marc Klaas’ daughter Polly was abducted from a slumber party in 1993 and her body was later found. Her killer was convicted in 1996 and is still on death row. Klaas has become an advocate who helps families find their missing loved ones and reflects on the Nancy Guthrie case with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Marc Klaas' daughter Polly was abducted from a slumber party in 1993 and her body was later found. Her killer was convicted in 1996 and is still on death row. Klaas has become an advocate who helps families find their missing loved ones and reflects on the Nancy Guthrie case with CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
"True crime influencers" swarm Tucson
As the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has captivated the country, a flock of “true crime influencers” has landed in Tucson, and they’re definitely influencing perceptions of the case — for better or worse.
Podcasters, TikTokers and YouTubers are churning out a parallel universe of content about Guthrie, right alongside more traditional news and talk coverage from the likes of CNN.
I’ve been hesitant to write about this topic because I don’t want to sound like some old-fogey member of the legacy media. And there is a recognition, as one person involved in the Guthrie investigation told me, that “the breakthrough tip could come from anyone, from anywhere.”
But there have definitely been occasions in the past 12 days when the aggressive, anything-goes social media coverage has been “unhelpful,” as the person involved in the investigation gently put it.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has repeatedly tried to tamp down rumors about the purported existence of a “prime suspect” and has asked people not to spread unsubstantiated info. “Social media’s kind of an ugly world sometimes,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said last week.
And when a pizza deliveryman showed up at the crime scene earlier this week? That was an order placed for a controversial YouTuber who’s getting tons of traffic from his on-the-scene updates.
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Conflicting reports over handling of evidence in Guthrie case highlight frustrations
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is strongly denying news reports that he blocked the FBI from accessing key evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case and insisted items be sent to a private lab in Florida, despite the FBI asking for the evidence to be tested at the FBI headquarters in Virginia.
Nanos told CNN in a phone interview Friday that investigators in his office and FBI investigators jointly decided to send evidence for DNA analysis to a lab in Florida which has a contract with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. He said investigators from both offices agreed to keep all the evidence sent off for DNA analysis in the same location instead of sending it to two different labs.
Having all that data in one location would “streamline” the investigation and get results back faster, Nanos said.
One law enforcement official confirmed news reports that said Nanos had blocked the evidence to CNN. Another federal official said the stories were overblown and asserted that the investigative teams on the ground were working well together.
The conflicting claims underscore growing frustrations as the search for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother nears the end of its second week. A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN authorities have still not identified Guthrie’s whereabouts or the identity of her alleged abductor.
Nanos also said the front door video of the suspect has generated strong leads and that investigators have “a bunch of leads to go out on this morning.” But he admitted the investigation has been frustrating.
This post was updated with Nanos’ comments from a Friday interview.
Defense attorney says public isn’t getting the full picture of the Guthrie investigation
Mark Geragos has worked on multiple missing persons cases and he says it’s always the case that the public doesn’t know the full picture of an investigation.
Why yellow ribbons and flowers are filling Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood
As the intense search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie nears two weeks, her Tucson, Arizona, neighbors are showing support for family and friends by filling the community with yellow ribbons and flowers.
Yellow ribbons have been used for years to show hope and support for someone’s safe return, including in missing persons cases.
On Thursday, a CNN crew saw one neighbor tying yellow ribbons to trees along a roadway near Guthrie’s home, where a makeshift memorial filled with flower arrangements, posters and candles has quickly grown.
With the help of a local flower shop that’s typically inundated with requests for red roses this time of year, neighbors have been able to send more than well wishes to Guthrie’s home by way of arrangements centered around yellow roses, CNN affiliate KOLD reported.
FBI releases description of suspect seen in doorbell video and doubles reward. Here’s the latest
The FBI has released more information about the person they’re now officially calling a suspect in the search for Nancy Guthrie. It’s the same masked man seen in doorbell camera footage outside her front door 12 nights ago, and the reward for information leading to his arrest — or finding Guthrie — has just doubled.
Here’s what we have learned about the suspect:
Here’s the latest on the case:
- A profile emerges: The FBI says the suspect is a man between 5’9” and 5’10” with an average build, who was wearing a black 25‑liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack. Their reward has risen from $50,000 to $100,000 as investigators field tips: More than 13,000 were submitted to the FBI alone since February 1.
- White tent: To refine their profile, agents used a white blackout tent at Guthrie’s home yesterday to recreate nighttime conditions similar to those when she went missing, a law enforcement source said. Agents compared replica clothing and a matching backpack on camera, studied reflections to confirm brand details, and used equipment to estimate the suspect’s height.
- Gloves recovered: Investigators said they collected “several items of evidence, including gloves,” which are being analyzed. It’s unclear whether authorities believe they were worn by the suspect. Pima County’s sheriff cautioned yesterday that investigators collected “a number” of gloves, and their significance isn’t known, KVOA reported.
- White van: At least one of the leads in Guthrie’s disappearance involves a white van, law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case said.
- Radius increased: Authorities are urging anyone living within a two‑mile radius of Guthrie’s home to submit surveillance footage of people or cars in the four weeks before she went missing. This gives us a hint about how authorities are narrowing their search for potential suspects.
- Still no sign of Nancy: A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN authorities have still not identified the whereabouts of Guthrie.
- Weather may hinder search: Rain showers are expected in Tucson and southwest Arizona today, potentially complicating efforts to find evidence connected to Guthrie’s disappearance. The FBI said it would search regardless.
This post was updated with the sheriff’s remarks to KVOA.
CNN talks to Ring camera founder about information doorbell cameras can provide
CNN’s Erin Burnett talks to Jamie Siminoff, founder and creator of the Ring camera, about what usable information doorbell cameras can provide to investigators.
Authorities have "good leads" in Guthrie investigation, Pima County sheriff tells CNN affiliate
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Thursday investigators have “good leads” in the Nancy Guthrie investigation, though there’s still no indication of where she may be, CNN affiliate KOLD reported.
He made the comment the same day the FBI released more information about the masked individual seen in surveillance footage obtained from a camera at Guthrie’s home and increased the reward to $100,000.
The FBI described the suspect as a 5’9” to 5’10” man with an average build who, in the security video, was wearing a black 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack. That brand is owned by Walmart and sold only in Walmart’s retail stores and website.
Sheriff under pressure as search for Nancy Guthrie continues
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is in the spotlight as his department faces pressure and scrutiny over the search for Nancy Guthrie. CNN’s Elex Michaelson looks at the questions around the sheriff’s handling of the investigation.
Ex-FBI assistant director explains why backpack seen in doorbell footage is a good clue
The technology used to determine the height of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance is “extremely accurate,” said Joshua Skule, former FBI executive assistant director for intelligence.
“The height and the backpack are very good clues,” Skule said of the FBI being able to determine what brand backpack the suspect was wearing in doorbell video released earlier this week.
The FBI said Thursday the backpack is a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack, a private label brand sold exclusively at Walmart.
Next, the FBI will investigate how many of these backpacks were sold and when, Skule said.
Investigators will also see what other brand names they can determine that could generate more leads.
Rain expected over Tucson today, potentially hindering evidence collection
A winter weather system is expected to bring showers to Tucson and southwest Arizona today, according to the National Weather Service’s Tucson office, which could raise issues for law enforcement in their search for evidence related to the dissapearance of Nancy Guthrie.
About a quarter- to a half-inch of rain is predicted in Tucson, with the potential for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, the National Weather Service said.
Outdoor crime scenes are already at risk for “loss, contamination, and deleterious change of physical evidence in a relatively short period of time,” and environmental conditions like rain, snow or wind can exacerbate the issue, according to the National Institute of Justice.
“The FBI will continue our investigation regardless of weather conditions,” said FBI Phoenix Public Affairs Officer Connor Hagan, adding “Bringing Nancy home is our priority.”
