Where things stand
• Family not suspects: Nancy Guthrie’s adult children and their spouses are not suspects in her February 1 disappearance from her Arizona home, the sheriff said yesterday, calling any suggestion otherwise “cruel.”
• No leading theory: Authorities have said they believe the 84-year-old mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie was removed from the home against her will. But investigators still have no leading theory about a motive, a source said.
• Examining evidence: Investigators are combing through tens of thousands of tips and poring over evidence, including DNA on a glove found two miles from Guthrie’s home; unidentified DNA on her property; and a backpack seen in a video of the suspect.
• Tip lines: If you have information that could help investigators, you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or 520-351-4900. You can also submit information at tips.fbi.gov.
How a bluetooth ‘sniffer’ tool could help in search for Nancy Guthrie
CNN’s Kate Bolduan speaks with David Kennedy, who helped create technology used to track bluetooth signals from pacemakers, about how it can be used in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
Analysis: Sheriff took aim at "armchair detectives" in statement clarifying family members aren't suspects
Monday’s statement from the Pima County sheriff that said Nancy Guthrie’s family members are not suspects in her disappearance is a direct response to so-called “armchair detectives” who have wildly — and sometimes irresponsibly — speculated about the case.
No matter how well-intentioned the online guessing games have been, the chatter has been distracting, at best, and actively harming the investigation, at worst.
“The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said Monday, suggesting claims to the contrary risk revictimizing the family members.
Law enforcement officials previously tried to make this point in private conversations with members of the media, but the family member finger-pointing has been happening mostly in a parallel universe of true-crime influencers and amateur sleuths.
Now that the point has been made publicly, that the family members are not suspects, “let’s hope this puts an end to the reckless and malicious nonsense,” a longtime friend of Savannah Guthrie’s remarked to CNN. The friend spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.
There has been a yawning gap between what traditional news outlets have been saying about the Nancy Guthrie investigation and what new-media influencers have been saying.
The influencer content has been more raw, more participatory, and more speculative, with commentary often crossing lines that journalists are taught to avoid, partly to avoid libeling innocent people.
The influencer content is also appealing to some viewers and readers for the same reasons it is controversial. And, as a person involved in the Guthrie investigation told CNN last week, there is a recognition that the online energy can be helpful as well as hurtful: “The breakthrough tip could come from anyone, from anywhere.”
As days have turned into weeks, speculation about certain Guthrie family members intensified in online communities, particularly in circles where there is deep ingrained distrust of major media outlets.
Nanos said on Monday that the suggestions about a family member being responsible for Nancy’s disappearance have been “cruel.”
Some amateur sleuths who have drawn online crowds with their commentary about the case reacted on Monday by saying, in effect, they were just trying to help. Some also criticized the sheriff for not making the public statement sooner.
Why police often examine relatives first in missing persons cases
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says the Guthrie family are not suspected of wrongdoing in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller explains how investigators would have examined the family before ruling them out.
True crime influencers and online sleuths face backlash over Nancy Guthrie coverage
CNN’s Brian Stelter takes a look at the true crime influencers and online sleuths who have faced backlash over their Nancy Guthrie coverage.
Nancy Guthrie's family members are not suspects, sheriff says. Here's the latest
Nancy Guthrie’s family members are not suspects in her disappearance, the sheriff said, as authorities continue to comb through thousands of tips and analyze DNA in an attempt to identify the suspect and find the missing 84-year-old.
Here’s what we know:
- All of Guthrie’s adult children and their spouses are not suspects in the case, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said yesterday, calling the family “nothing but cooperative and gracious.” A CNN law enforcement analyst called this “a very strong indicator of progress.” Nanos told CNN affiliate KOLD that the family has been “100% cooperative” and family members were ruled out as suspects “in the first few days.”
- Investigators have still not identified a leading motive for Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, with authorities looking at all possible options, a source told CNN.
- Authorities continue to analyze DNA found on a glove near Guthrie’s home that appears to match the ones worn by a suspect seen in her home’s doorbell camera footage. Meanwhile, investigators are combing through more than 40,000 tips sent to the FBI and sheriff’s department combined.
- Investigators are also working with Walmart to gather more information about the backpack worn by a suspect seen on video the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared. The backpack, identified by the FBI as a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack, is an item only sold at the retailer.
- President Trump says if Guthrie is found dead, those responsible will face the “most severe” federal penalties, the New York Post reported. CNN asked the White House to clarify whether the president meant he would direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty specifically.
- In her latest social media plea, Savannah Guthrie on Sunday addressed her mother’s captor directly, saying, “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
