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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he thinks the suspect behind Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance “had a target.”
“I think this was an individual who had a target, for whatever reason, and he has made it tough, but I’ve got some pretty tough investigators too,” Nanos said in an interview with NBC's Today show on Wednesday.
The sheriff added that he believes DNA found at Guthrie’s property could belong to the suspect.
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“We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we don’t know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out,” he said.
The Context
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for nearly three weeks, prompting a multiagency search involving local law enforcement and the FBI. Nancy was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Alleged ransom notes were sent to multiple news outlets after her disappearance.
Nanos said at a news conference earlier this month that there were clues at the crime scene indicating Nancy "did not leave on her own." The sheriff has also said Nancy needs daily medication, and it could be fatal if she does not take it every 24 hours.
What To Know
Law enforcement has not publicly named any suspects or persons of interest.
“I believe whoever did that knew what they were up to, knew who they were after,” Nanos told Fox News on Tuesday.
The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance photos and video of a potential subject as part of the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance. The agencies said they worked closely with private sector partners to recover any images or video footage from the 84-year-old's home “that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors, including the removal of recording devices.”
Law enforcement said the footage showed “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance.”
The FBI said the individual a male, approximately 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter "Ozark Trail Hiker Pack" backpack, according to the FBI.
The backpack is sold exclusively at Walmart, CBS News reported. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said investigators are working with Walmart management to identify the individual who purchased the backpack.
Nanos called the backpack “one of the most promising leads" in the case, according to CBS News.
Nanos said in a statement on Monday the Guthrie family, including all siblings and spouses, had been “cleared as possible suspects” in the case.
“The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case. To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple,” he said.
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What People Are Saying
Savannah Guthrie, in a video posted on Instagram: "It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope and we still believe."
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos in comments to ABC News: “We're not giving up. If Nancy's out there, we're going to find her. We're not giving up.”
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. A reward of $102,500 is being offered by 88-CRIME for the arrest of the person or persons involved in the disappearance.
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