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By Hollie Silverman
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Legal commentator and journalist Nancy Grace said Friday she did not believe members of the Guthrie family were responsible for the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, citing her personal assessment of Savannah Guthrie as the “one reason” driving her view.
"For one reason, and one reason only, I do not believe the Guthrie family is responsible, because although it was many years ago that I first met Savannah Guthrie, she is, I’d like to assure you, not a fake TV person," Grace said at the Variety True Crime Summit during the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.
The Context
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for almost six weeks. She was last seen at her home on January 31 in Tucson, Arizona, and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and said drops of her blood were found on the front porch.
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Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about her health because she needs vital daily medication. Authorities have also cleared the 84-year-old's family as suspects.
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What To Know
Last month, the FBI released video from a doorbell camera showing a man wearing a ski mask, a jacket, long pants, gloves and a handgun holster on Nancy Guthrie's porch on the night she disappeared. Authorities have not publicly identified the person, whom they called a suspect, but the FBI described the person as a male about 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 with an average build and said he was carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
Multiple news outlets also reported receiving purported ransom notes, including at least one demanding payment in cryptocurrency for the 84-year-old's release, but authorities have not said whether the notes were authentic.
Early speculation focused on family members because Annie Guthrie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, were reportedly the last people to see Nancy alive, and investigators seized Annie's car.
Grace addressed that early speculation in her comments to Variety, saying in part, “She’s [Savannah] real. She is real, just like she is on TV. She’s super-smart. She’s a trained lawyer."
"She walked up to that flower memorial with her arm around her brother-in-law and I just do not believe, I find it impossible to believe that Savannah would do that if she suspected he was involved," adding, that was the "reason alone."
“You are all true crime, legal aficionados, you would say you look at the family first. Of course you do, because statistically, that’s who did it. But I don’t think that’s who did it in this case," Grace said.
What People Are Saying
Savannah Guthrie said on Instagram last week: "We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country. ... Please don't stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home."
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News about the chance the suspect could commit another crime: "We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted. But we can't—we're not 100 percent sure of that, so it would be silly to tell people: 'Yeah, don't worry about it. You're not his target.'"
What Happens Next
The investigation remained ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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