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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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A retired FBI agent said investigators are questioning Nancy Guthrie’s neighbors about a person who recently moved out of the neighborhood and construction workers in the area.
“The FBI was going around asking about two different things," retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told Newsweek. "One they were asking about was about different construction workers in that area, and the other thing they were asking about was a neighbor who has moved out of the neighborhood, but that apparently was going back and forth, back into the neighborhood after they moved out. They purportedly moved out after Nancy was abducted.”
Coffindaffer said she is not sure that this is an “epiphany” in the case.
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“I really believe the FBI has asked these questions and has identified construction workers, and that they’re just following up again based on new neighbors coming forward with concerns as far as what the construction is,” she said.
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Why It Matters
Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than a month. Her disappearance has prompted a multiagency search involving local law enforcement and the FBI. She was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Alleged ransom notes have been sent to multiple news outlets. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference last month that there were clues at the crime scene indicating that Guthrie "did not leave on her own." He also said Nancy Guthrie needs daily medication, and it could be fatal if she did not take it every 24 hours.
What To Know
Coffindaffer said investigators are likely following up on questions that have already been asked.
“I can’t believe that this is the first they knew that there was a neighbor that would have moved out and that they wouldn’t have interviewed that neighbor," she said. "I just believe that they already did that, but that some neighbor’s apparently recontacting them about that, and so they’re doing follow-up.”
Coffindaffer said it “doesn’t sound odd” that a person might have just been moving around the time of Guthrie's disappearance.
“People typically just don’t get up and move, so it would be as the result of a sale, or a lease expiring, or something along those lines," she said. "So I think to just jump to the conclusion that because somebody moved in close proximity after somebody was abducted and came back into the neighborhood maybe because they have friends in the neighborhood or something along those lines, legitimate reasons to come back into the neighborhood, I would not be sounding the alarm.”
Coffindaffer said she questions some of the reliability of the information that is coming out.
“Typically, people when they are interviewed initially, that is their freshest and most reliable account of what happened, not five weeks later, not six weeks later,” she said. “That is when, a lot of times, what they see in the news, what they read, things that neighbors are talking about, their friends are talking about put ideas in their head.”
Coffindaffer said people can start second-guessing themselves in an attempt to help with the investigation. She said, however, that these interviews can sometimes generate new leads for investigators.
“With every question that’s asked and answered, there are leads to follow up on,” she said.
What People Are Saying
Savannah Guthrie, on Instagram: "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: "I think from day one, we had some strong beliefs about what happened, and those beliefs haven't diminished."
What Happens Next
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
"To help keep the tip line available for actionable investigative law enforcement leads, please submit only serious and detailed fact-based information, no well-wishes or case theories. The tip line is not for personal messages to the Guthrie family," FBI Phoenix said.
Additionally, 88-CRIME is offering a reward of $102,500 for the arrest of the person or persons involved in the disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie announced on Instagram that the family is offering a reward of up to $1 million, payable only for her mother's recovery.
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