Frustration mounts as Nancy Guthrie probe intensifies
Frustration is mounting about the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance after police admitted they still don't have any leads eight days after she went missing.
The 84-year-old mother of TV anchor Savannah Guthrie vanished from her home on February 1, and detectives believe she was abducted from the $1 million property.
Officials were seen scouring manholes beside the house in Tucson, Arizona on Sunday morning, and police issued a statement around midday saying they still had no idea who kidnapped the elderly woman - prompting a fresh flood of fury.
'The Nancy Guthrie investigation is ongoing,' the Pima County Sheriff's Office wrote on X.
'Follow-up continues at multiple locations. No suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles have been identified. No scheduled press briefings.
'If any significant developments occur in the case, a press conference will be called.'
'This "investigation" is a joke,' one X user wrote in response to the statement. 'If we can't solve a crime like this within days why have any hope in LE (law enforcement)'.
A leader absent
Another person described the statement as 'lots of words for "we know absolutely nothing"', while a third quipped: 'You really know how to instill confidence'.
'At this point the Paw Patrol is probably more efficient,' a fourth X user jibed, referencing an animated children's movie about a police force comprised of dogs.
'Why even bother to issue this statement?' another person said. 'That poor woman'.
Pima County Sheriff's Office issued another statement later on Sunday saying they would 'maintain a presence' at Nancy Guthrie's home for 'security' reasons.
The office has also come under fire after the lead sheriff, Chris Nanos, was spotted at a college basketball game on Saturday afternoon.
Nanos, whose face had been plastered across national media for the past six days, was seen in a khaki hoody top amid spectators watching number one ranked Arizona Wildcats defeat Oklahoma State 47-84 at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson.
But the decision to take time out for the game has not gone down well with deputies swamped with chasing leads as the clock ticks unmercifully for the mother of NBC Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Ransom notes and bloodstains
‘It’s tone deaf while Nancy is still out there’, one senior source inside the sheriff’s department told the Daily Mail.
‘Everybody deserves, of course, their time off. It's been a very stressful, hard, long week.'
‘But given how hard detectives and search and rescue are working, including all the overtime they’re doing, it’s a poor decision and it doesn't look good for the agency.'
‘It just seems very odd given how emotional he was throughout the week during interviews, saying he believes she’s still alive and how desperate he is to find her.’
The FBI is assisting the sheriff's office in the investigation.
So far, bloodstains found at the crime scene have been determined to be Guthrie's.
Police said the elderly woman has limited mobility and requires daily medication.
Several ransom notes are being investigated by police, each demanding payment in cryptocurrency.
A race against the Monday deadline
Savannah Guthrie said she has agreed to pay ransom in exchange for her mother's safe return in a heart-wrenching video message shared Saturday night.
The TV host held hands with her sister Annie and brother Camron, saying that they had received communications from her mother's abductors.
'We received your message, and we understand,' Savannah said.
'We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. '
'This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.'
Savannah did not offer details over the communication her family received nor the demands that she agreed to pay.
Authorities have not verified the legitimacy of the ransom notes, however Savannah's latest video appears to indicate her family had been contacted directly by those claiming to be holding Nancy for ransom.
The 'ransom letters' demanded millions in Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy's return, and set a final deadline of Monday for payment to be made 'or else', TMZ said.
Savannah and her siblings previously shared a video demanding 'proof of life' of their mother after news broke that ransom demands had been made to TMZ and KOLD.
It is unclear if any proof of life has been made, but Savannah's latest video appears to indicate her family believe they have been contacted by her legitimate abductors.
The release of the video comes as the search for Nancy escalated on Friday night, with forensics teams returning to her home for a third time to seize new evidence - including a car from her garage and a camera from her roof.
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Neighbor spotted suspicious white van before Nancy Guthrie vanished
The neighbor of Nancy Guthrie recalled seeing a suspicious white van on their street before the 84-year-old grandmother disappeared from Arizona.
Brett McIntire, 72, reported the vehicle to police after noticing it lacked any company branding, unlike normal work vehicles, he told the New York Post.
'It was a white van, full-sized, with no printing on the sides. It was parked on the street,' he said.
Police reportedly asked him basic questions about the vehicle, which he had seen a few days before Nancy's disappearance.
But the experience shook McIntire, who now keeps a paper and pen with him during his neighborhood walks, so he can report anything suspicious he might come across, he told The Post.
It also spooked his wife, Lisa, who is now considering buying security cameras for their home, despite having heavy metal doors.
'I’m kind of a deep sleeper,' she told The Post, despite acknowledging that they have a 'pretty secure residence.'
'It’s unlikely someone could get past one of the metal doors, but we’re a little concerned,' she said.
Nancy, who is the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her $1 million home in Tucson last weekend.
Authorities think she was taken against her will as her doorbell camera was disconnected around 2am on Sunday.
Software data recorded movement at the home at 2.12am, which police acknowledge could have come from a person or animal.
Nancy did not have an active subscription with the doorbell app, so the company was unable to recover any footage.
Then, at 2.28am, the app on her pacemaker was disconnected from her phone. Nancy was reported missing shortly before noon Sunday after she didn't show up at a church.
While she is able to drive and her mind is sharp, the Pima County sheriff said she has difficulty walking even short distances.
Continue reading on the mysterious van here:
