The sheriff investigating the disappearance of missing “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother said that officials are “definitely closer” to finding a suspect in the case.
While speaking with NBC News in an interview aired by “Today” on Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos commented on Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance from her Tucson-area home in Arizona, which was reported on Feb. 1. So far, no suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made.
“I think the investigators are definitely closer,” he said. “We got a lot of intel, a lot of leads, but now it’s time to just go to work.”
Nanos was asked about video footage that apparently showed a car driving past the woman’s home in the early morning hours on Feb. 1. “Look, what I would tell you is this: We’re aware of it, and we’re looking into it, just like any other piece of evidence,” he said.
The sheriff said officials have not been able to identify the car and that investigators are “looking at that vehicle as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day.”
There is more information that has not been shared with the public about the case, Nanos said, but investigators are having problems with identifying mixed DNA that was found on Nancy Guthrie’s property.
“There’s so much that everybody wants to know, but I would be very neglectful, irresponsible as a police, law enforcement leader, to share that with everybody,” he said. “We have information on this case that we think is going to hopefully lead us to solving this case. But it takes time.”
Nanos also commented on a backpack that was recovered in the case, saying that while the product was exclusively sold by Walmart, it may not have been purchased or obtained from the store.
“We’ve now learned that maybe it wasn’t purchased out of Walmart,” he told the outlet. “That backpack is new, is exclusive to Walmart, but who’s to say I didn’t buy it and put it on eBay? ... that’s what we’re looking at.”
Video footage that was released in mid-February by the FBI showed a man wearing a mask and gloves trying to tamper with Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera. Officials say the man is of medium build and about 5‘9“ or 5’10” tall.
Investigators also have not identified the clothes worn by the man, who was also seen wearing a backpack and gun holster, Nanos said.
Last week, Savannah Guthrie announced an “up to $1 million” reward for any information that could lead to the discovery of her mother, which comes in addition to a $50,000 FBI reward and a $102,500 reward from a Tucson crime stoppers group.
Video footage captured earlier this week by Fox News, NewsNation, and other media outlets showed Savannah Guthrie and her sister, Annie Guthrie, walking down their missing mother’s driveway to a makeshift memorial near her home.
“We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country,” Savannah Guthrie wrote on Instagram, ending the sentence with a heart emoji. “Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us. Bring her home.”
Officials have said that anyone with information about the missing case is advised to contact the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
