Early missteps, delayed search plane response emerge in Savannah Guthrie’s mother disappearance
The sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie acknowledged that missteps were made in the case’s early hours, including removing crime scene tape and delaying requests for assistance from outside law enforcement agencies.
According to reporting from The Arizona Republic, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said his department released Guthrie’s home as a crime scene too soon, only to return days later to recover additional evidence. Nanos acknowledged that, in hindsight, the scene should have remained secured longer and that other agencies could have been called in earlier.
Fox News Digital also obtained a statement indicating that the pilot of the county’s high-tech search aircraft had been disciplined following a dispute with Nanos and reassigned to street patrol, according to local law enforcement sources. As a result, the aircraft’s takeoff was delayed for several hours after Guthrie was reported missing around midday Sunday, the sources said.
"Three hours in a search for a vulnerable adult is an eternity," a law enforcement source with knowledge of the situation told Fox News Digital.
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The Pima County Deputies Organization criticized the decision to reassign the pilot, telling Fox News Digital that it opposed the move at the time because it left a critical law enforcement asset understaffed.
According to the deputy organization, the pilot personally appealed the decision to Sheriff Chris Nanos but was reassigned to patrol anyway. The group said the move reflected what it described as a broader pattern of leadership decisions, citing another instance in which the department’s most experienced Search and Rescue deputy was transferred to patrol late last year without a replacement.
The deputy organization said those staffing decisions left key units short-handed during what became one of the highest-profile searches in the sheriff’s department’s history and during one of the busiest times of year for Search and Rescue operations.
Nanos said investigators believed they had completed processing the scene at the time, but later determined that conclusion was premature.
Authorities believe Guthrie — the mother of NBC "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie — was forcibly taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, though no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified. Nanos said Thursday that investigators are continuing to pursue all leads.
"Everybody is still a suspect in our eyes," Nanos said.
Investigators outlined a timeline of events during a news conference Thursday, saying Guthrie was dropped off at her home around 9:48 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, after having dinner with family.
Authorities said the home’s doorbell camera disconnected from the security system at 1:47 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 1. About 25 minutes later, software detected movement near the home, but no video footage was captured. At 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker application disconnected from her phone, which was later found inside the residence.
Nanos confirmed that blood discovered on the front porch was tested and that DNA analysis showed it belonged to Guthrie.
The FBI has since joined the investigation and is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery. Federal authorities said they are vetting ransom notes connected to the case and confirmed that at least one person has been arrested in connection with what investigators described as an "impostor ransom demand."
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Nanos said the case has evolved into a possible kidnapping and that multiple agencies are now sharing information and resources. He added that it does not matter which agency is leading the investigation, saying the priority remains locating Guthrie.
Guthrie’s son, Camron Guthrie, made a new video appeal Thursday directed at whoever may be holding his mother, urging them to contact the family.
"We haven’t heard anything directly," he said. "Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you."
Authorities have not released additional details, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Alex Koch contributed to this report.