Crime scene tape goes back up outside missing Nancy Guthrie’s home as FBI deploys hostage negotiators to family
The FBI raided the Tucson home of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, on Wednesday as law enforcement efforts to find the missing retiree escalated dramatically.
Nancy, 84, disappeared on Saturday evening after being dropped off at a large estate in Arizona by her Italian son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, who was the last person to see her.
Police said Tuesday they returned the $1 million adobe-style home to the Guthrie family, but everything changed Wednesday night.
A pickup truck from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department arrived at Nancy’s house with two carloads of FBI investigators. The house has since been taped off, and as of 5:30 p.m. local time, agents were still inside.
K-9 units were also seen scanning the interior. According to Fox News.
Meanwhile, a second pair of investigators were at the home of Savannah Guthrie’s sister, Annie. Detectives were seen collecting what appeared to be tripods and lights from their cars before going inside.
Officers had previously been spotted at the home where the Today Show host was believed to be hiding on Tuesday.
Wednesday’s visit came shortly after a detective from the online pedophile unit arrived to speak with the Guthrie family.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen having dinner with her daughter Annie (right) on Saturday night. They are photographed here with Nancy’s other daughter, Today Show host Savannah Guthrie.
Crime scene tape was placed in Nancy’s $1 million Tucson home on Wednesday.
Federal agents seen carrying boxes outside home
The man seen outside the home in Daily Mail photos was wearing a T-shirt with an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force badge.
The FBI member specializes in combating online grooming and technology-enabled child exploitation.
The increase in activity comes shortly the source told a local ABC News affiliate The FBI is said to be flocking to outside experts, including hostage negotiation experts.
Until Tuesday, the case was being handled entirely by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. The department called for extra help after realizing the devout grandmother had been kidnapped.
The Ring doorbell has been removed and traces of a struggle can still be seen in his home, with blood spatter near the entrance door.
The 84-year-old mother of three lives alone in a house in the affluent Catalina Foothills neighborhood; authorities found his phone, wallet and car after he mysteriously disappeared on January 31.
An Apple Watch was also found on the property; Investigators say the watch stopped syncing with the pacemaker around 2 a.m.; This suggests that he was taken from his home around this time.
Officers are now investigating Savannah’s superfans, who piled up gifts and mail for her mother before she was kidnapped, the Daily Mail reported early Wednesday.
A senior source claimed that investigators specifically asked NBC about any disturbing fan interactions that might be relevant to the case.
No suspects have been identified and police insist there is no danger to the public. However, investigators do not rule out that Nancy may have been targeted because she is the mother of the famous Today show host.
Authorities investigating superfans who piled gifts and mail on Savannah’s mother before she was kidnapped
Eerie photos taken from Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, show blood splattered on the pavement and her Ring doorbell camera missing
But at the same time, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the possibility that Nancy’s abduction may be connected to a break-in case from January. TMZ’s report.
In this case, one of his neighbors told authorities that he noticed a suspicious person outside his home.
However, when the unidentified person triggered the motion sensor, causing the projectors to turn on, he fled the scene and eyewitnesses were unable to identify the suspect.
A law enforcement source said police went door-to-door from neighbors collecting security camera footage as they tried to identify a suspect and searched for a vehicle of interest.
They are also investigating the possibility of a ransom demand.
Authorities said Wednesday they believe the mother of three is still alive.
Despite the lack of answers, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos believes Nancy is still alive.
“We have nothing but to believe he’s here,” he said in an interview with NBC’s Liz Kreutz. ‘He’s here. ‘He’s alive and we want to save him.’
He stated that his department takes all tips and referrals very seriously.
‘Incoming potential customers are critical to us. “These are valuable and we are sharing them with the FBI and others,” Nanos said.
To assist the investigation, President Donald Trump announced that he would allocate additional federal support to the search.
He stated that he planned to call Savannah on Tuesday and that his thoughts were with the news anchor amid the ‘horrible’ situation.
“I’ll call him later, I think this is a terrible thing,” Trump said. ‘It’s very unusual, but we’ll find out.’
Then on Wednesday, NBC News anchor Tom Llamas reported that the president had kept his promise.
He said Trump took the time to “offer words of support to her and her family as she searched for her mother.”
Authorities are expected to provide a new update on the investigation on Thursday.
