Has Nancy Guthrie's family been cleared in her disappearance? Sheriff says no one is off the hook yet as investigation widens

While Nancy Guthrie's family has taken to social media asking for her return, law enforcement stresses that the investigation remains open and no one, including family members, has been ruled out as potential suspects.

In his interview with Arizona's Family's Briana Whitney, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos carefully explained why nobody's cleared yet, including the family members, despite being "cooperative."

"Everybody, particularly in the Guthrie family, has been very cooperative with us. We've done a number of interviews and investigations and taken DNA swabs from a number of different people. They've all cooperated with us, and we look at what their stories are."

Nanos brought up the RICO case as an example, in which a young man cooperated during the investigation, but he still wasn't considered clear of the probing. The sheriff continued:

"I'm going to say this real careful. They [Guthrie family] are under tremendous pressure and tremendous grief. And I think it's really irresponsible for anyone to start pointing fingers that way. They have been nothing but cooperative with us."

Nanos went on:

"I know the evidence will take us there if that's the case. Right now, we are working closely with that family, and our hearts go out to them."

When asked if the investigation is now close to finding Nancy Guthrie, Nanos nodded and shared:

"Yes, absolutely. Every lead counts. Going back a couple of days, we had 18,000 calls. The FBI had 14, 15,000. That's 30-some-thousand calls. I have 400 cops, feds, state, local, all over the state, people volunteering. I would be crazy to say, 'No, I don't want your help.'"

The sheriff was then asked if there would be an arrest and charges to be made soon, and he honestly answered:

"I would hope so, but I can't say that. What I would tell is, look, all 400 cops out there, everybody's working hard. The community is working hard. We want Nancy home. That's the key. Does it happen in an hour? Does in happen in a day, a week, a month, a year? I don't know, but I know this: We're not going to quit. We're not going to give up."

Nancy Guthrie "didn't go willingly," according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos

Nancy Guthrie, the mother of TODAY's host, Savannah Guthrie, reportedly went missing on Jan. 31 from her Arizona home. Per Nanos's report, obtained by CBS, investigators found "very concerning" evidence that Nancy was abducted.

"She didn't walk from there. She didn't go willingly."

Days after her disappearance, Nancy Guthrie's children — Savannah, Camron, and Annie — shared a video, pleading for their mother's return.

"She's 84 years old. Her health, her heart, is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, and she needs it not to suffer. We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media."

Savannah continued in the video:

Trending

"As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen."

The three siblings also vowed to pay the ransom allegedly demanded by the kidnapper, per a tipster who sent the message to TMZ.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback