Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home on February 1, 2024, with surveillance footage showing a masked intruder tampering with her doorbell camera—no arrests yet. A fourth Bitcoin demand email ($50K) resurfaced, but its legitimacy is unconfirmed. Sheriff Chris Nanos cleared her family, including husband Tommaso Cione, despite earlier suspicions, while critics question forensic delays and FBI tensions. Public anxiety mirrors 2011’s Gabby Giffords case, with vigils and demands for transparency amid Nanos’s past controversies and narrow re-election win, leaving trust in law enforcement hanging by a thread as time runs out for answers. [Automatically generated summary]
Unbelievable how this is just turning into this, I don't even know what you want to call it.
The disappearance of this 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has absolutely shaken Tucson, the world, well the world, but the country, and drawn national attention and place intense scrutiny on the supposed leadership of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
And as the search enters its third week, well, let's face it, no chance of her being alive.
I'm sorry.
Frustration is growing and questions are multiplying and confidence in local authorities is being tested in real time.
Now, Nancy Guthrie, as you know, vanished from her Catalina Foothills home in the early hours of February the 1st.
Surveillance footage showed a masked man outside her property wearing gloves and carrying a backpack attempting to disable her doorbell camera before ripping it from the door frame.
And since then, there have been no arrests, no named suspects, and no clear theory publicly presented by law enforcement.
What there has been is confusion and mixed messaging and mounting anxiety.
And TMZ, get this, has now received a fourth email from an individual claiming to know who kidnapped Nancy and where she is.
Not claiming to have kidnapped her, but knowing where she is.
And the sender demands $50,000 in Bitcoin and references seeing Nancy south of the border with more than one person involved.
Isn't that something?
It's funny, $50,000 because Bitcoin is 60 something.
Anyway, anyway, it doesn't matter.
So the emails use the same Bitcoin account as earlier messages, and law enforcement has not publicly confirmed the authenticity of these claims.
So whether this is a cruel hoax or a legitimate lead, it underscores how chaotic the information environment has become.
In a case this high profile, false claims can waste precious time and fuel public panic like you can't believe.
And meanwhile, Nanos, the sheriff, made a definitive announcement, get this, that the Guthrie family has been cleared as suspects.
Does this surprise you?
He stated clearly that Savannah Guthrie, her siblings, and their spouses are victims and have been fully cooperative.
He specifically pushed back against speculation surrounding Annie Guthrie's husband, Tommaso Cione, who, as you remember, was the last person known to see Nancy alive on January 31st.
And the one that Ashley Banfield said was the number one topic pursuant to her well-placed, highly sourced, impeccable law enforcement sources.
Now, until recently, Nanos, the sheriff, had refused to rule out family members when pressed by reporters.
And that hesitation, followed by a sudden clearing, has left, if you will, some observers wondering why it took so long.
Why now?
To provide this clarity.
What do you know now that you didn't know then?
It also goes to show you that people have good reason to believe it doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.
And law enforcement sources previously indicated investigators were leaning away from family involvement, but no suspect has been identified.
And several non-family individuals were detained and later released.
Officials say a myriad, a myriad of theories are being explored, yet no dominant narrative has emerged.
For a case now in its third week, that lack of direction is troubling, as you can imagine, to many people.
And let me also say again, Ashley Banfield, whom I like for her spunk and her vim and her vigor, she said absolutely unequivocally, on top, she has the top sources there at the best, the top impeccable sources, say that he was involved.
Now, the handling of forensic evidence has also raised a little few eyebrows.
A glove found about two miles from Nancy's home appears to match the type seen on the masked individual in surveillance footage.
And that glove was analyzed by a private laboratory in Florida.
Not in the FBI lab in Quantico, but in Florida.
And the FBI reportedly is awaiting quality control and confirmation before uploading DNA information into a national criminal database called CODIS.
Now, critics are questioning why such critical evidence was not immediately processed through the FBI's own lab in Virginia.
And Sheriff Nanos has defended the decision, saying his department had already begun working with the Florida lab and didn't want to split evidence between facilities.
Why did you begin working with this Florida lab?
Why?
And while that explanation may be, well, procedurally sound, perception matters.
You see, in a case involving a vulnerable elderly victim whom I'm sorry, I don't want to keep saying this, but whose continued life is questionable.
Public Trust in Investigation00:06:19
The public expects every possible federal resource to be used without hesitation and to its fullest.
And there are also reports of tension now between local authorities and the FBI.
Though Nanos insists cooperation has been strong and timely, past friction between his office and federal investigators has resurfaced in public discussion.
Years ago, during an FBI investigation into the misuse of civil asset forfeiture funds within the department, Nanos publicly criticized the Bureau for confirming the existence of an investigation.
Though he was never charged with wrongdoing, those comments have not been forgotten.
And now with the FBI deeply involved again, critics are questioning whether egos or history could complicate coordination between the scenes.
Now, beyond law enforcement decisions, the emotional toll, think about this, on Tucson is unmistakable and palpable and tenable.
A 40-foot banner reading, Bring her home, hangs near a local television station where Savannah Guthrie once worked.
And yellow ribbons decorate trees and flowers pile up near Nancy's mailbox.
By the way, this is also called a crime scene, which is another story altogether.
Hundreds gathered at a vigil at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, and cyclists scoured the city from downtown encampments to rocky desert washes, searching for any sign of a hat or a glove or a backpack.
And residents describe conversations everywhere revolving around one subject.
People who once felt safe in their secluded desert neighborhood are now planning to install security cameras.
And the sense of isolation that once felt peaceful now feels ominous.
And this is not simply a criminal investigation.
It's a test.
It's really a test of public trust.
And Sheriff Nanos already carried political baggage into this moment.
And his re-election in 2024 was decided by just 481 votes.
And during that campaign, he plays political opponent.
Think about this.
Heather Lappen, a vocal critic of his, by the way, and the opponent, put her and Sergeant Aaron Cross on administrative leave.
That'll show him.
Both later file lawsuits alleging retaliation, though no criminal charges were filed in prior investigations into department conduct.
Those controversies linger in the background.
It makes this guy look a little shady, as they say.
And when a crisis hits, leadership history becomes part of the story, whether officials like it or not.
And criticism of the sheriff doesn't mean assuming guilt or incompetence.
It means demanding clarity and speed and transparency in a case where time may be the most precious commodity there is.
Nancy Guthrie, as everybody knows, is 84.
Reports are indicating that she has medical needs.
She has meds.
Every hour matters.
Every second matters.
And the longer the investigation proceeds without visible progress, the more restless the public becomes.
And the Sheriff Nanos, of course, has urged media vehicles not to block roads and this ask residents not to call 911 with opinions or theories.
And that's reasonable.
But communication must flow both ways.
In the absence of clear, consistent updates, speculation will always run rampant, filling the void.
And the TMZ emails, the South of the Border claims, the international hints, the Bitcoin demand all thrive and all metastasize in silence.
And Tucson has endured national tragedy before.
Remember, residents recall the 2011 shooting of Gabby Gifford.
Remember that?
An event that left very, very many deep scars across the community.
That trauma forged a sense of shared grief, which is what they're saying now.
And now, now, though the case involves one family, the anxiety that they're feels widespread.
And people speak of shock, shock that such a brazen attack would happen in their city on a quiet desert street without streetlights or traffic signals that might have captured a fleeing, escaping vehicle.
And the central question remains simple and stark.
Where is Nancy Guthrie?
Law enforcement personnel say that all the theories are on the table.
Yet until a suspect is named or a concrete lead emerges, doubts will continue to swirl.
And clearing the family was a necessary step.
And processing forensic evidence is critical.
Coordinating with federal authorities is essential.
But the public will judge this investigation not by statements, but by results.
And the Sheriff Nanos, let me tell you something.
He says his office is doing everything possible.
And that may well be true.
I hope it is.
But still, leadership in moments like this requires more than effort.
It requires visible command, steady messaging, and a sense that no bureaucrat or political consideration will slow momentum.
As the days pass, my friend, that perception grows harder to maintain.
And Nancy Guthrie's disappearance and perhaps ultimate death have become more than a crime story.
It's kind of a referendum on preparedness and communication and trust in local authority and trust in law enforcement.
And Tucson waits and watches and worries.
And with each sunrise that brings no breakthrough, the pressure on this share of Chris Nanos and the agencies involved only intensifies.
And it's so, so sad.
And it has nothing to do with whatever you think about or whatever people think about Savannah Guthrie or her husband or their political connections.
It doesn't matter.
What If This Was Your Loved One?00:00:52
What if this was your mother?
What if this was your grandmother?
What if this, think about this.
It's absolutely horrific.
Beyond horrific.
So that's, my friend, where we leave off today.
What do you think?
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And thank you.
Thank you also for following my beloved wife at Lynn's Warriors on YouTube.
Lynn Shaw at Lynn's Warriors doing her noble fight to stop and cease and prevent any further child predation and human trafficking.
All right, my friends, have a great and a glorious day.