FBI Delayed in Providing Updates on Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Case
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials investigating the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie are unable to provide a public update because they are still awaiting crucial test results from the Pima County Sheriff's Office, according to multiple sources. This delay has prevented the FBI from explaining recent law enforcement actions, including raids conducted last Friday night.
Friday Night Operations Remain Unexplained
Both Fox News and AZFamily have reported that FBI officials are eager to clarify the purpose behind Friday night's operations, which saw a SWAT team from the Pima County Sheriff's Department target a house in Tucson, Arizona. Simultaneously, FBI agents performed a traffic stop on a nearby vehicle. However, their ability to communicate with the public has been hampered by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos' failure to supply them with laboratory results.
Earlier this week, Sheriff Nanos faced criticism for his decision to send DNA samples to a private laboratory in Florida rather than to the FBI's renowned forensics facility in Quantico, Virginia. AZFamily confirmed that the FBI is still waiting for these results, though it remains unclear whether they pertain to evidence collected during Friday's operations or from testing conducted earlier in the week.
Timeline of Results and Public Briefing
The television station indicated that the results the FBI is awaiting should be returned on Saturday. What remains uncertain is how much longer it will take for a public briefing to occur afterward, and whether Nancy Guthrie's daughter Savannah, a star on the Today show, and her two siblings have received information that is currently being withheld from the public.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her $1 million home in the early hours of February 1, and investigators are now on day 14 of the intensive search. Sheriff Nanos told The New York Times on Friday that it could potentially take "years" to locate her, underscoring the complexity of the case.
Details of the Raid and Investigation
The raid on a Tucson house by the Pima County Sheriff Department's SWAT team on Friday night was executed under a federal search warrant. Law enforcement officials stated they were "tracking down leads," according to Sheriff Nanos, who confirmed to NewsNation's Brian Entin on Saturday morning that no arrests were made and there were "no signs of Nancy." He also denied a claim by local NBC affiliate KVOA that someone shot themselves in the head while being detained at the Tucson house.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department later verified that a "federal court-ordered search warrant" had been executed in connection to Guthrie's disappearance, based on a lead received. No arrests resulted from this operation. The search took place at "a residence near E. Orange Grove Rd. and N. First Ave," though further details were not immediately provided due to the FBI's involvement in the joint investigation.
During the operation, a traffic stop led to one person being questioned, with their Range Rover Sport loaded onto a flatbed truck for examination. The sheriff's department confirmed this but noted no arrests were made.
Community Impact and Evidence Collection
David Curl, a 30-year resident of Nancy's neighborhood, provided additional context about the raid. He told The New York Times that a sheriff's deputy arrived with his next-door neighbor, who had been alone when law enforcement served the search warrant. The homeowner was forced to spend the night at Curl's residence after police prohibited her from being inside her house during the investigation.
"She had no idea what they were asking about," Curl said. "She had no information about the disappearance or any idea why they were focusing on their house." The woman later informed Curl that her adult son had been questioned by investigators and released, and was now staying with friends. She declined to speak to the outlet, and her identity was concealed.
Forensic Evidence and Suspect Description
On Friday, the sheriff's department revealed that DNA recovered from Nancy's property did not match her or anyone known to have been in close contact with her. Investigators discovered several gloves between approximately two and 10 miles from Guthrie's home, which were sent to the same private lab in Florida used throughout the investigation.
Sheriff Nanos has faced allegations of withholding evidence from the FBI, which he forcefully denied, calling them "not even close to the truth," according to KVOA. Doorbell camera videos released by the FBI show a masked figure wearing black latex gloves, a backpack, and what appears to be a holstered gun. Nanos stated he had "no way" of knowing if the gloves found were the same as those worn by the individual in the footage.
The FBI has described the suspect as a man with "an average build" and roughly 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10, wearing a black, 25-liter 'Ozark Trail Hiker Pack' backpack in the released clips.
