The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has surpassed the three-week mark, and a retired FBI agent suggested that the case is cooling down. Steve Moore said during an interview with NewsNation’s Brian Entin on “Brian Entin Investigates” that he believed the case was not cold but had “cooled off quite a bit.”
Guthrie was last seen at her home just outside Tucson, Arizona around 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 31 after she was dropped at her home following dinner with her family. A friend alerted her family on Feb. 1 when she did not show up at the friendâs house for a planned visit to watch a livestream of a church service.
Why Moore Believes This Could Be a ‘Positive’
GettyMoore added during his interview that it was his understanding, although he said he could not confirm the information, that agents on the case were “being told that they may be going back to their divisions at least until more information comes up.” Newsweek has contacted the FBI for comment in an email sent outside regular working hours, but the outlet has not reported a response at this time.
Moore also told Entin that there were positives and negatives to the case cooling down. “One of the good things is less visibility, and all of a sudden the case agent becomes able to work the case the way they wanted to work it.
“When you get a case like this, when the president of the United States has commented on it, when the director of the FBI is commenting on it, the problem is that there are 20 or 30 people in a very small kitchen.”
Moore added that he could guarantee that “pure investigative action has been compromised by political concerns” in the case.
He continued, “When the case starts to draw down a little bit, all of a sudden you find you have a lot more freedom to explore things the way you want.”
Sheriff’s Department Addresses Differences in Suspect’s Clothing
GettyOn Feb. 10, authorities released doorbell video footage showing a masked man outside Nancy Guthrie’s front door on the night she disappeared. The FBI later released a description of the person, whom they called a suspect.
On Feb. 23, ABC News reported that the masked man who is suspected of the abduction of Nancy Guthrie appears to have been at her front door earlier than Feb. 1, the night police believe she was kidnapped, sources familiar with the investigation told the outlet. The image the FBI released of the suspect at her front door, without a backpack, was captured by her Nest doorbell camera on a day before the suspected abduction, the sources said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement also on Feb. 23 that it was aware of differences in the masked person’s clothing depicted in various images that were released.
“We are aware that doorbell images released earlier in the investigation depict a suspect in different stages of attire, including with and without a backpack. There is no date or time stamp associated with these images. Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.
“This remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation. As with any investigation, conclusions will be guided by verifiable evidence and established facts. Speculation, without factual support, does not advance the investigative process.”
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