Additional Coverage:
- Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper could have ‘flown under the radar’ by using neighboring home (themirror.com)
Vacant Home Eyed as Potential Staging Point in Nancy Guthrie Disappearance
Authorities investigating the puzzling disappearance of Nancy Guthrie are reportedly exploring a new line of inquiry: whether a vacant home near her Arizona residence could have served as a staging point for her abductor. This theory comes from Bob Krygier, a retired SWAT commander with nearly three decades of experience in Pima County law enforcement.
Krygier suggests that a neighboring, unoccupied property could have provided an ideal location for a suspect to observe activity in the area without drawing attention. “A location like [a vacant home], out of the prying eye of the neighborhood, could also be a location to set up surveillance equipment if anyone chose [to do so],” Krygier told Parade.
“It could be easily stashed in a structure or on the property without anyone knowing.” This development follows recent reports of an individual fleeing the neighborhood just days after the kidnapping.
The former commander emphasized the importance of investigators continuing to examine surrounding homes as the case unfolds. “The investigators continue to follow all the leads and tips that they are getting,” Krygier stated.
“Believe it or not, new viable leads pop up all the time. Someone in the area could see or hear something and it shakes loose a memory that they just put away as ‘nothing’ at the time.”
Earlier this month, the FBI returned to the Catalina Foothills neighborhood where Guthrie lived, interviewing residents in their ongoing search for answers, according to NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin. Sergeant Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, affirmed that investigators remain dedicated to the case. “The fact that we’re reducing the amount of manpower working it, I mean, it’s hard to say what kind of sign that signals,” Cross commented.
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on January 31 after having dinner with her daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni. Cioni reportedly dropped her off at her home around 9:48 p.m.
Concern mounted when Guthrie failed to meet a friend the following day for a livestreamed church service. Family members were unable to reach her, and a subsequent search of her home revealed her wallet, cellphone, and car keys had been left behind. The discovery of blood spatters on her porch and driveway prompted investigators to treat the case as a possible abduction.
The FBI later released images from a Nest camera showing an unidentified man wearing a ski mask, gloves, a backpack, and a holster. He is believed to be between 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed in February that Guthrie’s children and their spouses have been cleared as suspects in the case.