An act of revenge has not been ruled out as a possible motive for Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
In an interview published on Monday, Feb. 16, Nanos said detectives are still working to determine the intentions of the suspects involved. The 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1 after she was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona, home the day before.
Nanos explained why he believes Nancy was kidnapped rather than the victim of a burglary that went wrong.
“This is somebody who’s disappeared from the face of the earth, and now we have a camera that says here’s the person who did this,” he said, referring to a masked intruder captured on a camera at her home.
He continued, “And that’s what makes me say this is a kidnapping. The motivation for it is where we get stuck, right? Is it for money? I mean, we had the one demand where they asked for money. But is it really for money, or is it for revenge for something?”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(719x0:721x2):format(webp)/savannahguthrie_1589122034_2306045223691463807_14728892-9d53b127b047474e926a610dd6b250ca.jpg)
The sheriff, who has 50 years of experience in law enforcement, said authorities have received up to 50,000 tips related to Nancy’s disappearance.
He also previously said it could take a long time to find her.
“Maybe it’s an hour from now,” Nanos said, according to The New York Times. “Maybe it’s weeks or months or years from now. But we won’t quit. We’re going to find Nancy. We’re going to find this guy.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(767x376:769x378):format(webp)/search-for-nancy-guthrie-tucson-021626-c9d412c9de044d78a12834fde565f054.jpg)
His comments about a potential motive come after an FBI spokesperson said a recovered glove “appears to match” the gloves worn by the “armed individual” seen in reviewed surveillance footage.
“The one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video,” the spokesperson said in a statement issued Sunday, Feb. 15.
Savannah, 54, later made an emotional plea in an Instagram video addressed to whoever may have information about her mother.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/nancy-guthrie-nest-camera2-21026-e865a8c0468b4c3796e3a931680d1343.jpg)
“I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it’s never too late. And you’re not lost or alone,” she said. “And it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here. And we believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being.”
“It’s never too late,” Savannah concluded.
A $100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to Nancy’s recovery or an arrest in the case.
