Crime reporter Jonathan Lee Riches, known as JLR Investigates, was outside Nancy Guthrie’s home on 16 February, live-streaming when he noticed a car being towed from the property, which had been heavily monitored by law enforcement in the days prior, according to a report by USA Today.
Addressing the more than 45,000 viewers of his stream, Riches said that after a week, it was time to wrap up and leave. No other journalists outside the home joined him.
Authorities probing the kidnapping of US TV anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother said Monday that her family members have been “cleared as possible suspects,” as the search for the 84-year-old enters its third week.
Nancy Guthrie went missing from her Arizona home on February 1. Last week, federal investigators raised the reward for information leading to her recovery or the arrest of her abductors to $100,000.
The FBI has released photos and video showing a masked individual near Guthrie’s home on the night of the kidnapping, but has yet to identify a suspect.
Ashleigh Banfield, host of the podcast 'Drop Dead Serious', has suggested an unverified theory that a relative of Nancy Guthrie might be involved in her disappearance. Riches also mentioned the names of extended family members as potentially connected. On February 16, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos addressed the online speculation, issuing a statement confirming that the Guthrie family, including spouses, had been “cleared” of any involvement in the alleged abduction, as reported by USA Today.
Online speculation has continued to grow as the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week. Investigators still have no leads on her whereabouts, the identity of her abductors, or the motive behind the disappearance.
Nancy Guthrie's niece
Social media posts are now alleging that Kayla Noel Day—purportedly Nancy Guthrie’s niece and the daughter of her sister, Penny—was arrested during a February 13 SWAT raid at a home near Guthrie’s residence in Tucson, Arizona. Some posts further claim that Kayla Day is married to Luke Delay, a name previously associated with the raid but later debunked.
Note: Mint could not independently verify these claims.
However, no arrests were made during the February 13 SWAT raid at the home of Nancy Guthrie’s neighbour. To date, neither the Pima County Sheriff's Office nor the FBI have announced any arrests in the case.
No proof of life has surfaced
At least two alleged ransom notes have emerged since Nancy Guthrie went missing, both initially sent to news media outlets. So far, there has been no known direct contact between her family or authorities and any suspects, Reuters reported.
DNA tests confirmed that traces of blood found on her front porch belonged to Guthrie, officials said last week. Law enforcement and family members have described her as being in fragile health, reliant on daily medication, and having a pacemaker.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, co-anchor of the popular NBC News morning show "Today," has posted several video messages, along with her brother Camron Guthrie and sister Annie Guthrie, pleading for their mother's return and appealing for the public's help in solving the case.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has told Reuters that no proof of life has surfaced since the abduction, but added that "there's not been any proof of death either," saying his working presumption is that Nancy Guthrie remains alive.
In an interview with the New York Post on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Guthrie's kidnappers immediately release her unharmed, suggesting he would want the U.S. Justice Department to seek the death penalty if Guthrie is found dead, Reuters reported.
(With inputs from agencies)
