(Adnkronos) – The stalemate continues in the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie from Tucson, Arizona. Among the main pieces of evidence is the doorbell camera video from the home, which shows a man approximately 1.75-1.78 meters tall, wearing a mask and gloves, approaching the door in an apparent attempt to enter. The suspect was carrying an Ozark Trail backpack sold exclusively by Walmart and was wearing clothes likely purchased from the same chain. A glove compatible with those seen in the footage was found about three kilometers from the house and contained unknown male DNA: the profile will be entered into the national database to search for matches. Genetic traces not belonging to either the woman or her family members were also found inside the home.
Only later did investigators clarify that there are no suspects within the immediate family. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed this, stating that “the Guthrie family is simply a victim.” The woman, mother of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie, was reportedly abducted on the night of January 31st to February 1st. The FBI has also ruled out the hypothesis of a botched robbery and continues to collect tips – now tens of thousands – offering a $100,000 reward for useful information.
Investigators are also analyzing electronic data: the woman’s pacemaker disconnected from her phone at 2:28 AM on the night of her disappearance, and police are still trying to intercept any signals with radio equipment mounted on helicopters. A presumed bitcoin ransom demand was also received, deemed credible but not confirmed by authorities, while a man in California was indicted for a separate fraudulent message. Various searches conducted in recent weeks have not led to arrests, and the case remains open.
The case continues to strongly attract the attention of the American public. The gossip and news website TMZ, founded by Harvey Levin, has received at least four letters from a person claiming to know the identity or location of those responsible. The messages – disconnected from each other – speak of a possible transfer to Mexico, the involvement of multiple individuals, and requests for payment in exchange for information, as well as the fear of not being able to collect the FBI reward without risking arrest. Levin described some parts as “potentially credible” but remained skeptical about the author of the letters – whose veracity has not been confirmed by authorities – while still stating his readiness to act as an “intermediary” between the alleged kidnappers and the FBI.
