Pima County Sheriff says Nancy Guthrie's family cleared as suspects in kidnapping case

( Post Millennial )

Authorities on Monday revealed that the family members of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie who was reported missing at the beginning of February, have been cleared as possible suspects in the kidnapping case.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos wrote in a statement, "To be clear…the Guthrie family - to include all siblings and spouses - has been cleared as possible suspects in this case. The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case."

"To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple... please, I’m begging you the media to honor your profession and report with some sense of compassion and professionalism." 

Earlier on Monday, Nanos said that claims Guthrie’s disappearance was related to a burglary gone wrong were false. "This is somebody who disappeared from the face of the Earth, and now we have a camera that says here’s the person who did this," he said. Regarding the reporting about it being a burglary, Nanos pointed to the unclear motivation and said that nothing of significant value was taken from the home. "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?”

Guthrie was reported missing on February 1 after last being seen the night before. The FBI has released images and video recovered from a doorbell camera at Guthrie's house, depicting a suspect attempting to tamper with the camera. The FBI has described the suspect as being male, approximately 5’9” to 5’10” tall, with an average build. He is seen wearing a black, 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack. A $100,000 reward is being offered by the agency for information in the case. 

A black glove was recovered near Guthrie’s residence over the weekend that appeared to match those worn by the suspect in the doorbell camera footage. The FBI is testing the glove for DNA.