On Tuesday, Ashleigh Banfield reported on her podcast that Nancy Guthrie‘s son-in-law Tommaso Cioni “may be” the “prime suspect” in the alleged kidnapping of Savannah Guthrie‘s 84-year-old mother, citing a “law enforcement source.” Today, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos called the report “reckless.”
“We don’t have anybody here listed as a suspect,” Nanos said at a Thursday press conference. He did acknowledge, however, that “nobody’s eliminated.”
Nanos specified they don’t have a “person of interest” identified either.
“Nobody’s eliminated, but we just really don’t have enough to say, ‘This is our suspect, this is our guy, we know — or our gal.’ We don’t know that,” Nanos said at Thursday’s press conference. “And it’s really kind of reckless to report that someone is a suspect when they could very well be a victim.”
Banfield’s podcast producer tells The Hollywood Reporter via text message that Banfield “stands by her reporting” and “her ironclad source.”
“To the media, I plead with you to be careful of what it is we put out there, because we don’t have anybody here listed as a suspect, and you could actually be doing some damage to the case — but you can do some damage to that individual too,” Nanos continued. “Social media is kind of an ugly world sometimes.”
You don’t have to be an especially good detective to recognize that last piece. You also don’t need to be any sort of a gumshoe to know that Nanos was speaking specifically to what Banfield first put out there via her podcast Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield and has repeated in several subsequent news hits.
“They have towed Annie Guthrie’s car. And there is some connection to Annie Guthrie’s car and Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law — that would be Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, age 50 from Tuscon, Arizona, married to Annie P. Guthrie, Savannah’s sister,” Banfield said on her podcast. “And my law enforcement source tells me that Tommaso Cioni is the prime suspect in this case. Again, law enforcement source tells me that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, married to Annie Guthrie, Savannah’s sister, is — may be, may be a prime suspect in this case. At the very least, let me tamp that down, because sometimes it’s the first person you’re looking at, not ‘prime’ as in there’s no one else, OK? So, let’s be really mindful of that. Families are always looked at first as well.”
Annie Guthrie’s car has been “towed, impounded and is in evidence,” Banfield said, again citing her unnamed source, who she called “very connected” and “highly regarded” with “impeccable credentials” and “knowledge of this investigation.”
On Thursday, Nanos said processing the car was part of the “standard investigative practices.”
There have been conflicting reports, including from law enforcement, as to who was last to see Nancy Guthrie. One version says it was Cioni as he dropped her off at her home in Tuscon, Arizona, on Saturday night. Another version is that it was Annie who dropped Nancy off that evening, or that it was both Cioni and Annie Guthrie. Nancy was reported missing by members of her family after she didn’t show up for church the following morning.
Yesterday evening, Annie Guthrie joined Savannah and their brother Camron Guthrie in a video plea to the suspected kidnapper(s). The siblings said they are “ready to talk,” and asked for proof of life.
On Thursday, the FBI posted a $50,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Nancy Guthrie.
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