Nancy Guthrie has been missing for 52 days. The 84-year-old was reported missing by her family, including TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, on February 1 from her home near Tucson, Arizona, after failing to attend a virtual church service at a friend’s house.
Almost two months later, Savannah and her siblings, as well as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are still searching for Nancy. There has been some insinuation that the department made early errors, leading to Nancy still being missing.
But in a recent interview, Sheriff Chris Nanos told News 4 Tucson: “Look, I have no regrets about my team and their efforts. I don’t regret [that] we let the crime scene go too soon or any of that.”
This case is confusing, even for the most experienced. To dive further into the details of this spellbinding case, HELLO! spoke to former Lieutenant and Commanding Officer of the Nassau County Police Department Michael Gould.
“Preserving a crime scene is fundamental investigative protocol,” Michael told HELLO!. “It is one of the most critical elements in any serious case, whether it’s a suspected kidnapping or a homicide. A scene should be preserved until investigators are confident that all viable evidence has been identified, documented, and collected.”
© InstagramHe continued: “In this case, there was no operational urgency to release the scene. The victim lived alone, the location was not a high-traffic environment, and there was no immediate need to return the property to normal use. Under those circumstances, maintaining control of the scene for an extended period would have been both reasonable and necessary.”
But, Michael – who has decades of law enforcement experience, specializing in canine scent detection and human remains detection – pushed back on Sheriff Nanos’ statement of having “no regrets.”
“Having ‘no regrets’ in the face of legitimate concerns does not reflect confidence; it reflects a troubling lack of self-awareness,” Michael told HELLO!. “The questions surrounding this case deserve clear, direct answers.”
© NBCIs Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping a cold case?
Michael shared with HELLO! that he believes the “case is not technically ‘cold,'” but it also “does not present as a traditional kidnapping.” Instead, Michael believes the investigators should reassess “all evidence through a homicide lens.”
He shared frankly: “My belief remains unchanged. Nancy likely lost her life early in this incident, and she will ultimately be located within a relatively short distance of her home.”
© InstagramMichael expanded on his devastating homicide theory, noting that the investigators should narrow “the geographic focus based on behavioral and forensic indicators.”
The private investigator continued, telling HELLO!: “The idea of kidnapping an 84-year-old woman for financial gain is extraordinarily rare. To me, this suggests: A targeted event, a likely personal or emotional motive, rather than financial, [and] perpetrator who may have had some level of familiarity with the victim or environment.”
While Michael seems certain in his analysis of this case, the search for Nancy continues.
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