Crime reporter Jonathan Lee Riches, known as JLR Investigates, was outside Nancy Guthrie’s home live-streaming on Feb. 16 when he noticed a car being towed away from the property, which had been under heavy surveillance by law enforcement in the previous days, USA Today reports.
Addressing the more than 45,000 viewers of his stream, Riches said that after a week it was time to pack it in and go. No other journalists outside the home joined him.
Authorities investigating the abduction of the mother of American television host Savannah Guthrie said Monday that her family members had been “cleared as possible suspects” as the search for the 84-year-old man entered its third week.
Read also | Trump threatens the kidnappers with the death penalty if Nancy Guthrie is not found alive
Nancy Guthrie went missing from her home in Arizona on February 1st. Last week, federal investigators increased the reward for information leading to her recovery or the arrest of her captors to $100,000.
The FBI has released photos and video of a masked individual near Guthrie’s home the night of the abduction, but has not yet identified a suspect.
Ashleigh Banfield, host of the ‘Drop Dead Serious’ podcast, has suggested an unproven theory that a relative of Nancy Guthrie may 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 the couple, had been “cleared” of any involvement in the alleged kidnapping, according to USA Today.
Online speculation continues to grow as the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week. Investigators still have no leads on her whereabouts, the identity of her captors or a motive for her disappearance.
Nancy Guthrie’s niece
Social media posts now claim that Kayla Noel Day — reportedly Nancy Guthrie’s niece and her sister Penny’s daughter — was arrested on Feb. 13 in a 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 revealed.
Note: Mint could not independently verify these claims.
However, no arrests were made during a Feb. 13 SWAT raid at neighbor Nancy Guthrie’s home. To date, neither the Pima County Sheriff’s Office nor the FBI have announced any arrests in the case.
No evidence of life appeared
Since Nancy Guthrie disappeared, there have been at least two alleged ransom notes, both originally sent to the news media. 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 described her as frail, dependent on daily medication and a pacemaker.
Read also | Investigators clear Nancy Guthrie’s family as suspects
Savannah Guthrie, 54, co-host of the popular NBC News morning show “Today,” along with her brother Cameron Guthrie and sister Annie Guthrie, posted several video messages pleading for their mother’s return and asking the public for help in solving the case.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Reuters there had been no evidence of life since the abduction, but added that “there is no evidence of death either,” saying his working assumption is that Nancy Guthrie remains alive.
Read also | Nancy Guthrie case: 3rd ransom emerges as FBI raises reward to $100,000
In an interview with the New York Post on Sunday, US President Donald Trump demanded that Guthrie’s kidnappers immediately release her unharmed and indicated that he would like the US Justice Department to seek the death penalty if Guthrie is found dead, Reuters reported.
(With input from agencies)