The Pima County Sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has rejected speculation that her disappearance was connected to a burglary attempt gone wrong.
Chris Nanos, who has served as Pima County Sheriff since 2015, addressed the theory in recent comments to the Daily Mail, emphasizing his belief that Guthrie was kidnapped.
“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,” Nanos stated.
The investigation has now stretched beyond two weeks since Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31.
Despite receiving more than 40,000 tips from the public, authorities have not made any arrests in the case.
From the beginning of their investigation, law enforcement officials suspected Guthrie was taken against her will. Nanos continues to maintain this position while acknowledging uncertainty about the perpetrator’s motive.
“That’s what makes me say this is a kidnapping. The motivation for it is where we get stuck, right?” he said.
“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?”
The sheriff previously told Fox News that the burglary theory being circulated did not originate from his department. A significant development emerged when investigators discovered a glove containing DNA evidence approximately two miles from Guthrie’s million-dollar residence in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that the glove with the DNA profile appears to match gloves worn by a suspect captured on surveillance footage. Authorities have collected around 16 gloves from areas surrounding Guthrie’s home during the past two weeks.
Darrin Porcher, a former NYPD lieutenant, characterized the DNA discovery as a potential turning point in the investigation.
“It’s truly a breakthrough in the case,” he told Fox News Digital. “The DNA will go into the CODIS database, and I’m hopeful a match will occur.”
Porcher noted that private sector resources could potentially generate an image of a person based on the recovered DNA.
Surveillance video released last week shows a masked individual wearing black gloves interfering with Guthrie’s security camera. The person in the footage had a handgun visible in his waistband.
Former FBI agent Mark Harrigan described this to the New York Post as a “very non-conventional way” to carry a weapon. “He has it in the open, which is unusual, because normally you would want it concealed when you’re going to do a crime, so you’re not calling attention to yourself with an exposed firearm,” he added.
Despite the suspect’s apparent lack of sophistication, Nanos cautioned against underestimating him. “You never underestimate anybody,” he said. “It’s easy to go… ‘he’s kind of a goofball.’ He may be a lot smarter than people are giving him credit for.”
The FBI identified the backpack worn by the suspect as a 25-liter Ozark Trail hiker backpack.
Nanos has faced criticism regarding the handling of the investigation. According to the Post, he previously referred to himself as a “Monday morning quarterback” when discussing mistakes made during the initial phase of the probe.
One controversial decision involved releasing Guthrie’s home back to the family before investigators completed their evidence collection. Nanos acknowledged he would have delayed this decision if given another opportunity.
