No one was arrested after law enforcement agencies swarmed a Catalina Foothills neighborhood about two miles from Nancy Guthrie's home Friday night in the ongoing search for the missing 84-year-old woman.
A Pima County Sheriff's Department vehicle passes a line of reporters Friday night as it enters a Catalina Foothills neighborhood about two miles from the home of Nancy Guthrie, who was reported missing from her Tucson home Feb. 1.
A SWAT team and vehicles from the Pima County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and Oro Valley, Marana and Sahuarita police departments converged on the area near East Orange Grove Road and North First Avenue just before 9 p.m. Friday. A county forensics vehicle was also part of a parade of law enforcement vehicles that passed through the roadblock. The scene was cleared overnight.
Deputies and FBI agents also tagged and towed a Range Rover SUV from the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant on North Stone Avenue at East River Road.Β
The Pima County Sheriffβs Department confirmed the rush of activity Friday night was part of the Guthrie investigation. Investigators, acting on a lead, executed a federal court-ordered search warrant at a residence but made no arrests, according to a statement the department released just before noon Saturday. Officials had said they would issue a statement Friday night, but the Sheriff's Department said the FBI requested that no details be released.Β
Asked about the Range Rover, Sheriff Chris Nanos told KOLD Saturday that a traffic stop was made on a person of interest, who was cooperative and later released.
A neighbor of the home searched Friday night told the New York Times that an older woman who lives there with her son told him Saturday afternoon that her son had been questioned and released.
Nanos told KOLD that investigators found no sign of Guthrie in Friday night's investigations.Β
It was the second time in four days that a significant operation in the investigation ended without an arrest. On Tuesday, the departmentΒ detained a Rio Rico manΒ for hours in connection with the case. However, he was later released and said in interviews afterward that he had no idea how he had been linked to the disappearance.
Early in the case, alleged ransom notes were sent to some news outlets, but two deadlines for paying passed. One ransom demand was deemed a hoax, and a California manΒ appeared in a Tucson courtroomΒ this week to face federal charges.
Nancy Guthrie
Sheriff's officials have said Guthrie, the mother of NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.Β
On Thursday, the FBI released a description of a suspect from forensic analysis of video images from a camera on Guthrie's front porch. The agency said he is a man who is 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 tall with an average build. In the video, he is armed, masked and wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
Roads were blocked in a neighborhood in Tucson's Catalina Foothills Friday night while investigators searched a home in connection with the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother ofΒ βTodayβ show host Savannah Guthrie.
On Friday, sheriff's officials said gloves were foundΒ about two miles from Guthrie's home; the suspect was wearing gloves. It's not clear if the gloves were found near Friday night's law enforcement action.Β
Both the FBI and Sheriff's Department have been tight-lipped about Friday's action. The Sheriff's Department initially said it planned to issue a written statement Friday night, but just before midnight, it posted on X that "there will be no formal statement tonight." AΒ Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said that decision came "at the request of the FBI," which is investigating the case with the local agency.
Roads in a Catalina Foothills neighborhood were blocked Friday night as investigators swarmed the area of North First Avenue and West Orange Grove Road as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
Nanos also reported Friday that some DNA found at the scene did not match Guthrie or anyone close to her. He told the New York Times that investigators had obtained DNA swabs from Guthrie's family and workers who had been at her home. Nanos had confirmed on Feb. 5 that DNA testing on blood drops found near the front door belonged to Guthrie.Β
The case has drawn international attention with reporters from across the globe staking out Guthrie's neighborhood for days. Reporters from China and Australia were said to be among journalists reporting live from Friday night's scene.Β
A growing display of yellow roses and yellow ribbons has been erected near the Tucson home of Nancy Guthrie.
The FBI has said it collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1. The Sheriff's Department has said it received at least 18,000 tips during the same period.
