Nancy Guthrie Investigators Insist 'No Suspect or Person of Interest Has Been Identified' — As the Hunt for NBC Host Savannah's 'Abducted' Mother Continues
The search for Savannah Guthrie's missing mother, Nancy, has not led to an arrest yet.
Feb. 4 2026, Published 11:58 a.m. ET
Officials in Tucson, Ariz., are trying to downplay speculation Savannah Guthrie's brother-in-law is a "prime suspect" in the apparent kidnapping of her mother, RadarOnline.com can report.
Sheriff's deputies are adamant their investigation is ongoing and any arrest is unlikely to be imminent.
The Last People to See Nancy Before Her Kidnapping
Nancy has been missing since Saturday night.
Amid reports certain local media outlets have received ransom notes for the safe return of Nancy Guthrie, former NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield claimed sources told her Tommaso Cioni, husband of Savannah's sister, Annie, is under investigation.
In addition, Annie's car has allegedly been towed away, impounded and is now in evidence.
Cioni was apparently the last person who saw Nancy before she vanished, according to authorities, having dropped her off at her $1million home Saturday night after the 84-year-old had dinner with Annie and Cioni.
He made sure she made it safely inside the house before leaving, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told The New York Times.
Nancy is believed to have been abducted from her home sometime between the drop-off at 9:45 p.m. and very early Sunday morning.
There is No Suspect Yet
Blood stains could be seen outside Nancy's door from when she was taken.
However, detectives in the disappearance were quick to downplay the report, issuing a statement Wednesday morning that read: "At this point, investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest in this case.
"Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie."
The statement continues: "Detectives are working closely with the Guthrie family. While we appreciate the public's concern, the sharing of unverified accusations or false information is irresponsible and does not assist the investigation."
The note ended by reiterating: "No person or suspect of interest has been identified at this time."
Ransom Note Demands
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos quickly dismissed speculation Cioni is a suspect.
As Radar earlier reported, multiple media outlets, including CBS Tucson affiliate KOLD and TMZ, received cryptic ransom demands on Tuesday, three days after Nancy's apparent kidnapping.
TMZ reported that the note, which authorities had not verified, demanded a "specific substantial amount of Bitcoin." The outlet would only reveal the amount is in the millions and that it was requested to be sent to a specific Bitcoin address.
According to the outlet, at the "bottom" of the email, there were "certain things they were saying about what she was wearing and damage to the house" that the sender likely included to prove they weren't an imposter.
Pima County officials posted on X: "We are aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie. We are taking all tips and leads very seriously. Anything that comes in goes directly to our detectives, who are coordinating with the FBI."
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Frustratingly Few Leads
Nanos said his department does not know where Nancy may be right now.
Earlier that day, Nanos danced around questions about a possible ransom demand, simply saying, "We're following all leads. That's all I can tell you."
The sheriff had frustratingly little more information to add about the search, confessing his department is stumped.
"We don’t know where she is," he flatly told reporters. "Like any investigation, we start at the point where we last saw her, and we work out. We are working as far as we can go."
While Nanos previously inferred that they didn't believe Nancy was targeted because of Savannah's money and fame, he never did rule it out.
"Nothing that we see is leading us that way, but we'll never dismiss anything. We’ll continue to look at everything, and we'll just keep moving forward with it," he shared.
