Savannah Guthrie's Family 'Exploring Taking Legal Action' Against TV Host Ashleigh Banfield for Claiming Missing Nancy's Son-in-Law is a 'Prime Suspect' in Case
Ashleigh Banfield claimed Savannah Guthrie's brother-in-law was a suspect in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
Feb. 6 2026, Published 11:46 a.m. ET
Savannah Guthrie's family is considering "exploring taking legal action" against TV host Ashleigh Banfield, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The reason they are thinking about that is due to Banfield making claims that Nancy Guthrie's son-in-law is a "prime suspect" in her disappearance case.
What Did Ashleigh Banfield Allege About Savannah Guthrie's Brother-In-Law?
Ashleigh Banfield's accusations about Savannah Guthrie's brother-in-law 'dragged innocent people into a nightmare,' a source shared.
Banfield alleged on Drop Dead Serious that investigators had taken a car belonging to Savannah's sister, Annie, and that it had a connection to a man named Tommaso Cioni.
She went on to state Cioni, who is married to Annie, was being treated as a suspect in Nancy's abduction. She did note, however, that these were "musings and not evidence."
According to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack, sources said this caused Savannah's family to start exploring legal action against Banfield.
"You can't float accusations like that and hide behind disclaimers," an insider shared. "This dragged innocent people into a nightmare."
A Statement From the Pima County Sheriff's Department 'Changed Everything,' a Source Claimed
The Pima County Sheriff's Department claimed no suspects have been identified in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
In a statement on February 4, the Pima County Sheriff's Department denied the claims Banfield made, insisting a suspect or person of interest had not been identified.
They also slammed the spread of "unverified accusations" and called them "irresponsible."
"That statement changed everything," another source claimed. "Once police publicly pushed back, the family felt real harm had been done."
While no lawsuits have been filed yet, consultations with litigators are said to be underway.
Ashleigh Banfield Stands By Her Claims
Ashleigh Banfield said she stands by her reporting 'as does' her source.
On Thursday, Banfield spoke with Status to insist she stands by her claims about Savannah's brother-in-law being a prime suspect.
"I stand by my reporting... as does my source, with whom I've conferred several times over the last 72 hours," she shared. "Nothing has changed."
She did reiterate the verbiage that she only said he "may" be the "prime suspect," implying she didn't say anything definitively.
Other reporters are said to be perturbed by what Banfield's putting out, with one telling Status: "We all understand that 'influencers' engage in wild speculation and rage bait to chase clicks. But at a certain point building audiences on the back of a missing 84-year-old woman who is the mom of a former colleague is not only disgusting, it’s literally hurting the family and the investigation."
What's Going on With Nancy Guthrie?
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Blood was found inside Nancy Guthrie's home.
Nancy has been missing since Sunday and was last seen at her house on Saturday evening. When her kids arrived at her house, they found her cellphone, wallet, and keys, but no trace of their mother.
Her house ended up being deemed a crime scene, and blood was found inside of it.
While there have been alleged ransom notes, nothing has come of them yet, as one was deemed as completely fake and an arrest was made due to it being made up.
As of now, the status of Nancy remains unknown, and the investigation is still ongoing.
