Nancy Guthrie Update: Former FBI Agent Shares ‘Great News’
More than a month into the investigation into the apparent kidnapping of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, there have not been many promising updates as the FBI reportedly fears the case is quickly becoming a cold case. However, one former FBI agent has outlined some positive news as the investigation progresses.
While positive and substantial updates have been few and far between since Guthrie went missing on Feb. 1, retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer recently explained why the presence of federal prosecutors at Guthrie's home is "great news."
Nancy Guthrie Case Going "Cold"
The FBI released a series of photos and videos from a door camera earlier last month that showed an armed, masked person at the door of Guthrie’s home on the day that she disappeared and presumably a previous day, as well.
These images have been the most significant evidence released to the public. However, TMZ reported this week that the evidence has not produced any significant leads in the investigation, leading to concern that the search is becoming “a cold case.”
Amid these concerns, Savannah Guthrie shared an emotional message on social media where she conceded that there’s a real chance her mother is already gone.
“We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves. And is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad. And with her beloved brother Pierce. And with our daddy. If this is what it is to be, then we will accept it,” Savannah Guthrie said.
Additionally, the Pima County Sheriff's Department announced on Friday that it is returning many officers who had been pulled in from other units to their original posts, scaling back the search for the missing woman. Now, only detectives directly assigned to Guthrie’s case will be involved in the search unless new information or a new lead results in another staffing surge.
Former FBI Agent Shares 'Great News'
As the investigation continues, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona wrote in a recent Facebook post that federal prosecutors accompanied FBI special agents to the 84-year-old's home “to continue to support the investigation" into her disappearance.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI Special Agent and former SWAT Team member who now contributes to NewsNation, explained that this is actually a positive development.
"It's great news, that means they are engaged in this case and that they're looking for federal charges in the future," Coffindaffer told Newsweek.
Coffindaffer thinks that the presence of federal prosecutors is a significant development, as it could indicate that federal authorities are asserting a statute that states if a person who is kidnapped isn't released in 24 hours, then it is presumed they crossed state lines.
This would mean that the case would become a federal investigation with the FBI overseeing the case. Up to this point, the Pima County Sheriff's Department has been handling the investigation. Coffindaffer thinks this is a positive development.
"I think there is a certain amount of incongruency with what has gone on between the sheriff's office, perhaps, and federal authorities. I think we're seeing that, and perhaps in some ways, the lack of trust generally in the progress of the case because we are now almost at a month," Coffindaffer told Newsweek. "It might be time for a change in command and, quite frankly, it might have already happened. When you see the U.S. Attorney's Office out there, that's a pretty darn good indication."
As for the presence of the federal prosecutors, Coffindaffer said there is "no way" they would make a routine visit to a possible crime scene, so their presence was telling.
"It tells me they are engaged in this case, that the FBI agents are coordinating with them with their investigative findings," Coffindaffer said.