Investigators were seen removing a manhole cover from a septic tank behind Nancy Guthrie‘s Arizona home more than one week after she went missing.
Drone footage featured on Fox News on Sunday, February 8, revealed authorities standing in the back yard of Nancy’s residence around 11 a.m. and using a pole to probe inside the tank. It is unclear what they were looking for or why they decided to conduct the search at this time.
As Us Weekly previously reported, Nancy, 84 — the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie — was last seen on January 31 following a visit with her other daughter, Annie Guthrie. After they finished having dinner together, Annie’s husband, Tomasso Cioni, allegedly drove Nancy to her own home in Catalina Foothills where he dropped her off at approximately 9:48 p.m. She was reported missing the next day after she didn’t show up for church.
On February 2, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos exclusively told Us “something unusual occurred” at her home that night and that they believed she had been “taken” by someone after she fell asleep.
“I get briefed on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times, of different search-and-rescue operations. And rarely do we ever, ever call out homicide,” Nanos said at the time. “But this one came across with some information that was concerning to me, that I just thought, ‘We need to do this from two angles.’ I need to do the search-and-rescue team [and] do their mission. But I need to bring in my homicide team because there’s something that’s not right here. And I need them to start their criminal side of the investigation, and we’ll get together.”
Since her disappearance, both local and federal law enforcement have embarked on a desperate search for the 84-year-old with few clues as to who could have taken her or why. While an alleged ransom letter was sent to several media outlets demanding $6 million in bitcoin be paid for Nancy’s safe return by Monday, February 9, it has not yet been confirmed if the note is legitimate.
On Saturday night, February 7, Nancy’s three children — Camron, Savannah and Annie — posted a tearful Instagram video expressing their willingness to work with the alleged kidnapper or kidnappers to get their mother home.
“We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” Savannah said in the video while holding both of her siblings’ hands. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
However, as of the time of this publication, there have been no major breaks in the case.
“Follow-up continues at multiple locations. No suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles have been identified,” an X post from the Pima County Sheriff’s Office read. “No scheduled press briefings. If any significant developments occur in the case, a press conference will be called.”
