Sheriff leading Nancy Guthrie search ‘understands’ interest in son-in-law Tommaso Cioni — but warns of jumping to conclusions
The sheriff leading the search for Nancy Guthrie “understands” why people think her son-in-law should be eyed as a suspect, but insisted he didn’t want to put “a mark on somebody who could be completely innocent.”
Tommaso Cioni, the husband of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s sister, Annie, faced early speculation over Nancy’s disappearance, due in part to being the last person known to have seen her before she vanished on Feb. 1.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that while “nobody” has been ruled out, people should avoid spreading “nasty stuff” without evidence.
Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, has been the subject of speculation regarding her disappearance, but so far no evidence suggests his involvement.Annie Guthrie / Facebook
“If he [Tommaso Cioni] is guilty, if he’s the one who did it, and we’re able to prove that, then at that time jump on it, but don’t come out of nowhere with this,” Sheriff Nanos told the Daily Mail on Sunday.
“I understand the pundits are out there. They’re gonna say, well, he’s the last one to see her alive. We understand that stuff. But, my goodness, you’re putting a mark on somebody who could be completely innocent. And more important than that, he’s family,” he added.
“People out there can get pretty ugly and mean and nasty and not have the facts. I tell my journalists, you guys need to be a little more responsible… because that’s just really nasty stuff,” the sheriff said.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos warned armchair experts not to jump to conclusions regarding Cioni as the hunt for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week.REUTERS
No suspects or persons of interest have been identified in Nancy’s disappearance, as the hunt for the 84-year-old in Tucson, Arizona, enters its third week.
Sheriff Nanos said that he had been in contact “a little bit” with Annie and Tommaso, but had been mainly dealing with Savannah.
Officials earlier identified Tommaso as the relative who dropped Nancy home after she spent the evening with him and his wife, Nancy’s daughter Annie, at their home for dinner and a game of mahjong.
Nancy Guthrie was first reported missing from her Arizona home on Feb 1.Instagram/savannahguthrie
She arrived home at around 9:30 p.m. following the 10-minute drive between the two houses.
However, Nanos later changed the wording of reports to say that “family drove her home,” which he admitted was made to try to deflect from the rumors about Nancy’s son-in-law.
“We know who it is but… when we saw everybody was attacking everybody and saying it’s this we just thought, you know what? We’ll say it was family,” the sheriff said, adding that Nancy’s entire family has been “nothing but cooperative” since the start of the investigation.
Savannah Guthrie with her mom, Nancy, in an undated photo.Instagram/savannahguthrie
“Everything we’ve asked for, they’ve given us. They’re in such a state of grief. But… I think they’re a little weary too, of what’s been going on and being said about them,” he said.
On Sunday evening, Savannah addressed her mother’s kidnapper in another social media video.
“It is never too late to do the right thing,” she said, looking stricken with grief.
Savannah Guthrie took a leave of absence from the “Today” show after her mom, Nancy (left), went missing.Facebook/Savanah Guthrie
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The FBI is awaiting results of DNA analysis from a glove recovered roughly two miles from Nancy’s home, which is believed to match that seen on a suspect in doorbell camera footage.
A reward for information leading to Nancy’s discovery or an arrest and conviction for her captors has been doubled to $100,000.
