Nancy Guthrie Sheriff Accused of Hiding Motive from ‘Day 1′ as Sources Claim Savannah’s Family Is Suspicious of Him—’They Want Answers’
One of the most bewildering things about the Nancy Guthrie investigation is that, one and a half months in, we still don’t really know much about what happened to Savannah Guthrie’s mom. We know she was kidnapped sometime between the night of January 31 and the morning of February 1. Police have released surveillance photos and videos. DNA has been recovered. But a suspect has not been identified, and police have not pinpointed a motive.
At least, not in public. Journalist Ashleigh Banfield, who has been in hot water for being the person to suggest that Savannah Guthrie’s brother-in-law, Tomasso Cioni, was involved with the kidnapping, is now calling out Sheriff Chris Nanos, implying he knew the motive from Day 1.
Related: Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?
On her Drop Dead Serious podcast, Banfield spoke about the Sheriff’s comments about motive. Nanos recently told NBC Nightly News correspondent Liz Kreutz, “We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted,” adding, “But we’re not 100 percent sure of that, so it’d be silly to tell people, ‘Yeah, don’t worry about it. You’re not his target.’”
He also said, “Don’t think for a moment because it happened to the Guthrie family, you’re safe. Keep your wits about you.” He also claimed, “I think from day one we had some strong beliefs about what happened, and those beliefs haven’t diminished.”
Banfield didn’t hesitate to call out Nanos. “So, why didn’t you say that on day one? And day two? Why didn’t you tell [the public] that there was no worry or concern?”
She continued, “Why did my source tell me what your focus was on day one? You towed the brother-in-law’s car, then you searched their house, and you called off the search for Nancy Guthrie. You turned over the scene, and you told the public there was nothing to worry about. What changed, Sheriff Nanos?”
Rob Shuter had reported over a month ago that the Guthrie family had their reservations about Sheriff Nanos. “He seems more focused on the cameras than the case,” one source told Shuter. “It feels like he’s putting on a show—almost like he’s trying to impress Savannah.”
Part of it has to do with how public Nanos has been, giving interviews and updating the media about the case. “That kind of self-promotion during an active investigation is not going over well,” a source said.
“The family is losing faith in him,” a source close to the family added then. “They want answers, not performances.”
But Banfield’s criticisms must also be taken with a grain of salt, considering reports that the family is thinking about suing her for suggesting Tomasso Cioni was a suspect, and Savannah Guthrie herself was “livid” at the accusation. “I have not been able to confirm that the Guthrie family wants to sue Ashleigh Banfield, but I have confirmed that Savannah is livid about that report and definitely does not suspect her or her brother-in-law,” Megyn Kelly said during an episode of SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show” last week.
A lot of talk. Very few answers so far. Meanwhile, the reward for information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is up to $1 million.
