The sheriff leading the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s mysterious disappearance has confirmed that her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, is of interest as a potential suspect.
But Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also said he and his team “don’t want to mark someone who could be completely innocent.”
“If he’s guilty and he did it and we can prove it, then we’ll jump on it, but please stop bringing this up out of nowhere,” Nanos told the Daily Mail on Sunday about Annie Guthrie’s husband.
“I understand there are experts out there. They’ll say, well, he was the last person to see her alive. We understand that,” Nanos continued. “But lo and behold, you’re leaving a mark on someone who could be completely innocent. And more importantly, his family.”
Cioni was the subject of early speculation in Savannah Guthrie’s mother’s disappearance, largely because he was the last known person to see the 84-year-old Guthrie until she was reported missing on February 1.
Nancy reportedly met up with Annie and Cioni for dinner and games on the night of January 31st, and Nancy reportedly dropped them off at their home in Tucson, Arizona, around 9:48 p.m. Saturday night.
Nanos reiterated that “nobody” had been ruled out as a potential suspect, but he was troubled by “troubling matters” being speculated about Sioni.
“People out there can be pretty ugly and mean and mean and ignorant of the facts,” the sheriff said. “I say to journalists, you guys need to be a little more responsible…because it’s really terrible.”
As the search for Nancy enters its third week, no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in connection with this mysterious case.
Savannah, who has stepped down from the Today show “for the time being” amid a desperate search for her mother, issued a new plea to her mother’s alleged kidnappers on Sunday.
“I just want to say to anyone who owns her or knows where she is, it’s never too late,” the 54-year-old “Today” anchor said in an Instagram video. “And you’re never lost or alone. It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
“And here we are, and we believe,” she continued, two weeks after her mother was first reported missing. “And we believe in the inherent goodness of all human beings. And it’s never too late.”
Sunday also saw a major development in the ongoing case when an FBI spokesperson confirmed that gloves found during the search for Nancy matched the gloves worn by the suspect in surveillance footage recovered and released last week.
However, investigators are still waiting for final test results before uploading the DNA profile to a national database to identify the individual, Fox News reported.
FBI Phoenix also determined the suspect was a man of average build, approximately 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10, and the agency doubled the reward for information leading to Nancy’s return from $50,000 to $100,000.
Most recently, investigators searching for Nancy said they believe the clothing and face mask the suspect was wearing were purchased at Walmart, according to CBS News.
Walmart reportedly provided authorities with all purchase records for the backpack worn by the suspect in the surveillance footage and pulled purchase data from within and outside the Tucson area over the past several months.
