Ashley Banfield, former News Nation reporter, Savannah Guthrie’s brother-in-law Tommaso Cioni, was a suspect in Nancy’s kidnapping.
Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing Sunday and authorities believe she was abducted. As the Pima County Sheriff’s Office continues their investigation, an independent reporter reported that Tommaso Cioni, Savannah’s brother-in-law, was a suspect in the case.
Nancy Guthrie is believed to have been kidnapped but authorities say there are no suspects, Annie Guthrie, after a journalist’s complaint against Tommaso Cioni. (X/@JLRINVESTIGATES, X/@AbbyLynn0715)The claims come from Ashleigh Banfield, who was previously with News Nation. Banfield also alleged that Sioni’s wife and Savannah’s sister, Annie, had authorities impound her car because they believed it had some ‘connection’ to Sioni.
However, the sheriff’s office was quick to dismiss these allegations.
Also Read | Tommaso Cioni update: Why police spoke to Savannah Guthrie’s brother-in-law in Nancy Guthrie’s case; ‘may have contact'”At this time, investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest in this case. Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Ms. Guthrie. Detectives are working closely with the Guthrie family. While we appreciate the public’s concern, it is irresponsible to share unverified allegations or false information.” And they did not assist any suspect in the interest of investigation at this time. On social media.
Additionally, they told TMZ that they could not confirm the truth about Annie’s car impoundment allegations, noting that they were not aware of where the reporter got their information.
While the sheriff’s office largely denied Banfield’s claims in its statement, NewsNation colleague Katie Pavlich railed against law enforcement.
In X, he wrote, “FYI, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department is notoriously corrupt and incompetent. For decades.”
While it’s unclear whether Pavlich was directly advocating Banfield’s claim, his post came after the latter’s theory was dismissed by authorities. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office saw a reported misuse of RICO funds between 2016 and 2017, which contributed to the 2016 election loss of Sheriff Nanos.
Pavlich doubled down on the attack on the Nancy Guthrie investigationPavlich doubled down on his attacks as the investigation into Guthrie’s kidnapping continued. Co-worker Brian Antin shared a video of police returning to Guthrie’s home and putting up crime scene tape. They also conduct a grid search of nearby areas.
It comes a day after police handed over the house to the family.
Authorities have now removed the crime scene tape, according to reports. Notably, Annie and Nancy Guthrie had dinner on Saturday, and the former’s home is close to where Guthrie was allegedly abducted. It is not clear if Cione also attended the dinner.
As the search for Guthrie enters its fourth day, investigators say time is of the essence for the 84-year-old as he remains in poor health without his daily medication. Access to a call sent to PEOPLE shows that Guthrie has high blood pressure, cardiac problems and uses a pacemaker. His medication and his phone and Apple Watch were all found in his home. Guthrie’s pacemaker reportedly stopped syncing with the Apple device around 2 a.m. the night of her disappearance.
Subhrajit has covered entertainment, US and India news in his time as a digital journalist, working on trending and long-form immersive content. When off work, he’s usually scrolling through Doom, watching something or debating online.Read more
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