Sheriff Pushes Back on Ashleigh Banfield Report That Savannah Guthrie’s Brother-in-Law Suspected in Mom’s Disappearance

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office is pushing back on a report from former NewsNation anchor Ashleigh Banfield that Savannah Guthrie’s brother-in-law is “the prime suspect” in the disappearance of her mom, Nancy Guthrie.

“At this point, investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest in this case,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Wednesday. “Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie.”

The sheriff’s office statement came hours after Banfield said on her Drop Dead Serious podcast that Tommaso Cioni — Savannah Guthrie’s brother-in-law, who’s married to her sister, Annie — is the “prime suspect” in the case, citing a “trusted” law enforcement source.

“There is some connection to Annie Guthrie’s car and Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law,” Banfield said. “That would be Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, age 50, from Tucson, Arizona, married to Annie P. Guthrie, Savannah’s sister. And my law enforcement source tells me that Tommaso Cioni is the prime suspect in this case.”

Banfield then tried to walk back her own statement in real-time, saying, “At the very least, let me tamp that down, because sometimes it’s the first person you’re looking at, not prime as in there’s no one else, OK? So, let’s be really mindful of that. Families are always looked at first as well. It doesn’t mean right away.”

Annie Guthrie is believed to be the last person to see Nancy Guthrie before her disappearance, having had dinner with her mom and dropping her off just before 10 p.m. on Saturday night. It’s unclear whether Tommaso Cioni was there as well.

Read Banfield’s remarks on the case below:

My law enforcement source told me that police have now towed and impounded the vehicle belonging to Nancy Guthrie’s daughter, Annie Guthrie. This is important because you’ve heard that the last point of contact with Nancy Guthrie was when she was dropped off by her daughter at 9:45ish at night on Saturday night. So Annie Guthrie and possibly her husband as well, Tommaso Cioni, were the last people to see her at 9:45 at night Saturday night. Sunday morning 11:00 a.m. church members reached out to the family. Hey, your mom wasn’t in church. Not normal. She’s always there. What’s up? Family member goes over, calls family member or members, goes to the house, calls 911, and the investigation begins. But they have towed Annie Guthrie’s car. And there is some connection to Annie Guthrie’s car and Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law. That would be Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, age 50, from Tucson, Arizona, married to Annie P. Guthrie, Savannah’s sister. And my law enforcement source tells me that Tommaso Cioni is the prime suspect in this case. Again, a law enforcement source tells me that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, married to Annie Guthrie, Savannah’s sister, is maybe, maybe a prime suspect in this case. At the very least, let me tamp that down, because sometimes it’s the first person you’re looking at, not prime as in there’s no one else, OK? So, let’s be really mindful of that. Families are always looked at first as well. It doesn’t mean right away. Listen, Ed Smart was targeted for weeks as without question somebody they needed to look at, possible suspect, right? Heartbreaking for Ed and Lois Smart because it wasn’t them who took Elizabeth, right? But that’s what happens when anything happens like this, familial abductions, the family’s looked at first and Annie and Tommaso Cioni were the last people to see um Nancy Guthrie at 9:45 at night the night before she disappeared. Abducted, kidnapped. Kidnapped was the word that the sheriff used with me. But it’s very distressing to think that they that this law enforcement source is telling me that Tommaso Cioni may be a prime suspect in this case at this point and that the car belonging to Annie has been towed and impounded and is in evidence. That’s the word that was used with me. This law enforcement source also said to me, “Who has the motive to kidnap an 84-year-old woman?” The way it was described to me is that’s a burden, right? It’s a burden to kidnap an 84-year-old woman with mobility issues needing medication. That is a burden. And then this law enforcement source said, “So you look at people who would have a benefit to an 84-year-old woman going away, disappearing, or dying. Sometimes it’s somebody who has an insurance benefit from that. Sometimes it’s somebody who may benefit because there’s a debt. Um, and that may be helpful. These are just musings. They are not evidence. OK? But they are musings from people I trust implicitly due to their longevity in the business of investigating this exact kind of thing.

Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has personally appealed to the public for information in the case, has described Nancy Guthrie as “sharp as a tack,” but has noted she has mobility issues and needs her daily medication.

It was reported on Tuesday that investigators found blood in her home, as well as signs of forced entry.

Despite that reporting, Nanos told NBC News correspondent Liz Kreutz that he believes Nancy Guthrie is still alive.

“She’s present. She’s alive, and we want to save her,” he said in the interview that dropped on Wednesday morning.

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