As the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, surpasses the three-week mark, former FBI agent, Jonny Grusing, believes that investigators should explore a new possible angle in the case of her disappearance.
Grusing worked in the FBI’s Denver Division for 25 years, investigating violent crimes, missing persons, serial killers and more. He is also the author of “The Devil I Knew: Unmasking a Serial Killer,” about the true crime case of Scott Kimball. Grusing is only operating off information that has been made public in the case, and he’s positing a new theory in case it might jog the memory of a member of the public who could help solve the case, according to Fox News.
“It’s hard to be an expert in human behavior because it’s so unique to that person,” Grusing said. “You know, I’m just trying to use the experiences of different cases and trying to apply any sort of logic to this in the hopes that someone from the public who has thought it might be someone they know whether it’s his family or whether now it’s a coworker or friend or associate or whatever, to put that one puzzle piece together that says, ‘Yes, and now I think it could be him.'”
Grusing Analyzes Suspect’s Behavior in Doorbell Footage
Getty“The first thing he does is with his glove, and with his glove, it doesn’t look like he’s trying to take [the camera] off,” Grusing said. “It looks like he’s trying to cover it with his right hand. And then he looks down, he looks around, and he gets the branches, and he puts the branches up in front of it.”
“Is there a chance, since we don’t have audio, that he is either knocking on the door loudly or that he has pressed the ring doorbell, [that] he’s trying to get Nancy to answer the door, and he’s shielding himself from being seen as a masked person, so she will, in her confusion, open the door?” Grusing asked rhetorically.
If that’s the case, Grusing said, the suspect likely wasn’t there to rob the home. Since Guthrie lives in a sprawling residential area, the former FBI agent also believes it is unlikely that the suspect was a robber who accidentally showed up at the wrong address. Rather, he said, the suspect might have been there because he had a personal grievance against Guthrie, and might have lured her out of the home onto her porch.
Grusing said that the possibility makes even more sense when considering that blood was found spattered on Guthrie’s front porch and down the driveway, and authorities have not released any information about whether there was blood found inside the home.
Grusing Believes the Suspect’s Gun May Have Been a Prop
GettyThe suspect also wore a gun in what is believed to be a cheap Walmart holster, and wore it on the front of his body, which Grusing described as not “tactically sound.” He also believes that the gunman would have had trouble firing that gun with the gloves he was wearing, and that the gun may have just been a prop used to instill fear in Guthrie.
“So, if the gun’s a prop, if he’s shielding himself from being seen, if he’s actually ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door, getting her to come, he wants to confront her about something in my opinion,” Grusing said.
He has always believed that in whatever interaction Guthrie had with the suspect, something went wrong, causing him to remove her from the house. Perhaps, he said, Guthrie identified him, causing a panic. He also says the kidnap-for-ransom theory doesn’t add up, given that alleged kidnappers never reached out to the Guthrie family directly.
Day 22: Latest Updates in Guthrie’s Disappearance
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that there’s a snag with mixed DNA that was sent to a lab in Florida. He also said there are no names his team is currently looking into, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said detectives and agents are back in the Guthrie neighborhood canvassing as part of the investigation.
“Detectives and agents have collected multiple gloves from the area, and analysis is part of the investigation. Specific details about these pieces of evidence will not be shared publicly, as this remains an active investigation.
There may be fluctuations day to day based on investigative leads. Several hundred law enforcement personnel remain dedicated to this case. This will remain an active investigation until Nancy Guthrie is found or all leads are exhausted.”
All crime scene evidence and search warrant scenes have been submitted for analysis. “As with any biological evidence, there can be challenges separating DNA, etc.”
Separately, NBC News reports that on the morning of Feb. 21, sheriff deputies “placed new street barricades outside Guthrie’s home” in order to help “regulate the flow of traffic around the news crews” as well as “true crime fans.”
Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31, when she was dropped off at home shortly before 10 p.m., according to a timeline provided by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
Her doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1. Her pacemaker disconnected from her phone less than an hour later. Her family reported missing later that day.
Nanos has said investigators believe she was taken in the middle of the night. Authorities have not identified a possible motive, nor have they identified any possible suspects.
Thank you for the “report” and the continued efforts to find Nancy Guthrie.
Praying for everyone involved in this ongoing investigation.
Did Nancy have Son?