The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, is now in the six-week mark. Former NYPD sergeant Joseph Giacalone believes that the case may have been handled differently if homicide investigators had been brought in from the start. The case began as an involuntary disappearance, but Giacalone claims that signs at the scene warranted immediate homicide-level attention, including blood at the front door and other indications of a struggle.
Guthrie was reported missing on Sunday, February 1, after not showing up for church, and the sheriff said it appeared she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Upon receiving a 911 call, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded to Guthrie’s home, which they eventually deemed a crime scene, but there has been some criticism that the home wasn’t secured from the beginning.
Giacalone Explains Why This Could Have Helped the Case
Getty“Cases that start off with an involuntary disappearance often end up as homicides,” Giacalone told Parade in an exclusive interview from March 11. “At the Sheriff’s own admission, there was a sign of a struggle, you have the blood at the front door and what is inside the home we have no idea. Injecting homicide investigators at the onset of cases like this can have a positive effect on the outcome if the case.”
“They are your best trained and most experienced investigators,” Giacalone said.
Homicide investigators would have managed the crime scene and collected forensic evidence, if they had been called in from the beginning. Giacalone explained that the first hour after a person is reported missing is crucial. He believes that homicide investigators, who were brought in weeks later, would have been key in the early days of the investigation.
“Would it have made a difference? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I believe it would have helped. This just isn’t an isolated thing, but a nationwide issue. Bring your best in at the beginning and let them do their thing,” Giacalone said.
Timeline of Guthrie’s Disappearance
GettyIn a press conference on Feb. 5, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters that doorbell camera video had helped authorities piece together a timeline of events for Guthrie’s kidnapping.
- Jan. 31 at 5:32 p.m. Guthrie traveled to her family’s house for a game night.
- Jan. 31 at 9:48 p.m. Her family dropped her back at home, and the garage door opened.
- Jan. 31 at 9:50 p.m. The garage door closed.
- Feb. 1 at 1:47 a.m. Doorbell camera in front of Guthrie’s home disconnected.
- Feb. 1 at 2:12 a.m. Software for the smart home detected a person on the camera.
- Feb. 1 at 2:28 a.m. Guthrie’s pacemaker app shows it was disconnected from her phone.
- Feb. 1 at 11:56 a.m. The family checks on her.
- Feb. 1 at 12:03 p.m. Family calls 911 to report her missing.
- Feb. 1 at 12:15 p.m. Patrol cars arrive.
