Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI special agent, said on Friday the presence of federal prosecutors at Nancy Guthrie’s home is “great news” as the investigation continues.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona wrote in a Facebook post that federal prosecutors accompanied FBI special agents to the 84-year-old’s home “to continue to support the investigation” into her disappearance.
“It’s great news, that means they are engaged in this case and that they’re looking for federal charges in the future,” Coffindaffer told Newsweek.
The Context
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for nearly four weeks. Her disappearance prompted a multiagency search involving local law enforcement and the FBI. Nancy was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Alleged ransom notes were sent to multiple news outlets after her disappearance.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference earlier this month there were clues at the crime scene indicating Nancy “did not leave on her own.” The sheriff has also said Guthrie needs daily medication, and it could be fatal if she does not take it every 24 hours.
Nanos said in comments to the BBC that he believes Guthrie was a victim of a targeted kidnapping.
The home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, is seen from above on February 5, in Tucson, Arizona. | AP Photo/Caitlin O’Hara
What To Know
In an X post on Thursday, Coffindaffer wrote the presence of federal prosecutors is significant because it could mean federal authorities are asserting a statute that states if a person who is kidnapped isn’t released in 24 hours, then it is presumed they crossed state lines.
The statute reads, “The failure to release the victim within twenty-four hours after he shall have been unlawfully seized, confined, inveigled, decoyed, kidnapped, abducted, or carried away shall create a rebuttable presumption that such person has been transported to interstate or foreign commerce. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the fact that the presumption under this section has not yet taken effect does not preclude a Federal investigation of a possible violation of this section before the 24-hour period has ended.”
Coffindaffer wrote the statute is the “clear federal nexus,” adding, “takeover FBI. It looks like your prosecution team is behind you!”
Coffindaffer told Newsweek why federal officials may have turned to this statute at this point in the investigation.
“I think there is a certain amount of incongruency with what has gone on between the sheriff’s office, perhaps, and federal authorities. I think we’re seeing that, and perhaps in some ways, the lack of trust generally in the progress of the case because we are now almost at a month,” Coffindaffer said. “It might be time for a change in command and, quite frankly, it might have already happened. When you see the U.S. Attorney’s Office out there, that’s a pretty darn good indication.”
She added there’s “no way” federal prosecutors would make a routine visit to a possible crime scene.
“It tells me they are engaged in this case, that the FBI agents are coordinating with them with their investigative findings,” Coffindaffer said.
She also explained that if there is a change in command, she does not think the sheriff’s department would be shut out from the case.
“The FBI does not like to shut out any of their state or local partners, and they’re certainly not going to want to do that here. Overall, the bureau wants to work side by side with other law enforcement partners. In Pima County, those officers have the best insight regarding their territory,” Coffindaffer said.
Pima County Attorney’s Office said on Facebook on Wednesday that its veteran prosecutors are also working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in addition to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, on the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance.
The attorney’s office said County Attorney Laura Conover “trusts her veteran prosecutors to execute the work and lead on the ground.”
What People Are Saying
Timothy Courchaine, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, in a statement: “The United States Attorney’s Office, together with the FBI and every other law enforcement agency involved in finding Nancy, will go anywhere, do anything, and perservere always to find her.”
Savannah Guthrie said in part in an Instagram video earlier this week: “We also know that she may be lost, she may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad, and with her beloved brother Pierce, and with our daddy. And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it. But we need to know where she is, we need her to come home.”
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
“To help keep the tip line available for actionable investigative law enforcement leads, please submit only serious and detailed fact-based information, no well-wishes or case theories. The tip line is not for personal messages to the Guthrie family,” FBI Phoenix said.
A reward of $102,500 is being offered by 88-CRIME for the arrest of the person or persons involved in the disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie announced on Instagram the family is also offering a reward of up to $1 million, payable only for her mother’s recovery.
