Feb. 16 (UPI) — Nancy Guthrie’s family has been cleared in her disappearance 16 days ago, and the case is still being treated as a kidnapping, despite reports to the contrary, law enforcement officials said on Monday.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that Nancy Guthrie’s close family members were ruled out in the first few days after her disappearance and have been “100 percent cooperative.”
“Not one single person in the family is a suspect,” Nanos told WLBT-13 News. “Effective today, you guys need to knock it off. Quit. People are hurting — they are victims.”
The sheriff added that law enforcement took their phones and computers, and processed their vehicles and homes.
“I am saying they are clear. We have cleared them,” he said.
In addition to pushing back on reports that any of the Guthries might be suspects, the Pima County Sheriff’s office said in statements to NBC News and The New York Times that while the department has not ruled out the possibility, it is not treating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance as a burglary gone awry.
“Any reports indicating otherwise are inaccurate,” the department said, with Nanos telling Fox News that “we believe it’s a kidnapping.”
President Donald Trump on Monday told the New York Post that if Nancy Guthrie is not returned alive that her kidnappers would face “very, very severe” consequences, which he clarified during the interview to mean the death penalty.
Savannah Guthrie, Nancy’s daughter and host of NBC’s Today show, said in a video posted to Instagram on Sunday that she and her family “still have hope” that their mother is alive, pleading to the kidnappers that “it’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen the night of Jan. 31 and was reported missing the next day.