Nancy Guthrie Update: Investigators reportedly already have suspect’s name as shocking new details emerge in the mysterious disappearance case that continues haunting Savannah Guthrie’s family.
Retired Pima County detective Robbie Mayer believes investigators already have the suspect’s name in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today cohost Savannah Guthrie.
Mayer theorizes that more than one person, possibly part of a theft group.
He is confident the case will eventually be solved.
Today co-host Savannah Guthrie‘s mother, Nancy Guthrie, is still missing after being abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home — and a retired Pima County sheriff’s deputy thinks investigators already have suspects’ names.
In a May 20 article published by News 4 Tucson, Robbie Mayer, a former detective with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department who solved Tucson’s infamous “Prime Time Rapist” case in 1986, shared his theories on Nancy’s case.
A man named Brian Larriva (the Prime Time Rapist) was presumed responsible for breaking into Tucson homes to burglarize them and Sєxually ᴀssault female residents from 1983 to 1986. However, he took his own life when police surrounded his house. Much like Larriva’s case, investigators have tens of thousands of leads in Nancy’s case.
“We ended up with more than 4,000 leads,” Mayer recalled of the Prime Time Rapist. “One of the detectives had Larriva’s name as a lead, but he hadn’t gotten to it yet because he had so many leads in front of that.”
He continued, of Nancy’s case, “I believe the suspect’s names are in those 50,000. The question is if they can recognize it when they see it. Being in a case like this is like being in a field with rocks and what you’re looking for is under one rock. You just have to keep turning.”
Additionally, the former sheriff’s deputy shared his hunch about what happened to Savannah’s mother. He speculated that more than one person was involved as part of a theft group that was active in Phoenix two years ago and targeted elderly people with money.
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Mayer also acknowledged that a lot is still unknown. “This case is so unique. Most of the time we try and find patterns. We can’t in this case,” he pointed out. “These guys came prepared not to leave hair or DNA. Look at how that guy was clothed. They turned off their cell phones.”
Still, he said he believes the mystery of what became of Nancy will be revealed in time, telling News 4 Tucson, “This is a very high-caliber investigation, and I think the FBI is gonna crack the case.”
In the meantime, detectives are working on processing DNA evidence and still seeking information from area residents, with more than $1 million in reward money available.
Nancy was last seen at her Tucson home on the evening of January 31. As of writing, investigators have not named a suspect.
