“To be clear … the Guthrie family — to include all siblings and spouses — has been cleared as possible suspects,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement per PEOPLEon Feb. 16. “The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case.”
“To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel,” the statement added. “The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple. Please, I’m begging you, the media to honor your profession and report with some sense of compassion and professionalism.”
The authorities never officially identified the family as suspects.
Of course, there has been rampant speculation in the case since the 84-year-old was last seen on Jan. 31, when family members dropped her off at her home.
This followed a warrant allowing authorities to search the home of Savannah’s sister, Annie Guthrie, and her husband, Tommaso Cioni. Officials suspect that a masked, hooded figure seen on Nancy’s doorbell camera abducted her in the early hours of February 1.
Meanwhile, DNA that did not match Nancy or her family members was found at the property, the sheriff’s office stated in a release to PEOPLE on Feb. 13.
“Investigators are working to identify who it belongs to. We are not disclosing where that DNA was located,” the statement read, per the outlet.
A glove was also found roughly two miles away. The FBI says the glove “appears to match” those worn by the intruder seen in the camera footage. Additionally, local and national media outlets have received alleged ransom notes linked to Nancy’s disappearance.
On Feb. 7, Savannah and her siblings posted an emotional video on Instagram, offering to “pay” for Nancy’s safe return. Savannah, co-anchor of NBC News’ Today, has been off the air for two weeks while she and her family are in Arizona.