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By Joshua Rhett Miller
Senior Reporter
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The Arizona sheriff searching for Nancy Guthrie appears to be feeling the heat to solve the high-profile case, a former FBI agent said Thursday.
Jennifer Doebler, a former FBI intelligence analyst, criticized Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for his claim Tuesday that investigators were "definitely getting closer" to identifying a suspect in the ongoing investigation, which is now in its second month.
"Unfortunately, a statement like this is unhelpful," Doebler told Newsweek. "Releasing any information that could cause the public to stop supporting the hunt (or stop looking for) for the perpetrators is not the right move."
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Doebler, who specialized in intelligence collection and analysis during her 13-year FBI career, said she hopes Nanos' statement was based on "actual case developments" rather than the sheriff subconsciously trying to relieve mounting public pressure to make an arrest.
Doebler said the "nebulous update" released by Nanos was atypical for law enforcement officials.
"To say, 'we are definitely getting closer' with no ask of the public appears out of the ordinary in my opinion," Doebler said.
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A tip from the public could spark a breakthrough in the investigation, especially if those involved in Guthrie's disappearance take some new action or "make some sort of mistake," a former FBI agent said.
"It is important to keep in mind that you don't want to do anything to preclude tips from coming in," Doebler said. "Leading people to believe that tips don't matter would be unwise."
The likelihood that Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, is still alive is decreasing, Doebler acknowledged, although the former FBI intelligence analyst won't give up hope that investigators will find her. Nanos has previously said Guthrie, last seen on January 31, could die without her daily medication.
More than a month into the investigation, Doebler said agents are likely focusing on collected evidence, including processing DNA culled from the home and tracing the origins of the backpack and clothing worn by the masked individual caught on surveillance camera outside Guthrie's Tucson home.
"They are likely working with both brick-and-mortar and online retailers that sell the backpack/clothing worn by the man in the video and following up on any and all leads that result," Doebler said. "For example, they could subpoena Amazon for every single purchase of the backpack worn by the man in the video over the past year, and then follow up on all those leads to identify every purchaser. While painstaking, this could be very fruitful."
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Tracking such purchases, however, can prove difficult if gift cards or cash were used during the transaction. FBI agents and investigators for the Pima County Sheriff's Department are also likely questioning confidential sources in the Tucson area, Doebler said.
"These could be individuals completely unrelated to anything involving the Guthrie family, but who are members of the community where she lives," the former FBI agent told Newsweek.
The DNA found inside Guthrie's home, plus the surveillance footage, represent the most significant pieces of evidence in the case to date, Doebler said. She believes the challenges cited by Nanos in processing that genetic material indicated a "struggle" within the residence.
The masked suspect spotted on the doorbell camera outside Guthrie's home had the forethought to disguise his appearance and wear readily available brands that make tracing difficult, Doebler said.
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"This tells me they had some competence," Doebler said. "This is coupled with the fact that they left no other physical or digital evidence behind, that we know of yet. If this person were not experienced, they are beyond lucky."
Nanos, a Texas native who started his law enforcement career in 1976, was unavailable for an interview on Wednesday, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesperson told Newsweek.
Savannah Guthrie, meanwhile, returned to NBC's Today show studios on Thursday to thank her colleagues for their ongoing support as her mother remains missing.
"While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home," reps for the show told Newsweek in a statement.
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