Authorities probing the mysterious disappearance of Nancie Guthrie shielded their actions with a sheet as they extracted items from a Range Rover following the arrest of a man during a routine traffic stop.
In a separate incident, a SWAT team apprehended three individuals just 1.9 miles from the 84-year-old’s residence in Tucson, Arizona, last night, acting on an anonymous tip-off.
Nancie Guthrie, mother of television personality Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her $1 million estate nearly a fortnight ago. Investigators suspect she was abducted.
Currently, it remains ambiguous if those detained are connected to her disappearance.
Meanwhile, newly surfaced footage from a restaurant parking area—where one arrest occurred—depicts law enforcement retrieving items from a gray Range Rover.
In the images, at least two officers are seen holding up a sheet while other officials meticulously remove objects from the vehicle.
They are believed to have been collecting evidence but it is not known exactly what was recovered.
Separate photographs show police inspecting the boot of the Range Rover, before loading the vehicle onto the back of a pick-up truck.
Police remove items from a Range Rover in a restaurant parking lot where a man was detained
At least two officers can be seen holding up a sheet, while other members of law enforcement take objects out of the car
Separate photographs show police loading the Range Rover onto the back of a pick-up truck
The other two individuals who were arrested last night were pulled from a house in Marana. They appeared to be a mother and son, TMZ reported.
Pima County Sheriff Chamonis Valdez told the Daily Mail that the raids were in connection with the Guthrie case.
The home in question was the only location police were focusing on as of last night.
Roughly two dozen officers, including FBI officials, were seen standing near blocked–off streets in the pouring rain.
One Pima County Sheriff’s Office plane was also spotted flying over the Tucson neighborhood.
The SWAT team was reportedly activated around the same time that the aircraft was launched.
Law enforcement activity increased at the property on Friday night as more vehicles arrived, including units believed to be federal agents.
Marked sheriff’s cars were followed by a federal evidence truck, according to CNN. SWAT were seen leaving the scene earlier, while forensic teams remain in the area.
Pima County Sheriff Chamonis Valdez told the Daily Mail that the raids were in connection with the Guthrie case
Nancy Guthrie is the mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie
Officers swarmed the grey Range Rover in the restaurant parking lot
Some earlier reports suggested the home belonged to a former county attorney. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department clarified that these claims were ‘not accurate.’
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the operation was part of investigators ‘actively working a lead,’ AZ Family reported.
The Pima County Police Department released a statement late on Friday.
‘Law enforcement activity is underway at a residence near E Orange Grove Rd & N First Ave related to the Guthrie case,’ it read.
‘Because this is a joint investigation, at the request of the FBI, no additional information is currently available.’
A source told Fox News that a judge issued a warrant to enter the home.
The development comes days after the FBI asked for the public’s assistance in identifying a masked figure seen near Guthrie’s home before she disappeared.
Doorbell camera images of the individual showed the masked man wearing a black jacket, a backpack and gloves.
Residents within a two-mile radius of Guthrie were asked to check their doorbell and security camera footage dating back to the beginning of January.
An individual was spotted outside of Guthrie’s Arizona home before she went missing on February 1
Nancy Guthrie has been missing from her home since February 1
Swarms of police officers surrounded the property in the pouring rain
Armored SWAT vehicles were seen leaving the scene during the SWAT operation
Guthrie was last seen entering her home in Tucson on the evening of January 31 after having dinner with her daughter, Annie, son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, and her grandchildren.
The next morning, she was reported missing when she failed to attend a virtual church service with friends, Nanos said.
On Friday, investigators discovered that DNA found on Nancy’s property during the investigation did not belong to her family or anyone ‘close’ to her.
‘DNA other than Nancy Guthrie’s and those in close contact to her have been collected from the property,’ the sheriff’s department said, adding that investigators are working to identify who it belongs to and are not disclosing where it was found.
Investigators also found several gloves, ranging from roughly two to 10 miles away from Nancy’s home.
Officials described the suspect as a 5-foot-9-inch or 5-foot-10-inch male with an average build.
The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information in Guthrie’s case.
The Daily Mail contacted the Pima County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
