FBI agents have returned to the neighborhood of Nancy Guthrie as concerns intensify over the possibility that Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother may never be located.
According to NewsNation, agents were seen in the Catalina Hills area of Tucson, Arizona, where they engaged with residents earlier this week.
This renewed effort comes amid reports that Sheriff Chris Nanos has reduced the number of agents on the case due to the lack of new, substantial leads.
Sergeant Aaron Cross, who leads the Pima County Deputies Organization, mentioned to NewsNation, “Everyone hopes for fresh leads, and the department is working diligently to resolve this swiftly.”
He added, “Reducing the manpower devoted to this case is challenging and may be indicative of the current situation.”
Despite missing critical information, Sheriff Nanos expressed optimism, stating they are “definitely closer” to identifying a suspect, as he shared with NBC News earlier this week.
‘I’ve said this from the beginning: I have full faith, full confidence, they’re going to solve this,’ he said.
Investigators has previously released surveillance footage of a masked man at 84-year-old Guthrie’s home prior to her abduction on February 1.
FBI were seen canvassing Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood this week as her case progresses past 30 days
Agents talked to neighbors near her home. It comes as the police force has reported reduced the number of depuities covering the case
Guthrie’s family is offering a $1million reward for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery.
The grandmother went missing five weeks ago and was last seen around 10pm the night before are returning home from her daughter’s home, where she had dinner.
Guthrie’s children, including Today Show host Savannah, have pleaded with her captors to returns their mother home safely.
In the clip announcing the $1 million reward, Savannah said she realizes her mother may no longer be alive but begged Nancy’s captors to help give her family some closure.
Savannah returned to the Today Show studio this week, although she has not yet been back on air.
The TV host was seen in images first revealed by TMZ hugging staff and crew at the studio in Manhattan, New York City, on Thursday morning.
NBC told the Daily Mail in a statement that Savannah plans to return to the air eventually, but her visit on Thursday was ‘to be with and thank her TODAY colleagues.’
The 54-year-old appeared emotional in images from the reunion, and she was seen wiping away a tear as she embraced her co-workers and made a speech to the studio staff.
The studio said Savannah returned to thank her team for their unwavering support through her mother’s heartbreaking disappearance.
Guthrie’s daughter, Savannah Guthrie, was spotted at the Today Show studios this week, although she has not made her official return to the show
‘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,’ the studio said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office, which has been leading the search, has come under scrutiny in the course of the investigation, including allegedly stopping Savannah from offering a reward early in the search.
Nanos has faced allegations that he bungled the investigation, as police insiders told the Daily Mail that he failed to deploy a crucial search-and-rescue aircraft in the initial hours of the manhunt because of staffing issues.
Nanos has also come under criticism for releasing and re-sealing the crime scene several times, and issuing contradictory messages to the public.
As the search runs cold, the FBI announced that the agency would be scaling back its search for Nancy, with agents moving to a new command post more than 100 miles away from Phoenix.
Some agents will also stay behind in Tucson, sources with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News. Agents in Phoenix, meanwhile, will work the case from there.
The move does not indicate investigators are giving up on the search, sources insisted.
