Sheriff Calls Ashleigh Banfield ’Reckless’ For Nancy Guthrie Claims

Savannah Guthrie and her household proceed to seek for her lacking mom, Nancy Guthrie, and as authorities examine the incident, a sheriff within the case is looking out false reporting.

Journalist Ashleigh Banfield discovered herself within the crosshairs of the Pima County Sheriff’s Division for falsely alleging that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law is the prime suspect in her disappearance.

Throughout a February 5 press briefing, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos referred to as out podcast host Ashleigh Banfield for incorrectly claiming that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, is the prime suspect in her January 31 disappearance.

“We don’t have anyone right here listed as a suspect,” Nanos stated, per The Hollywood Reporter. “No one’s eradicated, however we simply actually don’t have sufficient to say, ‘That is our suspect, that is our man, we all know — or our gal.’”

“We don’t know that,” he continued. “And it’s actually type of reckless to report that somebody is a suspect after they might very properly be a sufferer.”

Sheriff Nanos additionally pleaded with the media transferring ahead to be “cautious” with the data they put out relating to the case as a result of it might be a hindrance.

“To the media, I plead with you to watch out of what it’s we put on the market, as a result of we don’t have anyone right here listed as a suspect, and you would truly be performing some injury to the case — however you are able to do some injury to that particular person too. Social media is type of an unsightly world typically,” he stated.

In a press release despatched to The Hollywood Reporter, the producer of Banfield’s podcast advised the outlet that Banfield “stands by her reporting” and “her ironclad supply.”

“They’ve towed Annie Guthrie’s automotive. And there’s some connection to Annie Guthrie’s automotive and Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law — that might be Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, age 50 from Tucson, Arizona, married to Annie P. Guthrie, Savannah’s sister,” Banfield stated. “And my regulation enforcement supply tells me that Tommaso Cioni is the prime suspect on this case.”

“Once more, regulation enforcement supply tells me that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, married to Annie Guthrie, Savannah’s sister, is — could also be, could also be a major suspect on this case. On the very least, let me tamp that down, as a result of typically it’s the primary particular person you’re , not ‘prime’ as in there’s nobody else, OK? So, let’s be actually conscious of that. Households are at all times checked out first as properly.”

Whereas talking on the February 5 press briefing, Sheriff Nanos additionally shared the replace that there are nonetheless “no suspects” in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

“Presently, we now have not recognized a suspect or an individual of curiosity on this case,” Nanos, per Variety. “We’re working our greatest to do this. To be clear: we now have no person of curiosity or any suspects that you’d contemplate a major suspect.”

“I’ve no clue the place that comes from,” Nanos stated. “We’ve been very constant — we’re not discussing that in any respect, whether or not it’s pressured entry or not pressured entry.”

Following earlier experiences that blood was discovered on the scene of Nancy’s dwelling and was being examined to find out who it belonged to, authorities recognized a optimistic match.

Based on PEOPLE, the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Division confirmed that the blood discovered on the outside porch of Nancy’s dwelling positively matches her DNA.