The sheriff leading the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has been slammed over his 'bumbling' and 'aloof' press conference, as time has officially run out on the first ransom deadline.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos took to the podium on Thursday afternoon as the search for Nancy, the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, entered its fifth day in Arizona.
Nanos made a carefully worded statement about Nancy, but later denied that he was suggesting that she is no longer alive.
Opening the press conference, Nanos said: 'We believe Nancy is still out there... We want her home.'
The press conference also revealed that a chilling ransom letter demanding millions of dollars for Nancy's release had a deadline of 5pm local time on Thursday.
Investigators said the ransom did not include proof of life or a way for the Guthrie family to make contact. However, it did set a secondary deadline of Monday for them to meet demands of millions in Bitcoin for her return home.
Nanos often stumbled his words during the presser, at one point stating: 'And, and, we just want her home and get, and right away, to get to the bottom of all of this just as you do.'
He also said the department is no closer to finding a suspect, but also told the public that no one has been ruled out.
'We're not there, we're just not there yet,' Nanos said.
The sheriff dove into some of the evidence that was found at Nancy's home in Tucson, including the blood droplets and the doorbell camera that was removed from the 84-year-old's front porch during the time of her kidnapping.
Nanos noted that the blood was 'rushed through' for DNA processing, but 'the results were minimal.'
Sheriff faces backlash after stumbling press conference
'It, it, it came back to Nancy. That's what we know,' he continued, adding that more items have been submitted for DNA testing but have not come back yet.
His performance left many disgruntled and even more perplexed as people took to social media to share their frustrations.
'I have no idea how you can have any faith in the Pima county sheriff's office after this press conference,' one X user posted.
'The sheriff is a blithering idiot. None of this makes sense. He's clarified nothing what's the point of the press conference?'
Another posted: 'The sheriff of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping is too lackadaisical, aloof. They need to let the detectives lead the press conference.'
Someone else called on the FBI to take over the case entirely.
'The FBI is going to have to solve it because that boob sheriff is never going to,' they wrote.
'He can't even handle a press conference. The one today was a disaster and shows his incompetence.'
'I feel more confused having watched the press conference on Nancy Guthrie than before,' a user shared, adding that the sheriff saying they think the elderly mother is alive does not make sense to them because she is without her needed medication.
When Nancy was first reported missing, it was revealed that she needs to take daily medication, or things could quickly turn deadly.
'The whole thing is just baffling and sad,' the commenter added.
Meanwhile, another user posted a mock job posting, calling on a new sheriff to take Nanos’ place.
'Qualified candidates should possess communication skills with ability to hold a press conference,' the poster wrote.
FBI officials told reporters that the ransom note has not been verified as legitimate, but it is being taken 'very seriously' as an investigative lead.
Nanos also presented a timeline of events that the department has drawn up from the night she vanished.
She traveled to her daughter's home, who lives about 30 minutes away, around 5.30pm in an Uber on Saturday, Nanos said. Her son-in-law then dropped her off at her home around 9.50pm, where she entered through her garage door.
Hours then went by before her doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47am Sunday, but at 2:12am, a person was detected by the camera’s sensors. At 2:28am, Nancy’s pacemaker app - a device tracking her heartbeat - cut off from her phone’s Bluetooth, Nanos said.
FBI arrests impostor over fake ransom note
Nanos said that although no suspects have been identified, the FBI made an arrest early Thursday, saying an impostor was charged for allegedly sending a fake ransom note.
FBI Special Agent Heith Janke insisted that the wide-ranging investigation has not ruled anyone out as suspects, and said that agents are 'analyzing information from all digital sources which includes banks, social media companies, phone companies, and any other organization where a digital footprint could have been captured.'
On Wednesday evening, Savannah and her siblings Annie and Camron released an emotional video statement on Instagram sending direct messages to their mom and her abductor.
'Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God's precious daughter,' the journalist said.
'Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light. She's funny, spunky and clever. She has grandchildren that adore her and crowd around her and cover her with kisses,' Guthrie added.
She then spoke directly to her elderly mother's potential kidnappers, telling them that 'we are ready to talk' but wanted proof that they weren't potentially using fraudulent images of her.
'We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us,' she said through tears.
Nancy Guthrie sheriff asked if Savannah's brother-in-law is a suspect
The sheriff leading the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance was asked directly on Thursday whether her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, is being treated as a suspect.
Cioni, who is married to Savannah Guthrie's sister, Annie, was believed to be the last person to see Nancy, 84, before she vanished at 1.47am on Sunday morning.
Now, sheriffs are less certain that he alone drove her home. When asked if Cioni was among those being considered for her abduction, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos refused to be drawn.
He did, however, stress that the case remains active and that investigators are continuing to pursue multiple leads.
'We're actively looking at everybody we come across in this case. Everybody. It would be irresponsible if we didn't talk to everybody. The Uber driver, the gardener, the pool person, whoever; everybody. It's so cliche but everybody's still a suspect in our eyes. That's just how we look at things and think as cops.'
Cioni is yet to speak publicly about his mother-in-law's sudden disappearance. His wife appeared in an emotional video plea alongside her siblings on Wednesday night.
Sheriff Nanos originally told reporters Cioni was the last person to see the missing woman alive. On Thursday, he walked that assertion back, instead saying she had been dropped off at home by 'family'.