The sheriff leading the search for Nancy Guthrie has said he “understands” why some have said her son-in-law should be seen as a suspect, but insisted he didn’t want to put “a mark on somebody who could be completely innocent.”
Tommaso Cioni, the husband of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s sister, Annie, was the subject of early speculation over Nancy’s disappearance, due in part to being the last person known to have seen her before she vanished on Feb. 1.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that while “nobody” has been ruled out, he was troubled by “nasty stuff” being circulated about Cioni.
“If he [Tommaso Cioni] is guilty, if he’s the one who did it, and we’re able to prove that, then at that time jump on it but don’t come out of nowhere with this,” Sheriff Nanos told the Daily Mail on Sunday.
“I understand the pundits are out there. They’re gonna say, well, he’s the last one to see her alive. We understand that stuff. But, my goodness, you’re putting a mark on somebody who could be completely innocent. And more important than that, he’s family,” he added.
“People out there can get pretty ugly and mean and nasty and not have the facts. I tell my journalists, you guys need to be a little more responsible… because that’s just really nasty stuff,” the sheriff said.
No suspects or persons of interest have been identified in Nancy’s disappearance, as the hunt for the 84-year-old in Tucson, Arizona, enters its third week.