The sheriff has confirmed that Nancy Guthrie’s family is not a suspect in her kidnapping.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said her family, including “all the siblings and spouses”, have been cooperative and compassionate as authorities investigate the kidnapping.
Mr Nanos said, “To suggest otherwise is not only wrong but cruel. The Guthrie family is enduring immense suffering.
This news comes as the case involving the mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie enters its third week.
On Sunday, investigators said they had obtained a DNA sample from a glove found near Arizona 84-year-old Nancy’s home, which appears to match a pair worn by a masked stalker seen in doorbell camera footage before her abduction.
Nancy’s family last saw her on January 31, when they dropped her off at her home near Tucson after dinner.
Officials said relatives reported him missing the next day.
Mr Nanos said Nancy, who has a pacemaker, had extremely limited physical mobility and could not leave her home without assistance, leading investigators to believe she was taken against her will.
Since his disappearance, at least two alleged ransom notes have surfaced.
Both were initially handed over to media outlets, but there was no direct contact between Ms Guthrie’s alleged captors and her family or authorities.
Read more:
FBI releases details about the suspect. Nancy Guthrie
America remains silent as the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week.
Blood stains on her front porch were later confirmed by DNA tests on Ms Guthrie, authorities said last week.
Law enforcement and family members have described him as in poor health, requiring daily medication to survive.
TV host Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy. Image: NBC/TODAY/ Reuters
Savannah, 54, co-anchors the popular NBC show and has shared several video messages with her brother, Cameron Guthrie, and sister, Annie Guthrie.
Together, both are pleading for the return of their mother and appealing to the public to provide information.
Mr Nanos said there had been no evidence of survival since the abduction but added that “there is also no evidence of death”.
He said his working assumption is that he is alive.
