Arizona authorities investigating Nancy Guthrie's disappearance now have surveillance video from a Circle K convenience store that may show a "vehicle of interest" connected to the puzzling case, according to a report. The vehicle was supposedly in or around the Tucson convenience store, according to NBC News.
A Circle K spokesperson said officers came to the company's Oracle Road store on Friday after receiving a tip about a possible vehicle of interest, according to the report. "Our team has provided them access to the store's surveillance video," the spokesperson added. The Circle K store is about seven miles away from Nancy's home in the Catalina Foothills, roughly a 15-minute drive.
Suggestion from Neighbor
Officials have not explained how, or even if, the vehicle is definitively linked to any aspect of the case. This came as it was revealed that a neighbor played a key role in the investigation, sharing information that led police to search the roof of Nancy's home on Friday, days after she went missing.
The neighbor reportedly contacted authorities after watching aerial footage of the 84-year-old's house on television and suggested they take a closer look at the roof.
"You see in that image, you see how white her roof is," Laura Gargano told CNN. "The previous three weeks we had a lot of rain, so it would be normal for a roof to a be little dirty after it rains."
The neighbor told police to look into whether the elderly woman had recently had her roof recoated, suggesting it could provide clues that might help identify those involved.
Investigators then seized a vehicle and removed a camera from the roof of her home, hours after her alleged kidnappers sent yet another so-called ransom letter. Investigators also towed away a dark-colored SUV from the garage, as authorities returned to the property for the third time since Nancy was reported missing on Sunday.
Authorities have not revealed what prompted the latest search, but it came just hours after a second message was sent to Tucson news station KOLD, allegedly from the people claiming to be holding the 84-year-old for ransom.
KOLD had earlier reported receiving a so-called ransom letter on Tuesday, as did TMZ. Officials say they are treating the messages as serious leads, though their authenticity has not yet been confirmed.
According to KOLD, the most recent letter did not include ransom demands or proof that Nancy is alive. The earlier messages, however, demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin in exchange for her release and set a final deadline of Monday.
Still Alive
Despite the growing intensity of the investigation on Friday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he believes Nancy is still alive. Nanos said both his investigators and the FBI remain hopeful that Nancy is still being held alive, adding that interviews with staff at her home have provided valuable information and helped move the investigation forward.
"What I believe is that Nancy was removed from her home against her will, and that we need to find her. That's what I believe. She's still alive," Nanos said Friday.
"I believe that I have no choice until something shows me, a piece of physical evidence shows me that that's different."
The sheriff said deputies have spoken with everyone who had recent contact with Nancy, including her landscaping crew, pool maintenance workers, a housekeeper, and an Uber driver who took her to her daughter Annie's home just hours before she disappeared.
"I think they have pretty much completed that," Nanos said. "We've talked. They've all been very cooperative. They provided certain information that was helpful to us."
Although Nanos struck an optimistic tone, he has also acknowledged that investigators are racing against the clock. The 84-year-old has ongoing health issues and is believed to be without her daily medications, adding urgency to the search.
After reports of the alleged ransom notes surfaced, Savannah Guthrie appeared in a video alongside her siblings Annie and Camron, appealing directly to whoever may have taken their mother and urging them to make contact.
Questions about the authenticity of the ransom letters grew following the arrest of California man Derrick Callella on Thursday. Authorities say Callella sent fake ransom texts to Nancy's daughter Annie and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, in what investigators described as a hoax.
Callella admitted he sent the messages to exploit the chaos surrounding Nancy's disappearance and possible ransom demands, telling investigators he was "just trying to see if the family would respond."
Officials believe his texts were separate from the messages sent this week to TMZ and Tucson station KOLD, one of which reportedly demanded millions in Bitcoin and set a 5 p.m. deadline on Thursday. TMZ also reported that a second, more serious deadline was set for Monday.
