TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — People are still on high alert for any new development in the Nancy Guthrie case but that alert was far more extreme in the days right after she disappeared—-with law enforcement and media rushing to apply maximum resources to anything that seemed like a break in the case.
Clips from KGUN live newscasts show how any hint of a break in the case sent our crews rushing out the door.
Ten days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, word of a Sheriff Swat operation sent KGUN crews rushing to the Sheriff’s Headquarters and to Rio Rico.
From the Sheriff’s building Pat Parris told viewers: “We’ve got the latest including a person detained for questioning and a search right now in Rio Rico.”
Reporter Vanessa Gongora rushed to Rio Rico.
“I am in Rio Rico about 60- miles south of Tucson where Pima County Sheriff deputies pulled over a suspect and detained him for questioning in relation to the Nancy Guthrie case.”
Authorities determined the man had nothing to do with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. They released him.
During this sort of high alert you’re listening hard for anything that could link to the case and trying to determine if it really does.
At the Sheriff’s Department, Pat Parris and reporter Craig Smith were running down reports that a medical evacuation helicopter had picked up a patient in Rio Rico—right about the time deputies were there.
Pat: “Let’s get right to the latest thing and Craig you just learned from Banner UMC some information about —We saw a Lifeflight helicopter make its way from Rio Rico up to the hospital.”
Craig: “Because of that we tried to figure out anything we could about that patient. What we were able to find out from Banner UMC is, they say Nancy Guthrie is not on their patient list.”
Three days later, we got word of Sheriff’s Deputies and FBI agents flooding into a Foothills neighborhood, apparently serving a warrant and starting a search.
Crews from around Arizona, the US and even some foreign news crews flooded the neighborhood and tried to figure out what was going on past the law enforcement roadblocks.
As a long line of law enforcement vehicles streamed in, Craig Smith tapped into knowledge from watching other investigation scenes play out.
“What’s going to happen now and I know Pat has mentioned the sight of forensics vehicles coming in. We are seeing…that definitely looks like detective forensics vehicles. They would generally have the sort of equipment they would use to do a very thorough survey of the scene. All the stuff you would imagine: DNA swabs, cameras to measure. They will frequently bring in and set up this special rotating laser device that can document a room in very precise three dimensions.”
But like the man questioned in Rio Rico, the burst of activity in the Foothills brought optimism, then disappointment with no apparent progress in the hunt for Nancy Guthrie.
