Sheriff In Nancy Guthrie Case Slams Ashleigh Banfield’s ‘Reckless’ Reporting For Falsely Alleging Son-In-Law Was Suspect
By Danielle Jennings on February 6, 2026 at 12:15 PM EST
Savannah Guthrie and her family continue to search for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, and as authorities investigate the incident, a sheriff in the case is calling out false reporting.
Journalist Ashleigh Banfield found herself in the crosshairs of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for falsely alleging that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law is the prime suspect in her disappearance.
Sheriff Slams Ashleigh Banfield For ‘Reckless’ Reporting In Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance
During a February 5 press briefing, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos called out podcast host Ashleigh Banfield for incorrectly claiming that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, is the prime suspect in her January 31 disappearance.
“We don’t have anybody here listed as a suspect,” Nanos said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Nobody’s eliminated, but we just really don’t have enough to say, ‘This is our suspect, this is our guy, we know — or our gal.’”
“We don’t know that,” he continued. “And it’s really kind of reckless to report that someone is a suspect when they could very well be a victim.”
Sheriff Nanos also pleaded with the media moving forward to be “careful” with the information they put out regarding the case because it could be a hindrance.
“To the media, I plead with you to be careful of what it is we put out there, because we don’t have anybody here listed as a suspect, and you could actually be doing some damage to the case — but you can do some damage to that individual too. Social media is kind of an ugly world sometimes,” he said.
Ashleigh Banfield Doubles Down On Her Claims Regarding The Guthrie Case
In a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter, the producer of Banfield’s podcast told the outlet that Banfield “stands by her reporting” and “her ironclad source.”
On Tuesday, February 3, Banfield said the following during her podcast episode about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance:
“They have towed Annie Guthrie’s car. And there is some connection to Annie Guthrie’s car and Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law — that would be Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, age 50 from Tucson, Arizona, married to Annie P. Guthrie, Savannah’s sister,” Banfield said. “And my law enforcement source tells me that Tommaso Cioni is the prime suspect in this case.”
“Again, law enforcement source tells me that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, married to Annie Guthrie, Savannah’s sister, is — may be, may be a prime suspect in this case. At the very least, let me tamp that down, because sometimes it’s the first person you’re looking at, not ‘prime’ as in there’s no one else, OK? So, let’s be really mindful of that. Families are always looked at first as well.”
Police Have Stressed There Are ‘No Suspects’ As Investigation Continues
While speaking at the February 5 press briefing, Sheriff Nanos also shared the update that there are still “no suspects” in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
“At this time, we have not identified a suspect or a person of interest in this case,” Nanos, per Variety. “We are working our best to do that. To be clear: we have nobody of interest or any suspects that you would consider a prime suspect.”
Nanos also shut down claims there were signs of forced entry at Nancy’s Tucson, Arizona, home.
“I have no clue where that comes from,” Nanos said. “We have been very consistent — we are not discussing that at all, whether it’s forced entry or not forced entry.”
Authorities Confirm Nancy’s Blood Was Found At The Crime Scene
Following earlier reports that blood was found at the scene of Nancy’s home and was being tested to determine who it belonged to, authorities identified a positive match.
According to PEOPLE, the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the blood found on the exterior porch of Nancy’s home positively matches her DNA.
Nancy’s home was labeled a crime scene shortly after her disappearance, after police discovered what they described as “very concerning” conditions, and also that “no proof of life” had been determined.
A Reward Offered For Nancy’s Guthrie’s Return
On February 5, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, in conjunction with the FBI, announced a $50,000 reward for the return of Nancy Guthrie.
The reward is for any information regarding Nancy’s whereabouts and/or “the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance,” according to FBI Special Agent Heith Janke.
“The FBI has agents, analysts, and professional staff employees working day and night with our partners at the sheriff’s department,” Janke said during the press briefing. “We have deployed additional intelligence and agents from our Phoenix office.”
