"Today" host Savannah Guthrie's latest video seems to send the message that authorities have "kind of run out of options here" in their efforts to locate her missing mother, a former Arizona sheriff told Newsmax on Monday.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early," former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said Guthrie’s newest public plea, posted on social media Sunday night, marked a noticeable shift in tone as the search for her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, continued.
"Her first few videos were very purposeful," Lamb told host Alex Kraemer. "They followed kind of a script — saying, 'Hey, look, we want to establish contact. We want proof of life.' They humanized the victim."
But this time, Lamb said, "This felt much more like we kind of run out of options here and you can do the right thing."
He described the message as a more direct appeal to whoever may be responsible, rather than a broad call for public assistance.
The case has drawn intense national media attention, including round-the-clock coverage and widespread online speculation.
Lamb warned that such scrutiny, while understandable, can complicate active investigations.
"This has been a very difficult case from the beginning," he said, noting that constant publicity can tip off suspects to law enforcement tactics.
"Everything that they try to do, the media publicizes it — and potentially tips off anybody that is holding Nancy Guthrie."
Recent reports indicate that investigators are examining a glove found roughly two miles from Nancy Guthrie's home.
The FBI has tested the glove for DNA and believes it may match one worn by a masked individual captured on a Nest doorbell camera.
However, Lamb cautioned against drawing firm conclusions.
"I don't know that they know that this is the glove," he said. "I think they're hoping that this is the glove."
Complicating matters further, reports suggest multiple gloves were collected from the area, including some used by personnel working the scene, raising questions about evidence security in such a high-profile case.
Lamb also criticized the public disclosure of advanced search tactics, including the use of a helicopter equipped to detect Bluetooth signals from Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker.
Such technology requires investigators to be within a certain proximity to detect a signal, he explained.
"If I'm a bad guy," Lamb said, "there's a lot of things you could do to stop this — put her in a basement, use a Faraday bag."
Publicizing those methods, he argued, could undermine their effectiveness.
On the issue of DNA, Lamb noted that even if a suspect has never committed a prior crime and is not in a federal database, investigators can use familial DNA and genealogical databases to track potential leads.
As the search continues, Lamb emphasized that law enforcement needs space to work.
"In cases like this," he said, "giving investigators the advantage — instead of second-guessing every move — can make all the difference."
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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