The Pima County (Arizona) Sheriff's Department announced it will cease giving daily updates in the search for Nancy Guthrie amid media reports a suspicious young man was seen walking in the 84-year-old mother's neighborhood two weeks before she went missing.
In a Tuesday statement reported by The Arizona Republic, department spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said authorities would "limit further updates to instances when new information warrants release," signaling that developments in the high-profile case have slowed.
The decision comes as new questions swirl around the timeline of images released by the FBI showing a masked man on Guthrie's porch in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, when she is believed to have been abducted from her Tucson home in the Catalina Foothills.
Multiple outlets reported some law enforcement sources have suggested one of the doorbell images may have been taken on a different date.
That image reportedly shows a man without the black Ozark Trail backpack previously identified by the FBI.
Carrillo pushed back, saying there are no timestamps on the images and that claims they were taken on different days are "purely speculative."
The New York Post reported that a longtime neighbor, Aldine Meister, recalled seeing a "suspicious" young man in the neighborhood roughly two weeks before the abduction.
"He just didn't fit," Meister said, describing a man with a hat pulled low over his eyes and clothing that did not match typical walking attire.
She said she later informed authorities but had no video evidence.
The Jan. 11 date has surfaced repeatedly in the investigation.
Neighbors told Fox News that investigators requested surveillance footage from that day, though Sheriff Chris Nanos has downplayed its significance, saying deputies are reviewing a broad range of video to avoid narrowing the probe prematurely.
Meanwhile, The Economic Times reported that deputies were recently seen outside a next-door neighbor's home, adding fresh urgency to the fourth week of the investigation. Authorities have not said what prompted the move.
A backpack discovered by volunteers in a nearby wash initially sparked hope, but investigators determined it was unrelated to the case.
Savannah Guthrie, co-host of NBC's "Today," posted an emotional video announcing a $1 million family-funded reward for information leading to her mother's recovery and said the family would donate $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The FBI and local partners are offering an additional $202,500.
Despite intense media coverage and a massive law enforcement response, no suspects have been publicly identified.
As daily briefings end and speculation grows, neighbors say they are left with unease and a community still searching for answers.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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