FBI agents and Pima County Sheriff’s deputies have conducted multiple searches of the home of Annie Guthrie Cioni, sister of NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, as the investigation into the kidnapping of their mother, Nancy Guthrie, continues. The searches, which included a nighttime examination on Saturday, were conducted with the consent of Annie Cioni, despite her husband, Tommaso Cioni, being the last known person to see Nancy Guthrie before her disappearance.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31st, after having dinner at the Cioni’s home. Tommaso Cioni reportedly dropped her off at her Tucson home around 9:45 p.m., observing her enter through the garage. Investigators discovered drops of blood on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch, later confirmed to be hers. Her doorbell camera was disconnected at approximately 1:45 a.m., and movement was detected by her security camera less than thirty minutes later. Shortly after, her pacemaker stopped transmitting data, suggesting she had been moved outside the range of her devices.
Authorities released images on Tuesday of a masked individual tampering with Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera on the night of her disappearance. The figure, clad in a ski mask and appearing to have a gun in a holster, was also seen removing the camera and waving flowers at the lens. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the images were recovered from backend systems after investigators worked to access previously inaccessible data. The images were released after investigators requested DNA swabs from Nancy Guthrie’s household staff.
Despite Tommaso Cioni being a person of interest, law enforcement has been permitted to search the couple’s $675,000 ranch-style home without a warrant, due to Annie Cioni’s consent. Legal precedent, established in the 2006 Georgia v. Randolph and 2014 Fernandez v. California Supreme Court cases, allows police to search a shared residence with the consent of one occupant, even if another occupant objects or is not present. Pima County and federal records reveal no applications for warrants to search the property, indicating that consent was granted for all searches.
Tommaso Cioni, 50, has not been publicly seen since February 3rd, when he and Annie were observed leaving and returning to their home by the Daily Mail. He and Annie, who have been married since 2006 and have one child, are believed to be staying at a $1.2 million mansion within a gated community. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has stated that no one has been ruled out as a suspect in the kidnapping.
Annie Guthrie has made public appeals for her mother’s safe return, appearing alongside Savannah Guthrie to share the newly released security camera footage. A man detained for questioning in Rio Rico on Tuesday has since been released. Investigators are continuing to analyze evidence, including a ransom note that reportedly referenced a floodlight at Nancy Guthrie’s home, prompting its removal by investigators.
