The Nancy Guthrie case took a massive turn on Friday after it was reported that the 84-year-old’s daughter Savannah is ‘livid’ with former NewsNation reporter Ashleigh Banfield. This comes after the ‘Today’ show host said that she will soon return to the NBC program, saying in an interview that ‘joy will be my protest’.
Hoda Kotb later revealed that Guthrie will return April 6. “I can’t come back and try to be something that I’m not. But I can’t not come back, because it’s my family,” Guthrie said. “I think it’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile and when I do, it will be real and my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful and when it’s not, I’ll say so.”
Savannah ‘livid’ at Ashleigh Banfield
Meanwhile, Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack cited a source to report that Savannah was livid when Banfield suggested that her brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, was a suspect.
“She was trying to handle this with dignity. Then suddenly someone she knows is being labeled a suspect on national TV. That’s devastating,” the source added.
It was also reported that the 54-year-old was ‘completely blindsided’ Banfield’s claims.
“There’s a line between reporting and causing harm — and Savannah believes that line was crossed.”
What did Ashleigh Banfield say?
Only days after Nancy went missing, Banfield cited her sources to report thatTommaso Cioni is the prime suspect in this case. “Again, my law enforcement source tells me that Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, married to Annie Guthrie, Savannah’s sister, is maybe, maybe a prime suspect.”
However, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos clarified, saying no family members were suspects in the case.
“To be clear…the Guthrie family – to include all siblings and spouses – has been cleared as possible suspects in this case. The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this,” Nanos said in a statement.
“To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple…please, I’m begging you the media to honor your profession and report with some sense of compassion and professionalism.”
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. The FBI released surveillance videos of a masked man who was outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson on the night she vanished. The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.
(With AP inputs)
