True Crime
Nancy Guthrie Case May Have Been Handled Differently With Homicide Detectives, Expert Says
It’s been more than a month since Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy Guthrie went missing, and now former NYPD sergeant Joseph Giacalone has said he believes the case might have been approached differently if homicide detectives had been involved from the beginning.
“Cases that start off with an involuntary disappearance often end up as homicides,” Giacalone told Parade in an interview published on Wednesday, March 11.
“At the Sheriff’s own admission, there was a sign of a struggle, you have the blood at the front door and what is inside the home we have no idea,” he continued. “Injecting homicide investigators at the onset of cases like this can have a positive effect on the outcome of the case.”
Giacalone said the home should have been treated as a crime scene from the outset. He explained that the residence “should have been maintained as a crime scene” and that investigators should have set up a command post outside the property to coordinate the investigation. He added that everyone entering or leaving the scene should have been documented on a crime scene log.
“Would it have made a difference? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I believe it would have helped,” Giacalone concluded. “This just isn’t an isolated thing, but a nationwide issue. Bring your best in at the beginning and let them do their thing.”
Nancy, 84, was last seen on January 31 after her daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni dropped her off at her Catalina Foothills home. The next morning, a friend contacted the family when Nancy didn’t show up to watch a streaming church service.
Since then, there have been few leads, and the Today host, 54, has made multiple pleas asking for the suspect to bring her mother home.
People with any information regarding the case are asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
