What To Know
- Retired FBI agent Jason Pack shared his thoughts on the Nancy Guthrie case over four months into the investigation.
- Pack noted that the length of the case increases pressure on the alleged kidnapper, making it more likely they will “crack.”
- He stated that hope remains for finding Nancy and said his heart goes out to the Guthrie family.
As the Nancy Guthrie investigation enters its fifth month, a retired FBI agent has shared his insights on the likely status of the case and the actions of the suspected abductor.
Speaking to Parade on Monday (June 1), former FBI agent Jason Pack disagreed with the notion that the case has gone cold. When cases hit the four-month mark, Pack said they “go quiet,” which is “a very different thing” than a case going cold. “Investigators are still working, still following threads, and frankly still waiting on someone to make a mistake or a decision to come clean,” he stated.
Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, has beenmissing since February 1, when police believe shewas abductedfrom her home in Tucson, Arizona. Investigators have releaseddoorbell camera footage of a masked suspect and sent DNA for testing at the FBI lab in Quantico, but no suspects have been named.
Pack explained that investigators are likely “doing two things simultaneously,” which includes “going back to the beginning with fresh eyes, reexamining every piece of evidence, every interview, every tip that may have looked insignificant in the first weeks,” and “watching.”
“Watching finances. Watching communications. Watching behavior,” he continued, noting how the length of the case will also be impacting the alleged kidnapper. “Because four months is a long time to keep a secret, and people start to crack. They make calls they shouldn’t make. They spend money they can’t explain. They act nervous when there’s no reason to be nervous.”
Pack also said that the $1 million reward for information offered by the Guthrie family also looms over the case. “The $1 million reward is still on the table, and that kind of pressure doesn’t expire. It compounds,” he stated. “Somebody knows something, and the weight of that is getting heavier every single day.”
As for whether there is still hope of finding Nancy, Pack responded, “Hope absolutely remains,” explaining how he’s worked on cases “that looked like dead ends right up until the moment they weren’t.”
He added that his heart goes out to Savannah and her family for what they’re going through right now. “What people should remember is that behind every update and every theory is a family living through something most of us can’t begin to imagine,” he said. “Savannah Guthrie and her family get up every single morning not knowing where her mother is. That kind of grief doesn’t take a day off. It doesn’t get any easier at four months. In many ways, it gets harder.”