The same day, Nanos said, a search-and-rescue team was sent home while homicide and criminal investigators pursue the case.
Nanos separately told CBS News that he believes Nancy was “abducted” while she slept.
Investigators took DNA samples from the crime scene, but it could take days before anything conclusive is revealed.
In a news conference today, the sheriff declined to specify what was found in Nancy’s home, and neither confirmed nor denied news reports that blood was found at the crime scene.
“I’m not saying there’s blood inside that house or outside that house,” he said.
“Think of any crime scene. We go in, and we process it. We look for things like that - blood, DNA, any kind of physical evidence, fingerprints, anything.
“And all of that is gathered and submitted to a lab. That lab will report back to us what they find. So far what we’ve found from that lab is nothing that would tell us, ‘This is who did this.’”
At the start of the news conference, Nanos admitted he needed to be more careful with his words as he shared updates on what has turned into a sprawling investigation drawing international headlines.
“This is really, for me, pretty new - all the media attention. So I apologise to you for sometimes I’m speaking in generalities, and I’m not used to everybody hanging on to my words and then trying to hold me accountable for what I say,” he said.
“We are following all leads we have,” he told reporters, adding that the next news briefing would probably be on Friday unless news breaks.
John Edwards, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Tucson, said today that the FBI has been “downloading and analysing cellphones, obtaining cell tower information, conducting interviews and providing any and all investigative support that the sheriff’s department needs.”
Nanos earlier noted that Nancy Guthrie needs daily medication and doesn’t have cognitive issues. She “could not walk 50 yards on her own”, said Nanos. Authorities do not know whether she was targeted because she is the mother of Savannah Guthrie.
The Pima County sheriff asked members of the public to contact law enforcement if they have any information on the case and asked neighbours to look at their security footage. “I need this community to step up and start giving us some calls,” Nanos said.
The White House urged anyone with information on Nancy’s disappearance to call emergency services in an X post: “Our prayers are with the Guthrie family as we hope for Nancy’s safe return home”.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, has co-anchored NBC’s popular morning show Today since 2012, a platform that’s made her one of the most recognisable people on television news. The journalist is now in Arizona.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” Guthrie said in a statement provided by NBC News, which ran a special report on Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case.”
In a statement today, a spokesperson for NBC News said that Guthrie will not travel to Italy to participate in the network’s Winter Olympics coverage “as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time”.
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