Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie
Volunteers gather near Oracle Road in Tucson as the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its fourth week. NBCU Photo Bank

Three weeks of satellite trucks, tents, and generators crammed bumper to bumper on a quiet Tucson street have finally forced Pima County's hand.

Authorities announced on Tuesday that they are widening the no-parking zone around the home of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie in the Catalina Foothills after sustained complaints about gridlocked roads, trespassing, and rubbish left behind by journalists and social media streamers, according to Pima County. The restrictions take effect on Thursday. Violators face a $250 (£200) fine.

Media can still report from the public right of way, but must park outside the zone and walk in, arrange a drop-off, or take a rideshare. County officials had already tried one-way traffic on North Camino Escalante over the weekend. It failed. Crews simply relocated to side streets, KTAR News said.

One Streamer Ordered Pizza to the Crime Scene

Since Guthrie was reported missing on 1 February, tents, generators and broadcast vehicles have lined the normally placid residential street, blocking emergency vehicles, school buses, and postal workers.

Some residents have posted 'No Press' signs and lined their frontage with traffic cones. One content creator reportedly had pizza delivered to Guthrie's house while it remained an active crime scene. Others have been more receptive. Supporters of the family have left flowers, yellow ribbons, and handwritten prayers at the property.

Fourth Week of Searching and Still No Suspect Named

Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen around 9.45 p.m. on 31 January after her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, dropped her at the Catalina Foothills home. She never appeared for a virtual church service the next morning. Her family called 911 around noon after finding her belongings still inside the house.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said it believes she was taken against her will. Blood was found on the front porch.

On 10 February, FBI Director Kash Patel released doorbell camera footage showing a masked, armed figure at Guthrie's front door wearing gloves, an Ozark-brand backpack, and a ski mask. The person appeared to tamper with a Google Nest camera. The FBI described the suspect as male, roughly 5ft 9in to 5ft 10in, average build.

Guthrie had no video subscription for the Nest camera. The footage was pulled from Google's backend systems with no timestamps attached. A black glove found 1.5 miles away returned no DNA match in CODIS, per CBS News. Mixed DNA samples from the home were sent to a private lab in Florida, where Sheriff Chris Nanos said analysis has been delayed.

$1 Million Reward Floods FBI Tip Line

Savannah Guthrie posted an emotional video to Instagram on 24 February announcing her family was offering up to $1 million (£810,000) for information leading to her mother's recovery. They also donated $500,000 (£405,000) to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

Within 12 hours, more than 750 calls had flooded the FBI's tip line, a senior law enforcement official told NBC News. The FBI had previously offered $100,000 (£81,000), with Tucson Crime Stoppers adding $102,500 (£83,000).

'We still believe in a miracle,' Savannah Guthrie said in the video. 'We also know that she may be lost.'

Volunteer groups have kept searching the surrounding desert despite the sheriff's repeated requests to leave it to professionals. A team found a backpack on Sunday. It was not the same brand captured in the FBI footage.

According to NBC News, investigators returned to Guthrie's property on 25 February. It is believed that the home is being prepared for handover to the family, as law enforcement no longer considers it necessary to keep the premises sealed.

No arrests have been made. All family members have been cleared.

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