Why Can't Savannah Guthrie's Sister Get Her Car Back? The 'Electronic Evidence' Secret

Savannah Guthrie's sister, Annie, and brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, are still waiting to get their blue Honda CR‑V back from detectives in Arizona, more than a month after Savannah Guthrie's 84‑year‑old mother, Nancy Guthrie, vanished in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson on 31 January, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department and a SWAT expert.

The SUV was seized because it was one of the last places Nancy Guthrie was seen alive. Annie and her husband had driven Nancy home after a family dinner on the evening of 31 January and dropped her at her house in the Catalina Foothills. When she failed to appear at a church service the next morning, a concerned friend alerted one of her children, and Nancy was reported missing on 1 February.

Since then, the case has attracted intense attention, not just because of the family's high‑profile link to Today host Savannah Guthrie, but because of the unsettling lack of answers.

Why Investigators Are Still Holding The Guthrie Family Car

Earlier reports had suggested that the Honda CR‑V would soon be released back to Savannah Guthrie's sister and her husband. Instead, on 11 March, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff's Department said the process remains 'ongoing' and declined to give any firm timeline for when the vehicle will be returned.

That delay has inevitably fuelled speculation. Former SWAT commander and law‑enforcement expert Bob Krygier offered a straightforward, if slightly unflattering, explanation of what might be going on behind the scenes.

'It probably boils down to something as simple as they gave the original scene back too soon, so investigators want to make sure they cover every possibility. Investigators need to maintain the integrity of any evidence that might be on the car or in the car,' Krygier told Parade.

The Honda was collected and impounded because it is directly tied to Nancy Guthrie's last confirmed movements. With no clear sign of what happened after Annie and Tommaso watched her walk back into her home, investigators appear determined not to risk overlooking anything that the vehicle itself might reveal.

The 'Electronic Evidence' Inside Savannah Guthrie's Sister's Car

Krygier said he was 'sure' forensic specialists are working their way through the usual checklist on the Guthrie family vehicle; traditional scientific evidence such as fingerprints and DNA swabs taken from surfaces inside and outside the car.

The more interesting part, though, is what he called the 'electronic evidence' buried in the Honda's modern systems.

'There's also electronic evidence that can be collected via all of the sensors and computers on modern vehicles. Things from location, to speed, to time of day can all be cross‑referenced based on the data recovered from the vehicle,' he explained.

Krygier also warned that such digital trawls are rarely quick. Extracting information from the maze of sensors and control units inside a modern car is not as simple as plugging in a laptop and printing out a map. It can involve removing components, tapping into wiring and bypassing systems in a way that can create mechanical problems.

'Much of the work happens on the 'electronic side,' he said, adding that this technical probing can cause issues that must be addressed before the car is handed back. In his view, it is 'reasonable' for the sheriff's department and the FBI who he said are also involved; to repair any unnecessary damage or wear and tear they have caused.

'There is a reasonableness standard in law‑enforcement that has to be maintained, and it's also the right thing to do,' Krygier added.

Krygier acknowledged that frustration but argued that investigators are likely thinking several steps ahead. Vehicles connected to an active case are sometimes retained until there is 'some level of closure,' he said, because their evidential value may only become clear later.

Authorities, for their part, have publicly stated that Annie and Tommaso's Honda will be returned. The question is when, and under what conditions.

'There are just a lot of questions as to why it may have stayed in custody of the investigators for so long,' Krygier admitted. 'Many of those answers are very reasonable in an investigation like this. The investigator's job is to create a case that is as rock solid as possible and leaves as little doubt in a jury's mind at the end of the day. Maintaining chain of custody on important items is part of that.'