'You Knew From Day One': Ashleigh Banfield Alleges Sheriff Nanos Hid Suspect in Nancy Guthrie Case

US television journalist Ashleigh Banfield has accused Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos of keeping key information from the public in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance, claiming in a recent podcast that investigators 'knew from day one' what the suspected abductor planned to do when Savannah Guthrie's mother vanished in Tucson, Arizona.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on 31 January after being dropped off at her Tucson home by her other daughter, Annie, and Annie's husband, Tommaso Cioni.

Banfield's Challenge To The Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Investigation

In her podcast appearance, 58-year-old Banfield said she believed Sheriff Nanos' office had a clear working theory almost immediately, yet failed to level with the community.

'We've known since day one what [the suspect] was going to do or what he had planned to do,' she claimed, without naming her source. From there, her criticism sharpened into a direct challenge to the Arizona lawman.

'So what the h— is it? You've known since day one what the suspect was doing there and there's a concern to the public,' Banfield said.

'Why did my source tell me what your focus was on day one?' she asked. 'You towed the brother-in-law's car, then you searched their house and you called off the search for Nancy Guthrie. You turned over the scene, and you told the public there was nothing to worry about. What changed, Sheriff Nanos?'

Banfield is referring to Tommaso Cioni, Guthrie's son-in-law. According to previous reporting, Cioni was cleared 'in the first few days' of the investigation, despite Banfield having at one point described him as a 'suspect'.

Savannah Guthrie is said to be 'livid' that Banfield suggested Cioni might have had something to do with Nancy's abduction, given that investigators have formally ruled out the family as suspects.

Sheriff Nanos' Warnings And The Question Of Public Risk In The Nancy Guthrie Disappearance

If Banfield's anger rests on the idea that authorities initially downplayed danger, Sheriff Nanos' more recent public comments point in a different direction, and not an especially reassuring one. In a 13 March interview with NBC, he said that Nancy Guthrie's possible abductor 'could strike again'.

'We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted, but we're not 100 percent sure of that, so it'd be silly to tell people, "Yeah, don't worry about it. You're not his target",' Nanos said.

He then issued a broader warning to residents, 'Don't think for a moment because it happened to the Guthrie family you're safe. Keep your wits about you.'

At the same time, he added, 'From day one, we had some strong beliefs about what happened, and those beliefs haven't diminished.'

Sheriff Nanos Keeps The Integrity Of The Investigation

Nanos told NBC News he is deliberately keeping the department's working theory and other specifics out of the public eye, arguing that releasing them now could compromise the investigation.

Investigators found traces of Guthrie's blood on the front porch of her home, and on 10 February the FBI circulated surveillance footage that appeared to show a masked man standing at her doorstep on the night she vanished. Beyond that, authorities have disclosed very little evidence.

The property itself has since been handed back to Guthrie's relatives, who have placed 'no trespassing' signs around the home.

Detectives have not publicly identified any suspects. In a bid to generate new leads, the Guthrie family has put forward a $1 million (£751,450) reward for information that results in an arrest.