As the search for Nancy Guthrie continues, a law enforcement expert has said it’s possible the suspect returned to the scene of the crime following the alleged abduction on February 1.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association and a retired police sergeant, was asked whether investigators are keeping an eye on the growing memorial outside Nancy’s home in Tucson, Arizona.
“They could [be watching the memorial], we’re just not seeing it,” Brantner Smith told the outlet. “They could be keeping track of it, but we’re not seeing the cameras.”
Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of Today’s Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since January 31, when police believe she was abducted from her home. Since then, investigators have released doorbell camera footage of a masked suspect and shared a description of the potential abductor.
As for why investigators might be keeping an eye on the memorial, Brantner Smith explained that it’s not usual for a suspect to return to the crime scene, especially if they had an “obsession” with the victim or a craving for “notoriety.”
“In this type of situation where you have the potential for a suspect having done this because he or she is somehow obsessed with Savannah Guthrie or seeing Nancy featured on the Today show multiple times… someone who is obsessed with notoriety, celebrity — there’s a lot of pathology involved in that,” Brantner Smith explained.
She continued, “Potentially, that is the type of person that could come back to the memorial, look at the memorial, even take photos of the memorial and add to the memorial themselves.”
The retired cop also noted that suspects returning to the crime scene is a way to relive it. “I am guessing that the suspect or suspects who did this are frankly taking great pride in the fact that so far they’ve got away with it,” she added. “Coming back can also be a way to bring back that rush that they had when they originally committed the crime.”
“They’re coming back to see the impact that they had on this neighborhood and on this family,” Brantner Smith went on. “And the rest of us would view that as very sick, but law enforcement has to view that as a way to collect clues.”
As for why there seems to be a lack of law enforcement keeping an eye on the memorial, Brantner Smith theorized, “It may be because they have solid suspects, and they just haven’t released that information to the public.”
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, who are investigating the case alongside the FBI, told Fox News Digital, “Detectives are reviewing all viable leads in this case. We do not speak to specifics, as this is still an ongoing investigation.”
Investigators have not publicly named a suspect or persons of interest. Individuals have been detained and questioned but later released without charges. Savannah and her family have also been ruled out as suspects.
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