A normally quiet neighborhood in Rio Rico, Arizona, became the center of national attention this week after law enforcement descended on a modest home during the ongoing search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
Authorities searched the property following a tip suggesting that Nancy might be inside the residence. The development marked another dramatic turn in the high-profile disappearance that has gripped the region for nearly two weeks.
Nancy is the mother of Savannah Guthrie, co-host of NBC’s Today, adding national visibility to the case.
The homeowner, identified by CNN as Josefina, said officers arrived at her house after receiving information that Nancy could be there. She maintained that she cooperated fully with investigators.
“They had somebody give a tip that the lady was in my house,” Josefina said. “I told them you can go in and search my house, there is nobody there. I have nothing to hide.”
Josefina confirmed that her son-in-law, identified as Carlos, was detained during the investigation. However, she strongly denied that he had any involvement in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
In a video shared on social media, Josefina described the scene as officers moved in and out of her home, taking photographs and searching the property.
“They keep going in and out of my house, taking pictures, and I don’t know why,” she said.
According to Josefina, officers showed her surveillance images recovered from Nancy’s home and asked whether the person in the footage resembled her son-in-law.
“From the house? Yeah, they showed me the picture,” she explained. When asked whether it looked like him, she replied, “No, it doesn’t look like him.”
She also stated that officers broke down her door while she was away in Tucson and were still conducting the search when she returned. Josefina said she did not immediately receive clarification regarding whether a search warrant had been issued at that time.
Despite the intense police activity, she expressed sympathy for Nancy’s family.
