The search for Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, has stretched beyond five months with few public answers. But one former NYPD detective believes the break in the case may not come from law enforcement alone; it could come from an ordinary person paying attention.
Nancy was reportedly abducted from her Tucson, Arizona, home on February 1. Despite more than 21 weeks of investigation, thousands of tips, recovered Nest doorbell footage, and two people being detained and released without charges, the case remains unsolved. Now, private investigator Herman Weisberg is encouraging true crime followers not to underestimate their role.
One phone call could change everything in the Nancy Guthrie case, per a detective
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Weisberg said every tip matters, even after investigators have spent months chasing leads. “You’ve got to have a lot of patience when you’re dealing with that because you might just be on your 7,000th call and your 15th cup of coffee that day, but the 7,001st call could be the one that’s really got a piece of valuable information in this,” Weisberg said. “The 7,001st call could be the one.”
The former detective believes public awareness has become one of the investigators’ biggest advantages. “The awareness that comes with a high-profile crime like this should be an advantage in solving it,” he told Fox News Digital.
Weisberg pointed to cases including Elizabeth Smart, Gabby Petito, and the Boston Marathon bombing, where information from ordinary citizens proved critical. “Crowdsourcing wins cases these days,” he said. “Maybe one of them… looks outside their window and said, ‘That’s strange, that car’s been parked out there too long. It’s got Arizona plates.’ You know, it’s a stolen car. Get the police to come.”
He previously described Nancy’s disappearance as “extremely complex and extremely rare,” noting that the alleged abduction of an 84-year-old grandmother by someone outside the family is highly unusual. Weisberg believes the crime likely “went very wrong from the beginning,” leaving behind mistakes that someone could eventually spot.
He’s also surprised digital evidence hasn’t already solved the mystery. “Actually, I’m pretty shocked that this case didn’t come down to technology,” he admitted, while citing the Bryan Kohberger investigation as an example of technology driving a breakthrough. Still, Weisberg believes authorities may know more than they’ve publicly revealed. “They could be working on a lead right now,” he said.
Savannah has continued urging anyone with information to contact the FBI. Authorities are offering more than $1.2 million in combined rewards, including $1 million from the Guthrie family, for information leading to Nancy’s recovery.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK PUBLIC TIPS CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN HIGH-PROFILE MISSING PERSON CASES?
