FBI seizes vehicle in search for missing Nancy Guthrie

breakingnews.ie

Police in Arizona investigating the disappearance of TV host Savannah Guthrie’s mother have seized a vehicle from a parking lot and sealed off a road near Nancy Guthrie’s home.

A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about two miles from the house.

The two agencies tagged and towed a Range Rover SUV from a Culver’s restaurant parking lot.

The Range Rover seized from a Culver’s parking lot in Tucson, Arizona (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

The restaurant is just over two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home. This took place at the same time the sheriff’s office closed the road just north of the Guthrie home.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the activity was part of the Guthrie case. But it said the FBI requested that it not release further information. No new details were available so far on Saturday.

Ms Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on February 1. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch of her Tucson home. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

Pima County officials block a road near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Authorities have expressed concerns over Ms Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has high blood pressure and heart issues, according to officials.

Investigators have studied surveillance video, sorted through thousands of tips and submitted DNA and other evidence for laboratory analysis.

A man signs a banner calling for Nancy Guthrie’s return (AP)

The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since February 1. The sheriff’s department said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.

On Tuesday, authorities released footage showing an armed, masked person at Ms Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted.

The videos – less than a combined minute in length – gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Ms Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson.