Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Episode: Sheriff Issues Chilling Warning To Public: You Could Be "His Target" | Nancy Guthrie Missing
Date: March 14, 2026
Host: Ashleigh Banfield
Episode Overview
This episode provides an in-depth update on the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, now at day 41. Ashleigh Banfield critiques recent statements by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, which appear to contradict his earlier public comments about the risk to the community. Banfield recounts the latest developments in the search, surveillance footage findings, and scrutiny surrounding law enforcement transparency. Drawing on her decades of true crime reporting, she dissects the evolving narrative and mounting frustrations as major questions remain unanswered.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Investigation Update & Law Enforcement Communication
- Banfield notes the investigation has been quiet with little public information shared for weeks.
- Suddenly, recent days see a flurry of new, odd developments, prompting this update.
- Critical focus on the shifting narrative from the sheriff regarding public safety and suspect motives.
2. Contradictory Statements from Sheriff Chris Nanos
- Banfield highlights stark contradictions between what the sheriff said soon after the disappearance and his most recent statements.
- Early on (day two), the sheriff assured the public there was no danger to the community; this week he warns everyone to stay vigilant, saying, “You could be his target.”
- Banfield expresses frustration:
“I am gobsmacked and frankly pissed at this sheriff for being so cavalier with the language that he’s using this week...” (03:34)
- Clips are played to illustrate the conflicting statements side-by-side ([22:34], [26:35]).
3. Surveillance Footage and Evidence
- ABC News and Fox News report new progress on footage recovery:
- Recovered images come from three cameras: front door, backyard, and driveway.
- Most are low-res thumbnails, triggered by motion, and do not capture anything suspicious on the night of the abduction ([11:00]–[16:00]).
- Images do show people and cars on the property in the weeks prior to Nancy’s disappearance, but currently, investigators see nothing suspicious.
- Ashleigh hopes contractors and transient workers (citing other cases, e.g. Elizabeth Smart) are being scrutinized based on these images ([12:00]).
- Frustration that no key evidence arises from these efforts, especially due to limitations from not having cloud service subscriptions for security cameras:
“Please get a subscription if you have a security or a doorbell cam... it can mean the difference, you know, between holding people accountable or even finding you if you're taken.” (12:55)
4. Motive and Danger to Public Revisited
- Banfield analyzes the sheriff’s new statements, which assert they now “know why he did this,” and that the crime was targeted ([22:34], [23:05]).
- Direct quotes from the sheriff:
“We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted... But we can’t—we’re not 100% sure of that. And so it’d be silly to tell people, yeah, don’t worry about it. You’re not his target. Don’t think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you’re safe. No, keep your wits about you.” — Sheriff Chris Nanos ([22:34])
- Banfield juxtaposes this with the sheriff’s earlier press conference:
“We don’t have any indication that... the public is in... danger.” — Sheriff Nanos, Day 2 ([26:35])
- Banfield’s critique:
“Why did you believe there was no risk to the community on day one? Because just this week you have said... you should be concerned about what's happening.” (25:23–26:55)
- Banfield calls for law enforcement to “just be straight with us” and reiterates the importance of consistent, transparent communication ([28:00]).
5. Significance of Nancy Guthrie’s Bedroom
- Revisiting the narrative about the location of Nancy’s abduction — from her bed in the middle of the night — consistent with what her daughter Savannah Guthrie publicly stated. Original law enforcement statements had been retracted, adding further confusion ([9:00]–[10:30], [30:00]–[32:30]).
- Megyn Kelly’s team unearthed a 2013 “Today” segment filmed in Nancy Guthrie’s bedroom, offering the public a look at the possible crime scene ([32:37]–[34:30]).
- Notable quote:
“If we take Savannah at her word, her literal words: ‘My mother was taken from her bed in the darkness of night.’ Presumably, that is the bed…” (34:30)
- Notable quote:
6. New Developments at the Guthrie Property
- Noted by live-streamer JLR:
- On March 11: An expensive white Maybach, a white Hyundai, and a blue Subaru observed at Nancy’s home. The blue Subaru (hers) appeared to leave the property ([34:30]–[36:30]).
- The matter of vehicle seizures and returns under warrant remains murky; Annie Guthrie’s vehicle still held by police.
- On March 12: Sovereign Electric company vans and a navy blue Kia spend hours at the Guthrie home. Electric company staff observed on the roof with a mysterious pole ([36:30]–[37:30]).
- Behind Annie and Tommaso’s house, JLR finds a pair of partially buried women’s pants (tan, size 12, NYCC brand) and a knee brace in a wash. Their relevance to Nancy’s disappearance is unconfirmed ([37:45]–[38:45]).
7. Lingering Questions & Community Frustration
- Banfield criticizes the early halting of search efforts by law enforcement and points to potentially overlooked clues (e.g., the buried pants, abandoned blue shirt used by canine units, odd tracks in the driveway) ([38:45]–[41:30]).
- She ponders whether police have sufficiently examined possible evidence such as trash cans, track marks, or residual evidence in and around the home, highlighting the value of crowd-sourced sleuthing in unsolved cases ([41:00]).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Law Enforcement Inconsistency:
“Every time Sheriff Chris Nanos gives an interview… there’s just something else that doesn’t make sense or is in direct contradiction to something else he has said.” (15:40–16:00)
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Sheriff Chris Nanos Re: Public Danger
"Don't think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you're safe. No, keep your wits about you." ([22:34])
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Ashleigh’s Frustration:
“Why didn’t you say that on day one and day two? … You told us there’s no danger to the community. So what the actual f*ck is going on when you say that?” (25:23–26:55)
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On Evidence from Cameras:
“ABC says its source tells them the cameras captured, quote, nothing on the night that Nancy Guthrie was abducted. What a piss off. I’m gonna still hold out hope though…” (12:15)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 03:34 – Ashleigh’s opening critique of the sheriff’s shifting language.
- 09:00–13:00 – Update on surveillance footage, new images, and frustrations over lack of progress.
- 15:32–23:45 – Detailed review and audio of the sheriff’s recent and early statements; discussion of public safety and motive.
- 32:37–34:30 – Megyn Kelly segment: 2013 "Today" show video from Nancy’s bedroom.
- 34:30–38:45 – Live-streamer reports: vehicle activity, blue Subaru sighting; discovery of pants and knee brace in a wash.
- 41:00–end – Critique of police investigation thoroughness, loose ends, community-sourced questions.
Conclusion and Call to Action
- Banfield draws a parallel to the Idaho murders, noting day 47 was pivotal—raising hope or anxiety as another milestone approaches in the Guthrie case.
- She admonishes law enforcement for lack of clarity:
“We need to have faith in you and your abilities. This doesn’t give us that faith.”
- Reminds the public about the $1.2 million reward for helpful information and urges listeners to call the FBI tip line if they know anything.