A man who was detained for questioning in the Nancy Guthrie case following a SWAT raid on his Arizona home has spoken out to insist he had nothing to do with the 84-year-old’s disappearance—as Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos spoke out to reassure the public that his investigators are getting ever “closer” to finding those responsible.
Luke Daley, 37, was held by authorities—along with his 77-year-old mother—on Feb. 13, after officials swarmed his property, however they were both later released with no charges.
Now, Daley has spoken out about the incident, telling “True Crime Arizona” host Briana Whitney in his first interview since his detainment that he had no involvement in Nancy’s alleged abduction, while urging the public to show restraint when making accusations about those they think might have been involved.
“It’s not me,” the Arizona local—who has a felony arrest record for multiple drug and weapons charges, according to the New York Post—said. “I have nothing to do with this case.
“I, like everyone else, just want Nancy to come home and be safe.”
It’s thought that Daley was taken in for questioning after speculation emerged online and in the local community that he bears a resemblance to a masked, armed intruder caught on security camera approaching Nancy’s front door on Feb. 1—the same day that she disappeared.
However, Daley insisted to Whitney that he sees no similarities between himself and the person in the video, while criticizing those who allow themselves to be sucked into a “hive mind” of speculation.
He said that the authorities gave him no real details about why he was being questioned, claiming: “They didn’t tell me any information about that. I have thought of any type of reason why they could have come after me, but there’s nothing, and I think that’s why they didn’t tell me.”
Anyone with any information about Nancy Guthrie’s case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME, or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/.
Speaking about his detainment, Daley said he was held for around “four or five hours,” during which he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car while authorities searched his home and his car.
His Range Rover was seized by police as part of the investigation and it is unclear whether it has been returned.
Despite the “tough” experience, Daley said he maintained his innocence throughout—and told the police that it should not be hard to prove that he was nowhere near Nancy’s home at the time of her abduction.
“All the dates I was telling them where I was,” he explained. “All you have to do is look at my phone and see my location. It was nowhere near anywhere or have any connection to this.”
Still, his detainment has made his daily life in and around his Tucson neighborhood very “hard,” he said, noting that he finds it difficult to go out in public.
“I can’t go anywhere,” he said. “Everyone gives me dirty looks. I’d like to be able to go about my life and not have this shadow of doubt casted over me.
“I just want to say again that I hope that [Nancy is] safe. I hope they find her.”
Not long after the release of that interview, Sheriff Nanos sat down with the “Today” show to give an update on the case, telling on-air correspondent Liz Kreutz that “investigators are definitely closer.”
Explaining why his department has cut back on its updates about the case, Nanos said that this step was taken in order to protect the integrity of the case—and the evidence.
“There’s so much that everybody wants to know, but I would be very neglectful, irresponsible as a police, law enforcement leader, to share that with everybody,” he said. “We have information on this case that we think is going to hopefully lead us to solving this case. But it takes time.”
Addressing the DNA evidence that was recovered by investigators in Nancy’s home, Nanos admitted that cross contamination has made it difficult to extract one single profile, but insisted that work is still ongoing.
He confirmed that authorities are reviewing Ring camera footage that was submitted by two homeowners who live around 2.5 miles away from Nancy and whose security system captured video of multiple vehicles driving on a road that leads directly to the missing 84-year-old’s neighborhood.
It has been claimed that the video includes footage of one particular vehicle on the road at 2:36 a.m. on Feb. 1, around the same time that Nancy is thought to have been taken.
Nanos declined to verify these claims, simply stating: “Look, what I would tell you is this: We’re aware of it, and we’re looking into it, just like any other piece of evidence. We’re looking at that vehicle as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day.”
On March 2, the same day that Nanos’ interview was taped, Nancy’s daughters, “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, and her sister, Annie Guthrie, paid a visit to a makeshift memorial that has been set up outside of the 84-year-old’s home in the Catalina Foothills, where they left a note and laid flowers.
Savannah, 54, was seen walking up to the memorial arm-in-arm with her brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, and her sister, Annie, before they each laid down some yellow flowers in front of the touching tribute.
Breaking down in tears as they surveyed the many gifts and signs that had been left by members of the community, the trio then shared a warm hug, as seen in video footage taken by NewsNation. Savannah’s brother, Cameron, does not appear to have been present.
According to the outlet, Savannah and her loved ones left a note for their mother, which read: “Momma, we miss you so much! Our hearts are broken. We are standing on ash, on scored earth!
“But Mom, though we are surrounded by so much darkness and uncertainty, our love burns bright. We love you Mommy. We miss you so much. Our best friend!!”
Savannah later shared a photo from the memorial on her Instagram Stories, capturing an array of flowers that have been left by visitors, including the yellow blooms that she and her siblings added.
“We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community, and from around the country,” she wrote. “Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us. Bring her home.”
Nancy has now been missing for more than one month, having vanished from her home in the early hours of the morning on Feb. 1—the same day that a masked and armed intruder was caught on camera approaching the front door of her home.
That man has not yet been identified, nor have authorities named any prime suspects or persons of interest in the case.
The Guthrie family announced in an Instagram video posted by Savannah on Feb. 24 that they are now offering a $1 million reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of their missing mother.
While Savannah acknowledged in her video that her mother may have died, she said that her family just wants to know where she is—and to bring her home.
“We still believe in a miracle. We still believe that she can come home,” she said. “We also know she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother.
“But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of $1 million for any information that leads to her recovery.
“So please, if you hear this message, if you’ve been waiting and you haven’t been sure, let this be your sign to please come forward, tell what you know and help us bring our beloved mom home so that we can either celebrate a glorious, miraculous homecoming, or celebrate the beautiful, brave, courageous, and noble life that she has lived.”
What is the full timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos noted during a media briefing on Feb. 5 that, while times are approximate, his team has pieced together several pieces of evidence that indicate Nancy’s movements—and the timeline of her apparent abduction.
Nancy, 84, was reported missing at around 12 p.m. local time on Feb. 1, around 14 hours after she was dropped off at the property following a family dinner. When she failed to turn up at her usual church gathering on Sunday, her friends alerted her family, who found her home was empty.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31
5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to Annie’s house in an Uber for “dinner and playing games with the family.”
9:48 p.m. A garage door at Nancy’s house opens when she was dropped off at the property by her daughter.
9:50 p.m. The garage door closes, indicating that Nancy was inside the home.
SUNDAY, FEB. 1
1:47 a.m. Nancy’s doorbell security camera is disconnected.
2:12 a.m. Movement is detected on a security camera at the home. No footage of this is currently available.
2:28 a.m. Nancy’s pacemaker app indicates that the device has been disconnected from her phone.
11:00 a.m. Nancy fails to arrive at the home of a friend, where she had been due to watch a church service livestream.
11:56 a.m. Nancy’s family travels to her home to check on her and finds the property empty.
12:03 p.m. The family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.
12:14 p.m. Police officers arrive at Nancy’s home.
