Nancy Guthrie’s followers briefly thought they had finally gotten the update they had been waiting for. A late-night sheriff’s message said “Nancy has been located,” but the attached notice was for another missing woman in Tucson.
That wording quickly caused confusion because Savannah Guthrie’s mother remained missing, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department post arrived while the case was still active and drawing constant public attention
Pima County Sheriff’s Department confuses people with ‘Nancy has been located’ post
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department post was referring to Nancy Radakovich, not Nancy Guthrie. Local reporting said Radakovich, 82, went missing on April 16 near River Road and Campbell Avenue and was found safe before 8 p.m. The confusion grew because that area was less than two miles from Guthrie’s home. The department also said there had been no arrest in the Guthrie case and that the investigation was still ongoing.
That is why the wording hit people so hard. In the screenshots of the replies, one user wrote, “My heart skipped a beat thinking it was Nancy Guthrie.” Another said, “Omg at first I saw Nancy & looked at the photo I thought it was Nancy Guthrie!” A third added, “Oh geez… different Nancy. Glad this one has been located, where is Nancy Guthrie?” The reactions stayed respectful, but they showed the same point. Readers saw the first name, assumed a breakthrough, and only then realized the updates involved someone else.
Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie’s case still had no public resolution. She was reported missing on Feb. 1, and investigators had treated the case as a possible abduction after evidence from her Tucson home raised alarm. Recent updates said the FBI was analyzing new DNA evidence, including hair, while police also increased patrols in her neighborhood after complaints about trespassing by online sleuths. That broader backdrop explained why the sheriff’s wording caused such an immediate wave of confusion.
This story originally appeared on Realitytea
