Blood from a Turnip

On January 31, 84 year old Nancy Guthrie of Tucson, Arizona, after having taken an Uber to her daughter's home for a Saturday evening dinner was dropped off back at her home by her son-in-law at 9:48 pm.  When she did not attend church Sunday morning her family was called.  After failing to find her at home, the family placed a 911 call to report her missing.  On finding signs of forced entry, police suspected foul play and first publicized the disappearance at 6:48 PM.  CNN's first report of the story was broadcast Monday morning, February 2, centering the interest on the detail that Nancy Guthrie is the mother of NBC Today Show host Savannah Guthrie.  On Monday evening, a local Tucson station and tabloid news outfit TMZ each reported receiving a ransom note for the elder Guthrie, demanding money with a deadline of Thursday evening and a second deadline of Monday February 8.  On Thursday, February 5, police reported that blood found on the front porch of the home was determined by DNA testing to be Nancy Guthrie's.  The FBI offered $50,000 for information leading to a resolution of the case. On Friday, the Tucson television station reported receiving a new email whose contents it was unable to discuss.  On Monday, the Guthrie family released a new plea for their mother's return with no mention of a ransom note. With the Monday deadline passed with apparently no ransom money changing hands, the FBI disclosed that it was unaware of direct communication between the family and any party claiming to be responsible for the disappearance.   On Tuesday, February 10, police released footage from Nancy Guthrie's front door camera showing a man about 5'9'', average build wearing a ski mask and what police later described as a black, 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack, attempting to cover up the camera with a plant dug up from the front yard.   The same day, police questioned a man detained at a traffic stop south of Tucson and then released him, giving no information by the next day about why he was stopped or released.  On Thursday, February 12, the FBI doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of person or persons responsible for Nancy Guthrie's disappearance to $100,000.  Recently it has been reported that Savannah Guthrie will take an extended leave of absence from hosting the Today Show to be with her family and deal with the situation.

You now know everything there is to know about the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother from her Tuscon Arizona home between 9:48 PM Saturday January 31 and 11:00 am Sunday morning February 1.   So why has CNN for the past two weeks done nothing but report on Savannah Guthrie's mother's disappearance?*   What have they reported on and what have we learned?  Let's focus for a minute on Jake Tapper, the nasal voiced totem of CNN's particular brand of late neoliberal capitalist mediocrity whom CNN sent to Tucson for breathless on-the-scene milking of the fibers of a story that has refused to develop.

I asked Google and got this list of professional experts and a few individuals whose proximity to the events plausibly conferred witness status (for the purposes of filling airtime) that Tapper has questioned: 

• Jeff Lamie: A neighbor of the Guthrie family, who discussed the neighborhood's reaction and provided observations on the case.
• Shari Botwin (LCSW): A trauma expert and licensed social worker, discussing the emotional toll on the family and the significance of finding potential clues after 10 days.
• Bryanna Fox: A former FBI agent, who analyzed the challenges of verifying potential ransom notes.
• Nick Barreiro: A forensic analyst who examined new surveillance footage from the home.
• Richard Kolko: A former FBI special agent and crisis negotiator, who discussed the, at times, unverified messages sent to local media.

And what did Tapper ask all these experts and on what has he been reporting?   Again Google supplied a summary of the highlights:

• On the Evidence: Tapper reported on the "chilling" doorbell camera footage showing a masked, armed person at the front door and the discovery of blood on the porch.
• On the Investigation: He has questioned the validity of tips and reported on the massive number of leads (over 30,000) being investigated.
• On the "Influencers": Tapper has delivered sharp criticism of social media influencers and individuals spreading unverified, false, or "nonsense" information about the case.
• On the Search: He highlighted the, at times, difficult, 24/7 search by the FBI and local authorities, including the searching of desert terrain and the examination of DNA.

Lastly, what have we learned from Tapper's extensive reporting?:

• No Clear Suspect Initially: For nearly two weeks, there were no named suspects or persons of interest, although a man in a mask, seen on camera, was identified as a key suspect.
• Evidence and Clues: The investigation centered on a masked person at the home, a missing camera, and blood found on the property. A "significant" DNA breakthrough was later reported, with investigators finding DNA that did not belong to anyone in close contact with Guthrie.
• Suspect Description: The FBI described the suspect as a male, 5'9" to 5'10", wearing a black, 25-liter "Ozark Trail Hiker Pack" backpack, which is sold at Walmart.
• A "Thriller" Stuck on Buffer: Tapper's coverage reflected the frustration of a case where, despite the high-profile nature, information was slow to materialize, leading to a "tight-lipped" approach from authorities.
• Ransom Hoax: It was confirmed that at least one person was charged with sending a fake ransom note, which was a "distraction" from the actual investigation.
• FBI Focus: The FBI increased its reward to $100,000 for information leading to a resolution. On the Ransom Notes: Tapper reported on the, at times, unverified messages demanding Bitcoin and the subsequent arrest of an individual for sending a fake threat. 
• Law Enforcement: Tapper has regularly cited information from Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and the FBI. 

To summarize: We've learned that there isn't much that we've learned.

Tapper has since returned to New York, but not before being asked by a Pima County sheriff's deputy to leave the Guthrie property where a search was ongoing.  While we sincerely hope for the safe return of Nancy Guthrie to her family, the squeezing of water from the stone of this story continues unabated.

~~~~~~

* With brief respites updating developments in the Bad Bunny halftime show controversy thrown in.