Ashleigh Banfield's Latest Reporting on Potential Suspect in Alleged Kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie

What this episode is about

Ashleigh Banfield reports on the desperate plea from the Guthrie family for contact regarding their missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, highlighting the emotional turmoil they face amidst the suspicion of potential scams aimed at exploiting their crisis. The discussion emphasizes the psychological torture inflicted on families in such situations and the severe legal repercussions for those who perpetrate such acts.

Key takeaways

• Desperation shines through: a family's plea echoes the agony of the unknown, as silence breeds torment.
• Scammers thrive on vulnerability; they prey on families' pain like vultures circling over a tragedy.
• In true crime, the media's role can be a double-edged sword, often blurring the lines between fact and sensation.
• Potential suspects abound, yet without clarity, innocent victims suffer public scrutiny—a twisted game of blame.
• High-profile cases reveal the harsh truth: many families endure unseen horrors, far removed from media spotlight.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Megyn Kelly (Guest) · 9 min speaking
• Ashley Banfield (Guest) · 6 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Nancy Guthrie, Cameron Guthrie
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Tomaso Cion, Annie Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie, James Fry
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Annie Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Savannah Guthrie, Pilar County, Brian Coberger, James Fry
5. 12:00 – 15:00: Nancy Guthrie, Birch Gold Group

Notable quotes from "Ashleigh Banfield's Latest Reporting on Potential Suspect in Alleged Kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie"

• This is Cameron Guthrie. I'm speaking for the Guthrie family. Whoever is out there holding our mother. We want to hear from you. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and.

  about Cameron Guthrie · at 0:12

• We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her.

  about Nancy Guthrie · at 1:07

• Three. Okay. Who's an impeccable source told you that Tomaso Cion, who was married to Annie Guthrie, Savannah's sister, may be the prime suspect in this case. that at this time and that the car that was.

  about Tomaso Cion · at 5:18

• On to say, Law enforcement's conducted investigations since 1865 in Pima County. We are always mindful of what is in front of us and what we should release and can release.…

  about Pilar County · at 10:38

• Recorded a video. The police chief, James Fry, the Moscow PD recorded a video of himself and posted it on the Moscow police website saying, We have no suspects. Let me read it for you.

  about James Fry · at 11:40

• Diversify a portion of their savings into precious metals with Birch Gold Group. Gold can thrive during uncertainty, which is why it's a crucial part of a balance strategy. It…

  about Birch Gold Group · at 14:15

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Nancy Guthrie — Person · Missing person / alleged kidnapping victim (case subject) · 3 mentions · first at 1:07
  The discussion centers on messages from her children and reporting about who may have harmed or abducted her.
• Cameron Guthrie — Person · Family spokesperson (son) via Instagram message · 2 mentions · first at 0:12
  He delivers a direct appeal to the alleged captor/scammer, asking for proof of life and a way to communicate.
• Tomaso Cion — Person · Referenced person of interest / alleged prime suspect (per source) · 1 mention · first at 5:20
  A reporter claims a top law-enforcement source said he 'may be the prime suspect,' which becomes a major point of controversy at the press conference.
• Savannah Guthrie — Person · Family member referenced; issued Instagram message · 3 mentions · first at 5:22
  Her message is compared to Cameron's; she is also discussed as someone whose friends may be dismissive of reporting implicating an in-law.
  I just want to show you the messaging that both Savannah and now Cameron have offered in their back-to-back Instagram messages here. And this again was Cameron alone last night.
• Annie Guthrie — Person · Family member referenced in reporting (daughter/sister) · 2 mentions · first at 5:22
  She is identified as Savannah's sister and as the spouse (or former spouse) of Tomaso Cion; her car is alleged to have been towed into evidence.
  Sister, may be the prime suspect in this case. that at this time and that the car that was towed and impounded was Annie Guthri's car.
• James Fry — Person · Referenced law-enforcement official (comparative example) · 2 mentions · first at 3:17
  Cited as the police chief who publicly said 'We have no suspects' in another case, supporting the argument about strategic public messaging.
• Brian Coberger — Person · Referenced criminal suspect (comparative example) · 1 mention · first at 11:18
  Used as an example to argue law enforcement sometimes withholds or misleads the public about suspects during active investigations.
  Lawsuit that was going on. And we know that on the 19th of December in 2022, they identified his DNA as he is the holder of the DNA from the knife sheath.

Places & events

• Pilar County — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 10:21
  Mentioned in the context of law enforcement's investigative practices and the location where the crime investigation is taking place.

Sponsors

• Birch Gold Group — Company · Sponsor · 1 mention · first at 14:18
  Advertised as a solution for diversifying savings into precious metals, particularly gold, during economic uncertainty.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 I just want to show you the messaging that both Savannah and now Cameron have offered in their back-to-back Instagram messages here. And this again was Cameron alone last night. This is Cameron Guthrie. I'm speaking for the Guthrie family. Whoever is out there holding our mother. We want to hear from you. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We went to talk to you and we are waiting for contact.

0:34 Okay, so that's what we heard from Cameron himself last night. Now listen to the comparison.

0:39 As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you.

0:51 We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.

1:07 We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact. This poor family is desperate for someone if they actually have their mother to to be in touch to it's abro it's torture. It's ongoing torture.

1:35 This is yet another scammer um or another alleged scammer. Uh it is abject torture. It is why

1:41 the penalties in the code are so steep for this. Not just because of the interstate commerce, but because of the inter, you know, the the interjection into law enforcement's efforts, but also just the sheer torture that you put these people through.

1:56 Yeah, it's so awful. And you and I both have our doubts about whether it's even real. Uh so it does, if I had to put money down, I'd say this is somebody intentionally torturing the family, trying to scam them, trying to get money from them in their most vulnerable, painful moment. And by the way, if that's true, then it means the real kidnapper, murderer, whoever hurt Nancy, however they did it.

2:19 Yeah. Perpetrator is out there watching the whole thing, letting them suffer, too. Like, it's not enough that they did something to the mother. They're letting the torture go on day after day after day. When I saw those three people, Ashley, the other night on camera, all I could think was these are torture victims. That's what's happened to them.

2:37 Yeah. And so of And we don't often see this, right? because this is a very high-profile case, but in so many of the true crime cases that we covered, this is the reality. This is what people go through when their loved ones go missing. Do they get a high-profile ransom note sent to TMZ? No. But oftentimes, they are left just as terrified and just as traumatized, especially if it's their children, and you don't see as much of it on the media.

3:04 Yeah. Okay. So, let's get to your reporting because it was very clearly the gorilla in the room yesterday at that presser where it came up three different times. Four actually, four total with the sheriff saying, "We have no suspects, no persons of interest, and then some broadsides quite clearly I thought at you. I think you agreed. I watched your show this morning without naming you." Um, and some of the media are piling on, oh, if these influencers looking for clicks are reporting, you know, irresponsibly, that's You are not an influencer looking for clicks. I've known you 20 years. That's not who you are. Um, so people are dismissing this at their own peril. It is everyone there, even the sheriff said, "No one's been cleared. Everyone's a suspect. So, it is not inappropriate to start where all law enforcement starts, which is with the family, and work out. That's what you're doing. You would be doing

4:00 that even if your law enforcement source had not said that the brother-in-law may be the prime suspect. It's not inappropriate to ask questions about the family. It's actually imperative. So, here's what the sheriff said. Let's listen to SAT 19B.

4:17 Nobody's eliminated, but we just really don't have enough to say this is our suspect. This is our guy. We know or our gal. We just don't know that. and and it's really kind of reckless to report that someone is a suspect when when they could very well be a victim. It just I I I bring to you to the media. I plead with you to be be careful of what it is we put out there because we don't have anybody here listed as a suspect and you could actually be doing some some damage to the case, but you can do some damage to that individual, too. This is social media is kind of a kind of an ugly world sometimes.

5:07 Okay. So, Ashley, are you standing by your exclusive reporting broken two days ago now that top law enforcement official?

5:16 Yeah, real early on. Three. Okay. Who's an impeccable source told you that Tomaso Cion, who was married to Annie Guthrie, Savannah's sister, may be the prime suspect in this case. that

5:31 at this time and that the car that was towed and impounded was Annie Guthri's car.

5:36 Yeah. The word that was used was towed and taken into evidence. I noticed that that was actually confirmed yesterday. Car was towed and is being processed as per warrant. That was said by the sheriff

5:47 sort of. He he he didn't say it was Annie's and and he said it Ashley raised me a bunch of questions. The car and he made it sound like it was at the crime scene which is odd. I don't know that Annie Guthri's car was at the mother's house at any point, you know. Actually, here we have it. S 16. Let's let's listen to how he described it.

6:08 The car uh the the the car that was at the home uh it's just standard investigative practices. It's part of the search warrant scene court orders. We we pull it out of there and do our scene processing with the vehicle. part of the search warrant at the home. That would speak to it being at NY's.

6:30 It just said at the home and they've been at two homes. Law enforcement has been at two homes. And my source said definitively car was towed and is in evidence. That's three days ago.

6:43 And that it was Annie's. That it was Annie. That's and said Annie's car. Did not say the car. Said Annie's car. The sister's car was towed and it is in evidence. And he only would say the deny. He didn't deny it. He didn't deny a lot of stuff yesterday. He took pot shots. And I get it.

6:58 Okay. But let's get to the big let's get to the big headline about Tomas and what your source cuz I I heard your show. Have you been checking in with your source on that piece of your reporting

7:06 multiple times per day and yesterday I was told by the same source still on target. And then he said,

7:13 "Let me put it to you this way. If they're taking shots at you, you're standing on the target." That was his word.

7:21 So, no no wiggling, no backing down. No backing down. No, no change. And let me ask you this. Is he, Even though he's a I'm just saying he, I don't know whether it's he or she, but is this person, you say a top law enforcement source, but is this person in a position to know about what's actually happening in this case?

7:38 Yes. And then after the break, um, I was informed on day two that the sheriff's department tightened up like a noose, angry about leaks. And so if my information wasn't uh accurate, why would anybody be worried about leaks?

7:58 Who would care, right? It must be just some influencer. So that also strengthened uh this information. I didn't need the strengthening. Thank you. given the level uh of this source of mine. And by the way, I got asked yesterday, Megan, by somebody in the mainstream media.

8:14 Well, you're not working for a main network now. Um, so have your standards dropped out, right? Well, I've been at it 38 years. I don't think I'd throw my entire four decades away for one story. You know, I I get it. People have to have their own headlines, too. Um, but I did find that pretty offensive. No. No. my standard.

8:36 I've noticed something else. Some people who consider themselves close to Savannah, I've observed have been particularly dismissive of this report. And I don't know if that's out of loyalty to her, like she wouldn't like this, or whether they've actually been in touch with her and she doesn't like this. Either way, with all due respect to Savannah and the family, it's fair reporting. And you can't you certainly could not go by what Savannah wants you to report in covering this case. of course she'd be inclined to defend her family, even her in-law family members, and that there there's no question you wouldn't depend upon one of the victims of the crime to guide your investigation as a reporter of the crime. So, I've just noticed there's a strain of people who I know consider themselves friends of hers who have been particularly disdainful and are trying to move the coverage elsewhere and that

9:28 just can't happen. Like, well, that would be that would be a game integrity of what I do. Would I change the way I work because of who I'm covering? No, unfortunately. And it's been very difficult. We've had to cover I remember one of the first stories that I covered in 1988 was someone I knew uh was nicked by the feds for uh crossber drug dealing and I had to put it on the news. That was one of my very first stories as a cub reporter and it was like well baptism by fire. Here we go. And so out it went exactly as the police had reported it to to us at CJBN in Canora, Ontario. Um, but yeah, that that would be a questionable move in in, you know, journalistic scruples if I decided to couch the reporting because of who I'm reporting on. And it's hard. It is hard. But I will say this, law enforcement doesn't tell us everything. That's the way it works. In fact, I think that's what the sheriff

10:22 actually even said yesterday. I wrote his quote down. Yeah. Yeah. He was asked, "Are you purposely withholding um information because of the active investigation that might be leading you in a particular direction?" And his answer was this. You know, this is no different than any criminal investigation that we conduct here. Went on to say, "Law enforcement's conducted investigations since 1865 in Pima County. We are always mindful of what is in front of us and what we should release and can release. There's legal guidelines that guide us, but there's also strategy to strategy. I'll leave that for you to determine." So that is the way it works. We're not idiots. They don't have to tell us everything. But there is also a balance between the public interest and transparency. And we are always working that balance. In KBER, they flat out lied to us. They flat out lied to us. There's no concern

11:10 for the public. There's no This is a targeted attack on these four kids. That was There was an absolute concern to the public. For six weeks, Brian Coberger, a maniacal quadruple murderer, was out there and maybe eyeballing other friends of his at Washington State University. There's a lawsuit that was going on. And we know that on the 19th of December in 2022, they identified his DNA as he is the holder of the DNA from the knife sheath. December 19th. What did they do on December 20th? The next day, they recorded a video. The police chief, James Fry, the Moscow PD recorded a video of himself and posted it on the Moscow police website saying, "We have no suspects." Let me read it for you.

11:51 These are his words. No suspect suspects identified and only vetted information that does not hinder the investigation will be released to the public. We encourage referencing official releases for accurate and updated progress. They were already chasing him across the country at this point. This guy has full access to every state between Washington State and Pennsylvania with his dad as he's crossing the country. But that's what they chose to tell us. So, what is the public's interest in knowing what reporters do and what the police do? We all have a job to do and there is a balance. But there are a lot of people in that neighborhood um where Nancy Guthrie lives who are very, very afraid who said there's never been crime here.

12:28 It's a safe place. We're really worried. Well, let me tell you something else. CNN had absolutely no problem. none whatsoever. And going with the flimsiest, I'm mentioning them because there was an anchor over there who was ripping on this, the flimsiest um reporting and sourcing possible when it came to Russia gate. Same conclusion times 100 for MSNBC. Um so if it anything that would reflect negatively on President Trump, they don't need double sourcing. They don't need on the record sources at all. Same for the New York Times for that matter. So now suddenly it's just because it's Ashley Banfield and she's in the quote influencer realm that that's not an okay like a top law enforcement official with whom you've had a relationship for years whom you call impeccable now suddenly it's it's suspect for Yeah. for over a decade. So this is

13:16 this is fair game. Uh and I'm resent what's being said about you. Yeah, I do too. But okay, I get it. I got big big girl pants on. But I will also say this that things have changed um many times over in the years that I've been doing this. I've gone from broadcast news, local news, cable news, you know, and then I'm now doing podcasting. But um the way it used to be was that if you don't have three sources, you can't take it to air. That has changed. Now it is the caliber of your source. Now it is really who that source is, the trustworthiness of that source that is often times uh completely acceptable to all mainstream outlets.

13:52 Right? So I am a little surprised on this one uh that that I'm getting the the flak, but especially especially with the sheriff's answers.

14:02 International disputes, inflation, rising national debt, digital currency. There is a never- ending list of reasons that gold has risen over 700% in the last 20 years and a never- ending list of reasons smart Americans diversify a portion of their savings into precious metals with Birch Gold Group. Gold can thrive during uncertainty, which is why it's a crucial part of a balance strategy. It gives you peace of mind given all the events that could impact the US economy. See if holding gold in a tax sheltered retirement account is right for you.

14:33 Birch Gold can help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into an IRA in gold. Just text MK to the number 989898 to receive your free info kit on gold. There's no obligation, just useful information with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers. Consider letting Birch Gold help you diversify with gold so you too can have peace of mind regardless of the uncertainty. Text MK to the number 989898. Thanks so much for watching. If you like what you just saw, hit the subscribe button for more clips and full episodes.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Ashleigh Banfield's Latest Reporting on Potential Suspect in Alleged Kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie"?

Megyn Kelly (Guest), Ashley Banfield (Guest).

What is "Ashleigh Banfield's Latest Reporting on Potential Suspect in Alleged Kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie" about?

Ashleigh Banfield reports on the desperate plea from the Guthrie family for contact regarding their missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, highlighting the emotional turmoil they face amidst the suspicion of potential scams aimed at exploiting their crisis. The discussion emphasizes the psychological torture inflicted on families in such situations and the severe legal repercussions for those who…

What is mentioned in this Megyn Kelly episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Nancy Guthrie, Cameron Guthrie, Tomaso Cion, Savannah Guthrie, Annie Guthrie, Pilar County. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Ashleigh Banfield's Latest Reporting on Potential Suspect in Alleged Kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie"?

The episode runs 15 min; the transcript is about 2,769 words in 38 timestamped sections.

More from Megyn Kelly

• All analyzed episodes
• Books mentioned on Megyn Kelly
• People mentioned on Megyn Kelly
• Sponsors mentioned on Megyn Kelly
• Topics mentioned on Megyn Kelly