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Family of missing Nancy Guthrie not being treated as suspects as hunt for news anchor's mother enters third week

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Savannah Guthrie and her mother Nancy
A man has been detained for questioning in connection with the disappearance of US news anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, police say. Picture: Getty

By Henry Moore

The family of Nancy Guthrie are not being treated as suspects in her kidnapping, police have confirmed.

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Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31 and was reported missing the following day.

Purported ransom notes have been sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

Speaking on Monday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said her family, including US news anchor Savannah Guthrie, have all been “cooperative and gracious” as police continue their investigation.

Read more: Watch: Savannah Guthrie makes emotional plea to mother's suspected kidnapper as search enters third week

Mr Nanos said: "To ​suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple."

This comes as the search for Ms Guthrie enters its third week.

Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

Approximately 16 gloves were found in various spots near the house, most of which were searchers' gloves that had been discarded, the FBI said.

The discovery was revealed days after investigators had released surveillance videos of the masked person outside Mrs Guthrie's front door. A porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long trousers, jacket and gloves.

On Thursday, the FBI called the person a suspect. It described him as a man about 5ft 9in tall with a medium build.

The agency said he was carrying a 25-litre Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.

Authorities have expressed concern about Mrs Guthrie's health because she needs daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff's dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

Earlier in the investigation, authorities said they had collected DNA from Mrs Guthrie's property which does not belong to her or people in close contact with her. Investigators are working to identify who it belongs to.