Name: Arizona true crime correspondent, former FBI operative discuss Nancy Guthrie missing person case
Uploaded: 2026-02-16T23:02:15.000Z
Duration: 11 min
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Welcome back to a special edition of the Daily Report search for Nancy Guthrie.

CBS News senior coordinating producer for our crime and Public safety Unit.

Anna Schechter is with me this hour as we examine every question you have with reporters, law enforcement experts, security experts.

We're answering your questions and we know the FBI has doubled the reward for any information leading to the 84 year old mother of Today show co host Savannah Guthrie or an arrest in the case.

She is a true crime correspondent for 3TV and CBS 5 in Arizona.

She's also the host of of the True Crime Arizona podcast and has been closely following the developments in this case.

Brianna, you've been going down to Tucson.

What is the latest on what you have to report today?

Yeah, so I just interviewed Sheriff Nanos not too long ago.

I think one of the items of note is that he is saying that the Guthrie family is not cleared as of now and that nobody is cleared.

He even went as far to say that the man that they detained and released the other night is also not officially cleared.

So it seems that they really have not made a lot of progress in terms of ruling people out.

I also asked him about the whole controversy between where the DNA is being tested.

He says that he is working in tandem with the FBI, that there is not tension.

But I did ask him, you know, he had told me that the rapid DNA testing was down broken in Tucson last week.

That's why they used a Phoenix lab earlier.

And I asked him if that had been fixed because obviously in this case rapid DNA testing is a huge investigative tool and lead when you're trying to at least get to the lab next.

And he said he wasn't sure if that was fixed yet.

So definitely still some clarification that needs to be had in the investigation.

And how are authorities treating this versus other cases, Brianna?

You know, I think they want to treat this the same as other cases, but

the reality is it is not the same as other cases.

This is one of the most unusual, most bizarre and quite frankly most heartbreaking cases because there's so much mystery here.

And I think that's what has people kind of hanging on every little update.

I think where they're struggling is that they're not used to putting out updates all the time.

And so when you have the public that wants things in real time 24 7, it seems that they're holding more to the vest and not being as approachable, maybe available to the media as they might be in an investigation, but

I think the other kind of part to that is that the sheriff's department did what they needed to do and then they processed that scene and then they cleared the scene at Nancy Guthrie's home.

now you have the FBI who's saying, yeah, we got to go back in here and look at these things again.

And unfortunately, because there isn't crime tape up there, you've had people who have been up and down that driveway near the home potentially contaminating the scene.

So I think they, they need to adjust a bit.

The FBI trying to do what they can now on this side of things.

But the reality is this just is not a typical case in the least.

I also think we are insatiable for every little detail and update in this case.

Like a car moves an inch, you know, it becomes a new headline.

And there, you know, the area has just been surrounded with true crime influencers and bloggers and they don't necessarily have the same rigorous journalistic standards that legacy media does, that AZ Family does, or CBS News does.

And how is that sort of contributing to not only the spectacle, but

is it also influencing law enforcement's work?

It's really influencing how everybody's functioning, even the journalists, because you have people who are putting out every little movement, every, every tiny detail.

And the, the problem, or I mean, it's good in that people are paying attention the public.

But the problem is that when you have these platforms like TikTok and Instagram and Twitter, where people are just posting things in real time without potentially vetting what they're doing, because these, these, you know, somewhat bloggers don't have the same kind of ethics that they have to go through or certain even legalities that they have to go through.

they seem to want every little piece of video and movement in this case, which is, you know, completely unusual for a case like that, it's forcing the journalists to also then ask the sheriff's department and the FBI constantly about every little movement.

And I honestly think they've been frustrated by that, the agencies, because they're like, look, we don't typically talk about every little search or deputies out here asking questions.

That's just part of every investigation that we ever do.

And so that's really changed the game on this.

But when you have these platforms, these video platforms where people are consuming clips at a rapid fire pace, it can be really hard to keep up with.

And I think that's something that everybody's been struggling with.

But when you're in the spotlight as the lead agency on this Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, you have even more scrutiny over it.

And you can listen to Brianna's True Crime Arizona podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

An apparent ransom note relating to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie demanded payment in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

Now, this case has reignited questions over how difficult that can be to trace.

He's a former FBI counterintelligence operative.

He's also author of the book Spies, Lies and Cybercrime Cybersecurity Tactics to Outsmart Hackers and Disarm Scammers.

Eric, can you first explain what make cryptocurrency and bitcoin particularly unique and potentially, potentially appealing to people who might not have the best intentions?

Well, look, first of all, cryptocurrency drives cybercrime.

It's the way that cybercriminals get paid.

It's the way that they hide that money, money from law enforcement.

And there is a great cat and mouse game on the dark web to try to hunt that cyber crime.

Now, the misconception is that cryptocurrency is anonymous.

Cryptocurrency is all part of a public ledger on something called the blockchain.

Think of it like a huge vault with infinite number of lockboxes, and

you can buy cryptocurrency, and it goes into your lockbox, and only you have the keys.

And if you send cryptocurrency to someone else, it just moves from your lockbox to their locked box on the ledger, and

So to say we're going to put Bitcoin in that wallet would be a misstatement.

And what they're hoping is that they get that cryptocurrency, they'll own the bitcoin.

And what that means is that the FBI can watch every transaction and that hits that wallet and then where that cryptocurrency moves.

But, Eric, correct me if I'm wrong, our name isn't on the lockbox.

So what the FBI has to do is follow the cryptocurrency.

What will happen is they'll put it in that wallet, and

then the criminals, if they're wise and smart will try to move it.

And what they do is try to launder that money through what's called mixers on the dark web that put a lot of different cryptocurrency in one box, in one wallet, and

The FBI, though, is very adept at following that money.

And what they do is they follow the transaction by transaction by transaction using a tool that we call chain analysis.

And when you follow it until it finally goes to a regulated entity like a bank or a entity like Coinbase, because at some point, the bad guys have to turn that cryptocurrency into money, otherwise they can't spend it.

And it's at that point that the FBI can hopefully freeze the cryptocurrency, determine who owns that final wallet that is connected to a regulated bank, and

then have an identity of a cybercriminal or one of their associates.

And Eric, a man was arrested for allegedly sending an imposter random demand to the Guthrie family.

So how common are fraud attempts like this, demanding payment in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies?

Cyber criminals launch these scams throughout the year, usually around holidays.