Investigators have touted a theory that Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance may be linked to a burglary gone wrong as opposed to a kidnapping.
An inside source in the investigation also told AZFamily there is a widespread belief that Nancy could still be alive — as the search for the missing matriarch, 84, enters its third week.
From an early stage in their probe, Arizona cops believe Nancy was taken against her will after she was allegedly snatched from her bed on the morning of Feb.1.
Investigators touted a theory that Nancy Guthrie’s abduction may have been a botched robbery.
The new theory has raised eyebrows — with Chris Nanos, the Pima County sheriff leading the search, quickly stating that it didn’t come from law enforcement.
“It did not come from us. No idea and even though that is one of many possibilities, we would never speculate such a thing. We will let the evidence take us to motive,” he told Fox News Sunday.
And a law enforcement source appeared to dismiss the suggestion.
“This is not the working theory inside the unit,” they told Fox News.
“Nighttime residential burglaries are so ridiculously rare. Crazy rare.
An inside source in the investigation told AZFamily that the 84-year-old’s kidnapping could have been a burglary gone wrong. Instagram/savannahguthrie
A suspect wanted in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie outside her Tucson, Ariz., home. FBI
Nancy Guthrie’s house. Rebecca Noble for NY Post“We don’t have any indication that [Guthrie] really kept anything valuable there and if this was a burglary gone wrong, they don’t take the victim with them usually.”
Nancy’s famous daughter, Savannah, once again appealed to her mom’s alleged abductors to “do the right thing.”
“I wanted to come on … it’s been two weeks since our mom was taken and … I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope and we still believe,” Savannah said in an Instagram video late Sunday.
“And I wanted to say that to whoever has her or knows where she is, that it’s never too late. And you’re not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing,” the “Today” show anchor continued, pausing several times as she spoke to the camera with tears in her eyes.
“And we are here, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, and it’s never too late.”
FBI agents combing the area near Nancy’s home have found 16 gloves.
DNA was found on one glove and investigators have claimed DNA may have come from the armed suspect on the night she disappeared.
“The one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video,” an FBI spokesperson told Fox News.
Last week, surveillance video showing a masked thug tampering with a doorbell camera was released.
The man in the chilling black and white video had a gun holstered on his pants and was wearing black gloves.
It has since emerged that the man was wearing a black Ozark Trail Hiker backpack, sold exclusively at Walmart.
Nanos revealed cops had spent several days combing through surveillance videos from Walmart stores in the area.
It’s not known if the suspect bought the backpack in store or online.
Walmart officials have handed over records of in-store and online Ozark Trail Hiker backpack purchases, according to CBS News.
The suspect is a man, approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and has an average build, according to the feds.
The FBI has doubled the reward for information that leads to Nancy being found, or an arrest, to $100,000.
Three people were detained Friday night after a SWAT team carried out a search warrant around two miles from Nancy’s home.
