Nancy Guthrie Case: JonBenét Ramsey’s Father Gives One-Word Advice to Family on Police Investigation

Come June 1, it will officially be four months since NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared. While the family continues searching for answers, John Ramsey, whose daughter JonBenét Ramsey was murdered in 1996, said they should “really scrutinize the police.”

Speaking on the latest episode of Brian Entin Investigates, Ramsey criticized the handling of missing-person investigations and urged families not to assume authorities are doing everything possible. “The sheriff should have recognized that he needed all the resources he could get his hands on, and said, ‘Come on in,’ but he didn’t,” Ramsey said. “It’s sad, but that happens a lot in our country, though, because of the way we’re structured.”

Ramsey compared Guthrie’s case to the investigation into his daughter’s murder, recalling how outside assistance was offered but declined. Denver police offered three experienced homicide detectives. Boulder had no homicide detective,” Ramsey said. “I got a feeling that may have been the case in the Guthrie case, too.”

He also reflected on the scrutiny and the accusations his family faced following JonBenét’s death. “Looking back on it now, you think, man, that was nuts. But it didn’t matter,” he said. “I mean, we knew who we were. Our friends supported us strongly.”

Despite major advances in forensic technology since 1996, Ramsey said he is surprised investigators still have no answers about Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts. “The police just originally thought, well, she probably just wandered off, being an 84-year-old person. Well, I’m 83, I don’t wander off in the middle of the night,” he said.

Asked what advice he would give the Guthrie family, Ramsey said, “Don’t assume the police are doing everything they can do.”

He added, “Really scrutinize what they’re doing. Ask questions. You can’t assume your local police department is good at everything, and I think just be sure they’re bringing in all the resources that can be brought in.”

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1 after attending a family dinner and game night at the home of her daughter, Annie Guthrie, and son-in-law, Tomasso Cioni. Since then, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has come under heavy criticism for his handling of the case, particularly in the crucial early days of the investigation.

However, Nanos recently said he remains confident investigators are close to solving the case. “My team, I’ve said all along, they’re gonna solve this,” he said. “I fully 100% believe that.”

The sheriff also revealed that investigators are still working to identify an unknown DNA contributor connected to the case.

“I know we have DNA that is unknown who the contributor or depositor is, but I think they’re getting closer to finding out who that was,” Nanos said in an interview with News Nation, adding that he has “confidence in our labs.”

He said the investigation would only become a cold case if forensic labs reached a dead end. “When the labs tell us, ‘Hey, there’s nothing else we can do,’ well, then maybe we’ve got a problem … we’ve got a cold case,” he said. “But right now, the labs aren’t telling us that.”