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Laura Coates Live

The Search for Nancy Guthrie Continues. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired February 12, 2026 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[23:00:00]

JANE FONDA, ACTIVIST, ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS: -- but you have to see through it, through the traumatized person, and not hate him, because if you hate him, then it's your -- it brings you down. I don't hate him.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. Well, thank you very much for watching "NewsNight." You can catch me any time on your favorite social media X, Instagram, and on TikTok. "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): New searches, new tips, and new evidence.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): The FBI has doubled their reward from $50,000 to $100,000.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): A call for video from anyone who lives within a two-mile radius.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): The man is approximately 5'9" or 5'10" and average build.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Not one, but multiple gloves found near her home.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): The FBI erecting a white tent outside her front door.

UNKNOWN: This is the last time I'm going to send you anything.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): I know who this kidnapper is, and I can lead you to him.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): More than 13,000 tips since February 1st.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): One of the tips they're chasing down involves a white van.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): All of these should have been happening days ago from day one.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): At the end of the day, it's going to be one of those tips that is going to solve this case. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Good evening and welcome to a special edition of "Laura Coates Live: The Search for Nancy Guthrie." Tonight, we've got the clearest description yet of who investigators are trying to find. The FBI is putting out new information about the person they're now officially calling a suspect, the same masked person who was captured on camera outside Nancy Guthrie's home 12 nights ago. And that reward for his arrest? Well, it just doubled. In just a moment, our reporters and law enforcement will join me to break it all down.

The FBI is saying, though, the suspect is a man. He's about 5'9" or 5'10." He has an average build. And this is key: He was wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail hiker pack. And here's a side by side comparison of that backpack next to images of the suspect. It has reflectors on the straps. The suspect's bag was also completely packed. And you know what? Just for scale, I was curious, I got an actual version of that backpack. Here it is, obviously empty, but just so you know the capacity that it could possibly, possibly carry. Quite expansive. We have no idea what actually was inside the backpack, but it is readily available. Will that complicate the investigation?

The FBI has also upped their reward from $50,000 to $100,000. Law enforcement is working with a flood of tips. More than $13,000 have been submitted to the FBI alone just since February 1st. And they're hoping they may get some critical tips from people living within a two-mile radius of an intersection not actually that far from Guthrie's home.

Investigators are asking for neighbors to send in any video footage that includes cars or traffic or people or really anything that may be out of the ordinary. You know what? They want it from a pretty big date range. January 1st to February 2nd. That request came after residents in the neighborhood were alerted to check their security camera footage from two specific days in January, the 11th and also the 31st.

I want to begin with CNN's Nick Watt, who's live for us in Tucson. Nick, what is your understanding of how they were able to piece together this description of the suspect?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, just before 8 a.m. this morning, a tent went up just outside Nancy Guthrie's house, outside the porch. And what we understand is investigators were basically creating a nighttime situation, it was a blackout situation, so that they could test what they thought was the backpack, what they thought was some of the clothing, what they -- so they could test it by looking through that Nest doorbell cam, which uses, of course, at night, infrared cameras, infrared tech. So, they want to check out the backpack and everything through that kind of camera to make sure that they've got the colors right, make sure that they've got the brand right.

They also measured. They, of course, could see that suspect in the video. They could see how tall he was in relation to other, you know, arches and bricks, etcetera on the porch, and then they measured, and that's where they came up with the 5'9", 5'10". Of course, the backpack is going to be key. They will be trying to find out did anyone buy one of those backpacks somewhere in this area.

And, you know, also, you mentioned, Laura, there have been thousands of tips. So perhaps by giving specific information, specific details like that height, they might be able to perhaps reduce the number of tips, but increase the quality of those tips. Laura?

COATES: A really important point given how many tips have come in even just since February, let alone since those images were even released.

[23:05:03]

WATT: Yes.

COATES: But this request for surveillance footage dating back really, Nick, to the last month, can you just orient us on the particular area they're asking about?

WATT: Yes. You know, it's interesting. First, they came out and asked for very specific dates and times, January 11th, January 31st, particular times. They talked about a suspicious vehicle.

Then they broadened it. They said, listen, anybody within a couple of miles, you've got anything that looks suspicious, vehicle, person, anything, we want to see it. And they've included some areas a little further away from where we are where there are streetlights, where there are businesses, where they might get a better view because around here -- listen, zoning means all these houses are at least 30 feet back from the road. There's vegetation all over the place. There are no streetlights. So, the quality of any images that might have been picked up by doorbell cameras here could be questionable. So, they have cast a very wide net.

And also, you know, January 1st to February 2nd, seems to suggest they believe this guy was not just here that morning that Nancy Guthrie was snatched. He could have been here multiple times before, casing, planning. He could also have returned afterwards. That does sometimes happen.

So, they have cast a very wide net for video, trying to piece together the movements of this suspect, obviously with the aim of trying to find him. Laura?

COATES: So eerie, but will it move the needle is the big question because there was actually a lot of speculation today about a separate video from a different home of a man wearing a backpack. Has that been addressed?

WATT: Yes, it has. We have heard from a source that law enforcement looked into that and determined that that guy had absolutely nothing to do with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. So, process of elimination. That's it. Laura? COATES: Nick Watt, thank you so much. There's so much more to get to. I want to turn to criminologist Casey Jordan, also retired supervisory special FBI agent Steve Moore here with me as well. I'll begin with you, Casey, because, you know, here we are. The FBI describing now a suspect. It's a man around 5'9" to 5'10" tall, average body build, wearing a black Ozark Trail hiker pack backpack. Even though it's something more than we've ever had, at least in the past almost several weeks now, it's still a very broad description. So, how could you take that broad description and narrow down the leaves?

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST, BEHAVIORAL ANALYST: We need them to get us more information. And I guess it's maybe -- it's my impatient nature, but they didn't tell me anything that I didn't have figured out two days ago. And the, you know, so-called armchair detectives, we actually think we know what kind of fleece that is. We would love to have a little bit more insight. Again, 5'9", 5'10". What's the shoe size? What's the estimated weight of this guy? Do we have any leads on that ski mask? Is it an old one? Is it a new one?

I know that they have a team of people working on this, but the sooner they can get all of the confirmed information from the infinite FBI sources, the sooner that people can zone in and go, well, OK, I know some guys who are 5'10", but I also know a 5'10" guy who was acting weird in the last few days, who has that backpack, and who has, I believe, an American Eagle outfit or fleece, and he's a size 10-1/2 shoe.

I mean, the more of this information we can get confirmed, even if it's a pretty good probability guesstimate, the sooner that we will get the tips that are legitimate and narrow that suspect pool. That's what we're waiting for. It is slow work --

COATES: Yes.

JORDAN: -- but everyone is just waiting for more information to be confirmed.

COATES: Steve, let's talk about that because aside from the fact that this person, the clothing is important there, the radius peaks my curiosity because it suggests, obviously, that they know the suspect had to leave the area. The question is how. So, I'm thinking vehicle. The more they can learn about the vehicle, probably the easier they could narrow down a whole lot of information. Do you have any insight into what that process would look like knowing that the camera focuses singularly on what happens right in front of the door?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Right. This -- the search for the vehicle that they're working on right now is actually helped by the fact that this is a fairly remote area. It's not a street that you would go down to try and get to someplace else. If you went into that neighborhood, you mean to go to that neighborhood. It's not a thoroughfare.

So, what they're -- they don't need to even look at suspicious vehicles. They will probably have by now a list of all the vehicles owned by people within that neighborhood. Then what you're looking for are vehicles that don't belong there that entered in the last month.

[23:10:01]

And you're going to cross reference those. You're going to get a list of those vehicles if you can get camera work on those. But, hopefully, they're looking for somebody who has been there several times for casing purposes and other -- other reasons.

COATES: Interesting, too. They probably have to cross reference deliveries that might be made to the location and figure out what vehicles were coming in and coming out. Do they come back multiple times? It really is -- it's a daunting proposition, to look at all those things.

Casey, the neighbors, obviously very important in describing what Steve has just spoken about. They've been asked to check their security camera footage. But they have a date range. And the date goes back to January 11th between 9 p.m. and midnight. Now, that, unlike the more broad description of somebody's personal attributes, that time frame quite specific. What does that indicate to you? And also, why do you think now they've narrowed down that way?

JORDAN: OK. Well, we heard from the very first few days when Nancy Guthrie disappeared that there had been some reports of trespassers, at least one trespasser, by a neighbor in the area, and that's all we heard.

Now, I believe that the date of that alleged trespassing was January 11th and that somebody who heard Nancy disappeared immediately checked their ring or Nest or, you know, their security camera footage and said, you know what? There was a prowler in my backyard or fill in the blank.

Why it took another 10 days for us to ask everyone else to check their security camera footage from that exact day and that time frame to match the neighbor's trespasser, I have no idea.

I do have a lot of faith in the neighbors. Forget the two-mile radius. I think everyone is checking in an entire like four, five, six-mile radius around the Guthrie home. I am sure the interest in this case is so heightened that everyone has been checking it. But it certainly helps if you have a mountain of archived video footage to get these specific dates when suspicious activity was happening in the neighborhood because it can narrow down and make the daunting task of checking your security footage that much easier. And I think that once everyone is checking, we will begin to see any patterns. If they're there, they will be revealed. But, again, this should have been asked a week ago.

COATES: I have question, Steve, as to whether, you know, we are getting all the information in real time. I mean, because for the reasons that Casey identified, the reason you and I have spoken in the past, you have to wonder about, you know, the timing and the pacing of the investigation. Maybe there's more going on behind the scenes.

But also, there's the doubling of the reward, which I find interesting. It has gone from what? Fifty thousand to now at $100,000. And they have gotten thousands of tips so far. We've been aware of this, you know, note saying that I want a bitcoin for information about the person who they say has done this. There are still these questions about whether these are verified ransom notes collectively or individually. But what does it say to you about where they are in the investigation that they've now doubled the reward for crowdsourcing purposes, really, of the investigation?

MOORE: Well, it shows me that they are not sure of anything yet. This doesn't mean they don't have potential suspects, that they're not looking at people. I mean, they're -- I've said before, they're not sitting by their phones, waiting for the call to come in. They are out looking for people who might fit the profile of this type of person. They're looking at clothing. They're looking at all sorts of things right now.

And, as far as us getting information, you know that whole thing about you only see 10 percent of an iceberg and 90 percent of it is underwater. It's like that with the information they have compared to what they're releasing except much more than 90 percent is underwater.

COATES: Well, one that we're not hearing a lot about, Casey, the ransom notes. And I find this fascinating because the ransom notes, obviously, were very critical in trying to figure out there was a lead, there was the video that the Guthrie family talked about being willing to pay, there was discussion about whether the bitcoin had any activity in the wallet. And, frankly, those ransom notes in the past, some thought, would lead to more clues and that this was a kidnapping. That still hasn't been ruled out. But do you think, as this goes on, that the theory gets less likely that the ransom either was verifiable or that this was, in fact, one that was an actual kidnapping?

JORDAN: Yes. Two things have happened. I call it the extortionist. The person who is conveying these communications demanding the six million, as far as we know, not been paid. Why? Because we never got proof of life. If you have her, even proof of control, proof of anything, they maybe had a chance. But as far as we know, no proof of life was ever provided.

[23:15:00]

So, that was the very first thing to kind of discourage the idea that the kidnapper and the extortionist were related.

Now that we have the footage of the suspect and we see that this is not like professional kidnapper ninja team going in there like we originally thought and as we might associate to people demanding six billion or six million in bitcoin, this is a guy picking flowers and shoving them in the lens of a Nest camera, who wears the backpack, doesn't wear it, seems to vacillate a little bit, so now that we see the suspect, that, I think, has really pushed us towards the idea that the kidnapper or the home invader, the burglar, whatever you want to think was the motive of that suspect, is unrelated to the extortionist demanding, who, as far as I know, we haven't heard from in many, many days. I think they have gone off into the sunset, and we will solve this mystery when we find the guy on the porch, and I'm very sure we're going to do that relatively soon.

COATES: It's agonizing for the family to even wait. And, obviously, their optimism, I'm sure, is difficult. Casey, thank you so much. Steve, please stick around.

Ahead, this is my question: What were they doing inside that tent on day 12, the one they build outside of the front door? And what about the gloves that are now being processed? Yes, I did say gloves. Our forensic expert Mike McCutcheon is back with us tonight to help break it all down. Plus, Sheriff Chris Nanos. He is back in the spotlight as pressure mounts in the investigation. We'll have an inside look at the scrutiny he is now facing. And later -- quote -- "We will never give up." Savannah Guthrie sharing a new message of hope for her mother.

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[23:20:00]

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COATES: You know, two moments stuck out today as police search for clues in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. First, that tent the FBI put up outside the front door of her home. Sources tell us it was used to try to recreate nighttime conditions at her home, and then examine what the suspect might have looked like through the lens of a doorbell camera. And now, investigators are testing gloves, plural, that have been recovered, including one that was found about two miles from her home. They want to find out if it's the same glove the man wore in the video we've all seen taken from Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera.

Now, forensic educator and former police detective Mike McCutcheon joins me here. Now, Mike, I need your brain again because I want to talk about this tent. Sources say that they're trying to recreate nighttime conditions at her home. What is your perspective on that?

MIKE MCCUTCHEON, FORENSIC EXPERT, FORMER POLICE DETECTIVE: That's possibility, for sure. So, if they are going to use -- if they were looking for blood evidence, for example, and they were going to use Bluestar or luminol to find blood perhaps that is in the soil, you need to do that in a dark setting. And to try to gather any evidence at nighttime is actually quite difficult. So, if they could mimic the darkness or get the darkness to spray a chemical on there, the Bluestar, I think that that would be something that they could do.

Also, if they're trying to -- if they're making it dark for the sake of the camera, if they're using infrared, they want to see what different colors look like in the infrared. Think of like an old black and white film. The makeup that the actors used to wear actually were different than what appear in a black and white film. That's the same when you're using infrared. So, they may be wanting to see what actual colors appear, what we see as black and white, but what those actual colors are.

And then the third thing is --

(CROSSTALK)

COATES: Go ahead.

MCCUTCHEON: I'm sorry.

COATES: Go ahead.

MCCUTCHEON: The third one could just be some privacy of what they're wanting to do in that area because this is -- I mean, just from the shots we're looking at, there's a lot of attention on this and they may not want to reveal what they're actually doing in that particular area and they're setting it up just for privacy. It could very well be the case as well.

COATES: Discuss the timing of that decision to do the tent now. We are almost two weeks in at this point in time. Would the evidence that could possibly being searched for, is that something that is still present at this time, possibly?

MCCUTCHEON: That's a good question. And yes. The further we get away from the origin of the incident, yes, the less likely we're going to find evidence, especially if it's outside. However, these chemicals are so sensitive. They are so sensitive. Let's say you had a blood stain on your shirt. These are -- you could wash that shirt in a washing machine, spray the chemical on it, and still be able to determine that there was a blood stain there. So, they are very, very, very sensitive.

The only thing that, and I know that there's weather coming in, it sounds like rain is coming in, that would be my concern because if there's any footwear or tire tread, that is where we're going to have a problem, that is where you're going to have a problem because that will get washed away, for sure.

COATES: Let's talk about the gloves, Mike. They were recovered by police. We know some were. How long will it take to test those for forensic evidence?

MCCUTCHEON: So, what they're going to do is they're probably going to do two things with those. They're certainly going to test them for DNA. And then they will, depending on the outside and the inside of the gloves, you can actually get a fingerprint off of a glove, depending on what the surface is.

[23:25:04]

So, I'm sure they're going to do both. Now, in a case like this, this is something where they're going to, I'll say, rush the results. And they're going to be able to test that DNA quite quickly, particularly if it's a single donor DNA. They'll be able to get those results fairly quick.

Now, with the gloves, and I've mentioned the evidence that is left behind, if there's blood evidence on those gloves, that's not going anywhere. They're going to be able to test that and be able to get DNA. Your sweat, your sweat glands, you have glands in your fingers, they're wearing those gloves, they're sweating in those gloves, excellent source for DNA evidence inside those gloves as well.

COATES: Mike, I can imagine the public is looking at the big picture. They're thinking gloves, clothing, description, backpacks, and the like. But if you're on the scene looking for information, perhaps there's nothing too small of a detail that the public might overlook, but a very diligent investigator will be honing in on. Describe what will be the smallest of things that could be the most consequential.

MCCUTCHEON: It's so difficult to do because you don't know until you know. And we've seen lots of videos and pictures of agents looking everywhere. You see on the screen now where, you know, they're combing through the woods, they're going through culverts, they're looking in everything. And you just don't know. It could be that they chewed a piece of gum while they're waiting and spit out their gum. It could be something as small as that. It could be anything.

And so, there's no -- there's no piece of evidence that's too small or insignificant. If you find something that doesn't belong, regardless of how big or small it is, that is going to be your start of where you can start testing for that evidence.

So, it's really difficult, but they're going to look for anything, large or small, in that area that looks out of place or looks like it has been there only for the 12 days and hasn't been there for a really long time.

COATES: A cactus needle in the desert. Mike McCutcheon, thank you so much.

MCCUTCHEON: Yes.

COATES: Despite the new developments --

MCCUTCHEON: Thanks for having me.

COATES: -- glad you're here -- you know, there is still no sign of Nancy Guthrie. And we are 12 days into her disappearance, 12 days after she was first reported missing. And some experts worry that investigators aren't getting any closer to finding her. Here's what one former FBI assistant director told me last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SWECKER, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION: It gives me pause. If they have 8,000 leads and that was their best lead and they had to cut him loose, that makes me think that maybe they weren't as far along as I thought they were.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: I want to bring in someone with a very unique perspective, criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, who has worked on several missing person cases, including the Chandra Levy case in 2001. I'm glad you're here because this is the question I have. I mean, there have been few leads. There have been scant clues. They're obviously diligently working. But do you think that the public is getting the full picture of what law enforcement is really doing?

MARK GERAGOS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Not even close. And it's always the case, especially in these ones that seemed kind of inexplicable. For instance, you showed that white tent. Everybody was asking, what is that? Mike was absolutely right. They could have been doing luminol. I think what they actually were doing, and my suspicion is, and I have it on pretty good authority, they were recreating the lighting on that night because they now have that subscription of the video or the non- subscribed video.

One of the things in that video that you saw that was very prominent was the eyes. You saw the eyes that was captured. That was not a still. That was video. They are using biometric iris-type technology to see if they can identify because iris technology, biometric technology, a lot of people are familiar with similar things, whether it's at the airport when you're going through clear (ph), whether it's other kinds of Department of Defense ways of identifying people biometrically.

They were trying to create, I believe, a scenario where they could run that video at the same kind of ambient lighting, very similarly, to see if they could focus it on the eyes, see if they can get some kind of an identification at the same time that they're doing all these other things because you saw with Luigi Mangione, just because you zero in on somebody, you may not be able to get that evidence in once you get the person, the backpack search, for instance.

So, biometric identification may not be, you know, meet a Daubert standard or Kelly-Frye standard, but if it helps you identify somebody and you can say it's not the only reason that you got to them, that's very helpful.

COATES: What is the advantage to law enforcement to withhold the breadth of what they have uncovered from the public?

[23:30:04]

GERAGOS: Well, I'll give you one example. When the notes that have been out there famously --

COATES: The ransom notes.

GERAGOS: The supposed ransom notes.

COATES: Supposed.

GERAGOS: Right. One of the things that they want to do is they want to take a look at what the contents are and make sure that somebody has got information that they know to be true that the public doesn't know. So, they're able to test that. If it's a piece of information, smashed floodlight that had not been reported on yet and that's in the note, that would lend you or let you think or let them conclude that that is something that is legit. If it is something referring to a medication that it's not out there that they knew in the letter or that they referred to, that could be a proof of life.

I suspect -- when I saw the second video by the family, I suspected -- I actually was encouraged, unlike most people. Most people thought that was bring her -- bring her back for a celebration of life. I did not interpret it that way. I think that there probably has been something that leads them to believe she's still alive.

COATES: In that second video, we understand, we got your message, it's very valuable to us, we will pay, talking about to celebrate with her. That language sounded odd to people. We know that hostage negotiators and the FBI are going to be assisting in some way and discussing with the family the crafting of language and response. But you have actually been in the room with families who have been dealing with and agonizing wait, looking for their loved ones.

GERAGOS: And they will listen.

COATES: Yes.

GERAGOS: They listen to what the FBI counsels them. I mean, nobody goes into this saying I've got --

COATES: Right.

GERAGOS: -- information. You're shell-shocked. So --

COATES: What makes that -- they're listening. When you're in these rooms watching these families go through this, though, they must have questions about (INAUDIBLE) follow the advice.

GERAGOS: Well, there's -- what I have seen firsthand is when people want to go what I call rogue and the FBI generally very, very, in a kind way, try to explain to them basically war stories. This did not work. Somebody went wrong. This does not work. And that is very compelling. Nobody is ever prepared for this kind of situation. And if you're talking to somebody who has been through it, it's a lot more comforting and gives you a lot more confidence that what you're doing is maximizing your odds.

COATES: It has been 12 days. Agonizing for the Guthrie family. The nation has been watching. But, at some point, people wonder if the case will go officially cold. Do you have a sense of the urgency that the time is of the essence for the investigative portion of this?

GERAGOS: The rule of thumb, and you can always talk to your law enforcement experts, and they always say the odds go down dramatically after 48 or 72 hours, 96 hours at the outside. In a case like this, I'm not so sure.

COATES: Why?

GERAGOS: There have been a couple of things. There has been another home invasion that was close in time and close in proximity. That leads me to believe that maybe there is some kind of a connection. I heard law enforcement, local law enforcement. They're talking about the proximity to the border and how that is -- people have to understand, if you're sitting on one of the coasts, you don't quite understand what is happening at the border. That, I think, is informative.

I also think that, and I go back to what we just said, that tape by the family, to me, says that there has been some legitimate or some reason for hope, that they have had some communication, and that when they said "we hear you" or "we know," that they're putting that out there. I don't think that was a stab in the dark. I could be wrong, but I'm hopeful and I'm optimistic still, even though we're way past the normal kind of rule of thumb time period.

COATES: Thank you so much for expertise. You've been in these situations with clients. Thank you. Mark Geragos, everyone. Up next, a closer look at the sheriff in charge of the Guthrie case and the questions he's now facing about some early decisions he made in the investigation. And later, my team of law enforcement experts will help me answer your questions that you're sending in about the case. Send some more at cnn.com/asklaura.

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[23:35:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS NANOS, SHERIFF, PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Right now, I have no plan to schedule any further press conferences unless we have some real evidence or something to bring up to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos a week ago today at the last public briefing he has given in the Nancy Guthrie case. There have been actually no press conferences since. The sheriff's office has been sending out updates via statements and also social media. The pressure is, of course, intense as we now near the two-week mark without a suspect or any real trace of Nancy Guthrie. And with each passing day, more questions are being raised about the investigation.

CNN's Elex Michaelson looked into it, all of this for us, and he's with me now. Elex, what can you tell us?

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Laura, Sheriff Nanos has been at this for a long time, more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, with some big investigations under his belt. But even he admits the intense spotlight from the Guthrie case is unlike anything he has seen before.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON (voice-over): With the world's attention transfixed on the search for Nancy Guthrie, the man at the helm, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, finding himself in the spotlight.

NANOS: We believe now, after we've processed that crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The investigation now in its 12th day.

[23:40:00]

Facing scrutiny about its first days, the sheriff confronting a series of questions about his initial handling of the case.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Why don't authorities think that Nancy Guthrie was targeted?

NANOS: Who said that --

UNKNOWN (voice-over): You did early in the investigation.

NANOS: Well, if I said, I mis -- I absolutely misspoke.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The sheriff initially released the Guthrie crime scene on February 2nd, wanting to have the crime scene tape go back up two days later as the FBI came in for a fresh look. Sheriff Nanos pressed on concerns that the scene may have been contaminated.

NANOS: I'll let the courts worry about that.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): But Nanos admitting he could have kept the scene closed a little longer.

NANOS: You know, Monday morning quarterback. I probably would have. But I'll say this: We processed the scene. We got what we thought was complete. So, yes, there's -- again, Monday morning quarterback. Absolutely. I probably could have held off on that.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Nanos's every move scrutinized, including his decision to attend a college basketball game over the weekend. Nanos telling Green Valley News he was working on his phone for most of the game, adding -- quote -- "I got to a point where I needed to decompress a little bit and back away from my team a little bit so I'm not on them all the time."

But Sheriff Nanos is no stranger to high-profile cases.

NANOS: (INAUDIBLE) ruined a lot of lives.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): He worked the investigation into the shooter who tried to assassinate then Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in 2011, serving as sheriff's captain at the time.

NANOS: Any time you have a criminal case of this magnitude, you want to find every piece of evidence you can to put it together.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Now, 15 years later, Nanos back in the spotlight, tasked with piecing together yet another horrific puzzle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: The sheriff has defended his investigation, told a local outlet -- quote -- "The haters are going to hate." He also said that his department has a close to 100 percent solved rate when it comes to homicides, and that people don't know just how much work they're actually putting into this case behind the scenes.

Laura, CNN did reach out to the sheriff's office to ask for a comment on his attendance at the basketball game, of his handling of the investigation. The office said the sheriff is not commenting, at least not yet. Laura?

MICHAELSON: Thank you, Elex. I should note, this is not homicide, as far as we know. We are still looking actively for the return safely of Nancy Guthrie. I want to bring you in to this conversation because, Moses, you're here, Moses Castillo, a former LAPD detective. Moses, is the criticism of Sheriff Nanos fair?

MOSES CASTILLO, RETIRED DETECTIVE SUPERVISOR, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: I don't think so. I think the fact that they reopened the crime scene is because of the request of the FBI so they could come in and give it a second look. So, I think that's what happened.

COATES: And that's normal?

CASTILLO: It is normal, because you want to go in there and make sure you do your own investigation and cover it. The best thing would have been wait for the FBI to arrive so they could have it without being tear down or reopen again.

COATES: What about from an optics perspective of him attending the basketball game? He wants to decompress, he says. But the optics of this, when you're supposed to be 24-7 devoted to this extraordinary crime, how do you think?

CASTILLO: Well, I think as a leader, you lead by example, and that was not a good example, especially in the middle of a high-profile case. Not only because it's high-profile, but we're talking about the life of an 84-year-old elderly lady who's fragile, and you're at a basketball game. It doesn't look good.

COATES: What about the decision not to hold press conferences? Is that something that you think is a good idea given the pacing of the investigation or do you think there should be more frequent updates, at least, to keep the public in the loop?

CASTILLO: I personally believe that there are people telling you, what, maybe just lay low for now, let us do our thing because it's not going well when you're out there speaking about this case. So, I think that's what's happening there.

COATES: Is the timeline of the tent surprising to you, building that reconstructing tent?

CASTILLO: Yes. I really don't buy the idea that it was done to create darkness again because it's going to be hard to create darkness in the middle of the day in a white tent. But I think it was maybe to collect more evidence, and they don't want to look like, again, we goofed by not collecting all the blood, you know, pattern of the blood spatter or do analysis of the pattern -- of the blood pattern. So, I think that was what they were doing, not so much that they wanted to create darkness. I think that was the excuse they gave.

COATES: Very interesting to think about that. Elex, thank you, and we'll see you at the top of the hour. Elex and Moses, stand by because up next, you're going to help me answer some questions that have been coming in from our audience at home. Some really interesting ones coming in tonight. You can submit yours at cnn.com/asklaura.

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[23:45:00]

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COATES: Hey, you've got questions? Well, we've got answers. You've been sending in literally hundreds of your most pressing questions about the search for Nancy Guthrie. And, as promised, we're bringing everyone watching at home into the conversation. And a reminder for those of you who want to participate, you can send us your questions by going to cnn.com/asklaura. Steve Moore and Moses Castillo are back with me now.

We've got one from Aaron in Surfside, Florida. Are there any known motives for this kidnapping? We don't know at this point. We have none that are known by law enforcement. And they have not publicly stated a specific motive. But a lot of the theories have to do with the fact that she is related to a high-profile figure, her daughter, Savannah Guthrie. Steve -- Moses, how would you, as investigators work, try to figure out that motive, though?

CASTILLO: Well, the fact that he came with a backpack that appeared to be full, not empty, if it was empty, then he's going to go for a burglary to add his items. So, maybe the intent wasn't burglary, maybe it was something else, and I'm hoping that's not the case. But I'm really concerned for Ms. Guthrie's well-being.

[23:49:58]

COATES: Rose from San Diego asked this question. In past missing person cases, we've seen volunteers step up and assist in search efforts. How come we haven't seen this in the search for Nancy Guthrie?

MOORE: Well, the search -- the search volunteers are out there searching for missing people where you don't know what's going on. We know that this is a crime. And you wouldn't know where to search.

COATES: And you think they don't want to tip off potentially a rescue mission?

CASTILLO: Right.

COATES: Or recovery?

CASTILLO: Sometimes, they are trained professional or trained volunteers that come in to do a search and rescue. We're not there yet. We're hoping that she's still alive. We're acting on the assumption that she's out there alive. And if you have any information, call the authorities with that piece of information.

COATES: Brenda from Chicago asked this question. Why haven't the authorities put the public in Arizona on alert for possible dangers, since the suspect or suspects is on the loose?

MOORE: Pretty much because they pose a danger to the specific person they were after. They are not a general criminal going out and just randomly killing.

COATES: We think.

MOORE: We hope.

COATES: All right. Connie asked this question. In one picture of Nancy, there is a black dog on her lap. Did she have a dog, and was it with her or in the house when she was abducted? There's no indication that she had a dog at the time she was abducted, actually. And the dog seen in this picture, it's actually Savannah's.

Here's one, Lori from Leland, North Carolina asked this question. Can't the FBI track to find out whose phone pinged at the time when the doorbell was disconnected? Actually, I'll take this one, because I spoke with a retired FBI special agent just last week who actually specialize in using cellular data, trying to locate suspects and missing persons, and here's what he told me is actually within the FBI's capabilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF BENNETT, RETIRED SPECIAL AGENT, FBI: We can geographically identify what other devices were there. And we can attempt to detect a pattern. And if that pattern, if there are devices over time and distance that are suspicious, that is something we would look into.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Ronnie from New Hampshire asked this question. Why has everything with law enforcement regarding Nancy Guthrie been slow motion, especially when her life has been on the line? That seems to be a big question tonight. There has been a lot of people asking that question. What is your thought?

CASTILLO: Actually, I think it's the opposite. I think it has been very fast-paced. They're putting all hands on deck, a lot of resources. And I believe they're working 12 hours on 12 hours off in different shifts because if a tip comes in, we need a team ready to go. So, I think just the opposite.

COATES: How about the time block of searching certain data? Is that a slow indication or pace?

MOORE: It's hard to search data. It's time consuming, it has been ongoing since day one, and that's why they're flying more agents in. It's just complicated.

COATES: Liz from Tampa asked this question. There was a lot of Nancy's blood on the front porch, then no more signs of blood. How did that happen with no tire tracks? Any thoughts?

CASTILLO: Again, we don't know what the crime scene investigation revealed. Maybe we do have some information. They're just not revealing it. So, sometimes, you have to keep information so private and confidential because you don't want to tip off the suspect so that when you do get a mission or a confession, it's really because they knew the information because it's there without releasing it to the public.

COATES: Interesting. Jeff from Atlanta asked this question. At what point does this become a potential cold case?

MOORE: Well, for kidnapping, it's already a cold case. It's two to three days, one or two ransom notes. And usually, if it's after a week, it's cooled off pretty significantly. But that doesn't mean that the effort i slowing down.

COATES: Casey from Denver asked this question. A modern-day kidnapping and ransom seemed out of the norm for most public crimes that seemed to be trending. Mass shootings, which we learned, too. Do you think the attention from this crime poses threats to other famous family members? I believe copycatting is one of the driving forces in public crimes.

CASTILLO: Yes. I believe this case probably sends shockwaves throughout the news media industry, especially if you have high profile and if you have family members. You're taking steps to protect your family. You're doing conversations. Hey, what are we going to do in emergency? What is our code word in case something happens so that we know that it's you that they have or -- you know, it's sad to say, but we're in those times.

COATES: It's excruciating to think about. Trina asked this question. Were there any cameras inside the house? I'll take it. Right now, the recording devices that we know about were all outside the home, like that Google Nest camera on the porch. We actually don't know if she had any cameras that were placed in the interior. The only footage that we've seen so far was from the outside.

We have Maria from Boca Raton asked this question. I'd like to know why it took so long for the video of the armed man at Nancy's door to be shown. Now, the sheriff originally said that there was no video, though, because there was no subscription. And the private sector actually helped. And engineers at Google, apparently, were able to recover snippets after several days of trying.

[23:55:01]

And the FBI official said that they released images within hours of obtaining them.

Got through a lot. Thank you, Steve and Moses. The reward for any, any information that leads to Nancy Guthrie's whereabouts or who captured her, you know, it's now doubled to $100,000. If you know anything that could help, please call the local sheriff department at 520-351-4900 or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Thank you all so much for watching. "The Story Is with Elex Michaelson" is next.

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