A no-parking zone that was established around the Arizona home of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother has been widened by county officials amid intense media scrutiny around the more than three-week-old case.
In a statement published on the Pima County website on Feb. 26, authorities confirmed that there will be “more restrictive parking rules for Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood” in the Catalina Foothills Estates area, located just outside of Tucson, Arizona.
The no-parking order would go into effect on several streets in the area “to protect public safety and relieve area residents from chaotic conditions caused by a large media and social media streamer presence in the area,” the government said.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen on Jan. 31 and reported missing a day later. Officials have said they believe that she was abducted. DNA evidence in the case shows that blood found at her home belonged to her, officials said.
According to the government, dozens of media outlets and “streamers” have camped near the Guthrie home for weeks after it was announced that she went missing earlier this month.
“Streamers and media members have set up tents, generators, and sometimes satellite trucks along the road, creating severe congestion and safety concerns, and at times blockages of the quiet neighborhood road,” Pima County stated, noting that a previous restriction that was implemented to accommodate streamers and media outlets did not go as planned.
Neighbors have also “complained bitterly” about the presence of media personnel in their neighborhood, it stated.
The new restrictions went into effect on Feb. 26. Authorities said that journalists and streamers can still have access to the area but that they will have to park elsewhere and get dropped off in the neighborhood. Potential violators face a $250 fine.
Journalists and streamers are not the only people to go into the neighborhood. Supporters of the Guthrie family have shown up outside the home to drop off flowers, yellow ribbons, crosses, and prayers.
The restrictions come more than a week after a local lawmaker, Arizona state Rep. Alma Hernandez, a Democrat, chided unnamed online figures for “flooding into [the] city right now” and accused them of “spreading rumors, half-truths, and unverified claims just to stay relevant.”
Earlier this week, Savannah Guthrie released a video on social media announcing that the family would provide a $1 million reward for information that could lead to her mother’s discovery. That would be in addition to the $100,000 reward that was announced earlier this month by the FBI and a $102,500 reward announced by a local crime stoppers group.
“We still believe in a miracle,” Savannah Guthrie said in the video.
“We still believe that she can come home. We also know she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother.”
The FBI released video footage and images captured from Nancy Guthrie’s porch camera of a masked male wearing gloves who appeared to be tampering with the camera. Officials described the subject as having a medium build and being between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall.
Few details about the case have been released to the public this week. In an interview with NBC News released last week, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the case is growing in size and indicated that other items that the masked individual was wearing may be identified.
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