The investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie took its most explosive turn yet on February 19, 2026, when authorities announced that DNA belonging to her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, was recovered from the interior of a vehicle towed from her Tucson residence just hours after she vanished. The discovery—combined with a recovered dashcam video file that reportedly captured audio and partial visuals of the abduction night—has shifted the entire case from a presumed stranger kidnapping to one potentially involving close family betrayal.
Tommaso Cioni, 46, is married to Savannah Guthrie’s younger sister Annie. The couple resides in New York but frequently visited Nancy in Arizona, especially after her husband’s death in 2021 left her living alone. Cioni, an Italian-born architect who moved to the United States in 2008, had been interviewed twice previously as a routine family member. Until yesterday, he was never named a person of interest.
The breakthrough came during forensic processing of a black Toyota RAV4 that had been towed from Nancy’s driveway on February 2 after neighbors reported it “looked abandoned” with keys still in the ignition. The vehicle, registered to a car rental company in Phoenix, had been rented under Cioni’s name on January 28—three days before the abduction—and returned on February 3, one day after Nancy disappeared. Rental agency staff initially failed to flag the vehicle due to a paperwork delay; it was only towed after sitting untouched for over 24 hours.
Inside the RAV4, crime scene technicians recovered multiple DNA profiles. The most significant match came from epithelial cells on the driver’s headrest and steering wheel—directly linking to Tommaso Cioni. Additional traces were found on the passenger seatbelt buckle and center console, suggesting he had been in the vehicle shortly before or during the time of the abduction. Crucially, a factory-installed dashcam (commonly used by rental companies for insurance purposes) had recorded continuously until its battery died around 3:18 a.m. on February 1.
The recovered video file—despite partial corruption from power loss—was forensically restored by FBI digital specialists. The seven-minute segment beginning at 2:07 a.m. contains clear audio and intermittent night-vision visuals. It starts with the sound of a car door opening, footsteps on gravel, then Nancy’s startled voice: “Tommaso? What are you doing here so late?” A male voice—identified by multiple analysts as matching Cioni’s known speech patterns—responds calmly: “I just need to talk, Nancy. It’s important.” What follows is the sound of struggle: furniture scraping, Nancy crying out “No—stop!”, repeated ripping of duct tape, and muffled pleas identical to those later found on the hidden microphone in Daisy’s collar. The footage ends with the sound of the trunk slamming shut and the engine starting.
Investigators have not yet publicly released the video, citing the ongoing nature of the case and the need to protect potential trial evidence. However, sources close to the investigation confirm the audio quality is sufficient for voice comparison and that partial night-vision frames show a figure matching Cioni’s height and build (approximately 6’1″, medium-large frame) moving in the living room area.
The motive remains unclear, but several financial threads have emerged. Nancy Guthrie’s estate—valued at approximately $4.8 million, including the Catalina Foothills home, investments, and life insurance policies—had recently undergone a trust amendment in late 2025 that reportedly reduced distributions to Annie and Tommaso’s branch of the family due to concerns over their spending habits. Bank records show Cioni had accumulated significant credit-card debt and recently inquired about loans against future inheritance. The ransom notes demanding Bitcoin—now believed to be a possible misdirection—contained details only someone very close to Nancy would know.
Cioni was taken into custody shortly after the DNA match was confirmed. He has not been formally charged as of this writing but is being held on suspicion of kidnapping and related felonies. His attorney issued a brief statement: “Mr. Cioni is cooperating fully and maintains his innocence. The presence of his DNA in a rental car he legally used days earlier is not evidence of wrongdoing. We are confident the full facts will exonerate him.”
Savannah Guthrie has not made a public statement since the news broke, though sources close to the family say she is “devastated beyond words” and is cooperating completely with authorities. The rest of the Guthrie family has gone silent on social media, with Savannah’s last post (February 18) still pleading for tips and offering the $500,000 reward for Nancy’s safe return.
The discovery has sent shockwaves through the national conversation. What was previously viewed as a terrifying stranger abduction now appears potentially rooted in family conflict and financial desperation. The hidden microphone in Daisy’s collar—containing Nancy’s terrified plea—was almost certainly planted by someone with regular access to the home and dog, further pointing inward.
Forensic teams continue working on the dashcam file, attempting to enhance video quality and recover any deleted segments. The black glove found near the property, the broken foliage on the welcome mat, blood drops on the porch, and now the vehicle interior DNA and audio recording form a compelling chain of evidence. If the voice match and visual identification hold, the case could move rapidly toward charges.
As the nation processes this devastating family twist, the urgent plea remains unchanged: Nancy Guthrie—elderly, medically fragile, and last seen being forced from her home—is still missing. Every hour counts. If you have any information, no matter how small, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.
