Nancy Guthrie Update: FBI Makes Critical Personnel Decision

With the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance in its fourth week, the FBI is making an important change in its personnel deployment moving forward.

According to the latest report, the FBI is reducing its manpower on the ground in Tucson and also relocating its command post to Phoenix.

A different strategy

The change is being implemented for multiple reasons, says ABC News. There's no need for additional investigative work at Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson, and moving the command post to Phoenix, home of the bureau's largest office in Arizona, allows the FBI to dedicate more permanent resources to the case.

"The shift is neither an indication the case is over nor indication investigators are giving up in the search for the 84-year-old," ABC News wrote.

Authorities also preparing to vacate Guthrie home

On Wednesday night, NBC News reported that authorities are getting ready to return Nancy Guthrie's home to her family. Sources told the outlet that investigators no longer feel its necessary to keep the house sealed as a crime scene.

"For weeks, her home in the Tucson area has been the center of a flurry of law enforcement activity — including the recovery of DNA evidence," NBC News wrote. "Activity seen Wednesday is related to efforts to turn the home back over to the Guthrie family, two federal law enforcement sources told NBC News."

Focus will now shift to combing through the thousands of new leads authorities have received since Savannah Guthrie, Nancy's daughter, announced on Tuesday that her family was offering a $1 million reward for information.

FBI issues 'warning' for public

In a separate message posted following Savannah Guthrie's announcement, the FBI asked any person with “firsthand knowledge of Nancy’s whereabouts or any information about where she may be located” to call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

However, the bureau warned against using the tip line for inappropriate reasons, including personal case theories.

"To help keep the tip line available for actionable investigative law enforcement leads, please submit only serious and detailed fact-based information – no well-wishes or case theories. The tip line is not for personal messages to the Guthrie family,” the FBI said.