The sheriff in Arizona overseeing the search for Nancy Guthrie has criticized social media platforms for their “terrible” interference in her neighborhood since she went missing. This comes shortly after three individuals were taken into custody in a nearby area.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos remarked, “We began receiving calls from residents about a group they referred to as YouTubers,” in an interview with KVOA on Wednesday.
He noted that the complaints indicated very unsettling behavior that frightened local residents.
Some of the concerns seemed to be directed at a particular YouTuber, Alexander Zabel, who reportedly lived in a tent on Guthrie Street. He was allegedly seen urinating in public and disposing of urine bottles on a neighbor’s property.
The case drew heightened attention after 84-year-old Guthrie, who is the mother of “Today Show” host Savannah Guthrie, vanished on February 1. This situation prompted law enforcement to crack down on social media influencers who were creating content in the quiet suburbs.
This crackdown initiated on Monday when three individuals—Troy Lewis Bradshaw, 34, Todd Engdahl, 46, and Zabel, 54—were arrested on various charges, including public nuisance.
The Sheriff’s Office previously stated, “Effective immediately, first-time offenders may be released, but repeated offenses could lead to arrest and booking into the Pima County Adult Detention Center for public nuisance.”
There has been a significant influx of streamers to Guthrie’s home near Tucson, as the ongoing investigation has attracted attention from social media creators.
Authorities mentioned they were responding to “numerous complaints” from neighbors, with reports of some filming naked outside of Guthrie’s residence.
The incident remains under investigation, with no clear leads or suspects publicly identified.
The only information released to the public includes images of a suspected abductor—a masked individual seen on surveillance footage within her home on the night of her disappearance.
