Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie Case 'Understands' Interest in Son-in-Law Tommaso Cioni, Confirms 'Nobody' Has Been Ruled Out

The man in charge of the search for Savannah Guthrie's missing mother "understands" why some think her brother-in-law should be looked at as a suspect, but warns against making potentially harmful assumptions.

Tommaso Cioni, the husband of the Today star's sister, Annie Guthrie, continues to face claims that he's responsible for their 84-year-old mother Nancy's disappearance, as he was reportedly the last person to see her alive on January 31.

"If he [Tommaso Cioni] is guilty, if he’s the one who did it, and we’re able to prove that, then at that time jump on it, but don’t come out of nowhere with this,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told an outlet on Sunday, February 15.

"I understand the pundits are out there. They’re gonna say, well, he’s the last one to see her alive," he said. "We understand that stuff. But, my goodness, you’re putting a mark on somebody who could be completely innocent. And more important than that, he’s family."

Chris added that "people out there can get pretty ugly and mean" without having any real "facts," explaining that he tells journalists reporting on the investigation that they "need to be a little more responsible,,,because that's just really nasty stuff."

In the same beat, the sheriff confirmed that "nobody" has been ruled out, as the hunt for the Tucson, Ariz., retiree enters its third week.

The speculation surrounding Tommaso started with a report by veteran journalist Ashleigh Banfield, just days after Nancy was reporting missing on February 1.

As OK! previously reported, during the Tuesday, February 3, episode of Ashleigh’s podcast "Drop Dead Serious," she claimed, "My law enforcement source tells me that Tommaso Cioni is the prime suspect in this case."

Ashleigh doubled down on her reporting in an appearance on the Thursday, February 12, episode of Dan Abrams’ podcast, telling the host, "My source every day since [Nancy's disappearance] has stood by that."

Last week, Megyn Kelly theorized that Tommaso, as well as Annie, could be involved in the suspected kidnapping.

"The reason they are going back to Annie and Tommaso's house all the time, I think, is they're wondering if they had anything to do with it," the former Fox News anchor said in a clip from her show on Thursday, February 12.

"He's [Fox News contributor Phil Holloway] been talking to the neighbors, and the neighbors told him, that they keep getting asked about Annie and Tommaso and what are they like," she added.

However, in an update from NBC News, it was revealed that investigators "are leaning away from any relatives of Guthrie as suspects, according to the sources."

The report comes after the FBI released surveillance footage of a masked suspect captured on Nancy's doorbell camera from the night she went missing. Detectives subsequently revealed that a glove matching the one the suspect wore was discovered near the grandma's home.