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Nancy Guthrie update: Ex-detective who solved big case says police have suspect's name

In Nancy Guthrie's case, no suspect has yet been arrested

Published May 22, 2026
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Nancy Guthrie update: Ex-detective who solved big case says police have suspect's name
Former detective weighs in on Nancy Guthrie's disappearance

Nancy Guthrie has been missing for over 100 days. Yet, no suspect has been arrested.

But a former detective at the Pima County Sheriff's Office claims the police have the suspect's name.

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That ex-officer's name is Robbie Mayer.

He was best known for being part of the team that investigated the infamous 'Prime Time Rapist' case in the 1980s.

Brian Larriva was the name of the hardened criminal.

He terrorized Tucson's community with his burglaries from 1983 to 1986.

Larriva even used to sexually assault the women inside the home he entered to loot.

When his home was surrounded by the cops in 1986, he shot himself.

Mayer draws a parallel to Larriva's case to Nancy's disappearance.

By doing this, the former officer suggests a similar instance may have happened to the 84-year-old's missing case to what occurred in the 'Prime Time Rapist' case.

That is the name of the suspect.

Mayer says the name may be buried under a mountain of information, similar to what happened to them during Larriva's investigation.

"We ended up with more than 4,000 leads," he recalled at the time of the 'Prime Time Rapist' case.

With the overload of information, Mayer says the suspect's name slipped away, despite having it in hand.

"One of the detectives had Larriva's name as a lead, but he hadn't gotten to it yet because he had so many leads in front of that."

In Nancy's case, the ex-detective shares that the investigators have to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Nancy Guthrie update: Ex-detective who solved big case says police have suspects name

"I believe the suspect's names are in those 50,000."

He continues, "The question is if they can recognise it when they see it."

"Being in a case like this is like being in a field with rocks, and what you're looking for is under one rock. You just have to keep turning."

Nancy has been presumably abducted from her home near Tucson, Arizona, on Feb 1.

Hassan Sohail
Hassan is a reporter covering entertainment and sports, with 3 years of experience. He focuses on film, celebrity culture, and major sporting events, delivering engaging stories that capture both on-screen narratives and on-field action, while offering readers a dynamic blend of pop culture and sports coverage.
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