Investigators are continuing to follow up on leads in the neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie was last seen, as volunteer groups also join the search effort three weeks after she went missing.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department placed barricades on Saturday at the request of the Catalina Foothills Estates Neighborhood Association. Officials said the barricades are temporary but were put in place to reduce traffic and congestion in the area surrounding Guthrie's home.
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Long lines of cars have filled the streets there. Some of those vehicles belong to members of the media, but others are people who have traveled from as far as Dallas and Phoenix, telling the Scripps News Group station in Tucson they did so just because they love crime. Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher said the barricades are temporary but will remain in place as long as necessary.
Despite the barricades, people continue to pass through the neighborhood — including members of a volunteer search group based in Mexico, called Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, which translates to Moms Looking from Sonora. The group is made up of mothers who lost their children and still do not know what happened to them years later.
"We have had experience looking, looking. We're a little familiar with the land, we're a little familiar with the areas where there could be a body,” Lupita Tello of Madres Buscadoras de Sonora said. "It's a way of giving visibility so that way people know that we're looking for her and they can call us."
They said being part of the group provides emotional support among mothers and family members who share similar experiences.
"It's a great support because then between ourselves we understand each other. We don't judge each other,” Tello said.
Another volunteer group was also searching for Guthrie on Sunday morning. That group reported finding a backpack, which was reviewed by PCSD at a nearby substation. Investigators said the backpack is not a viable lead — it appears to have been outside for much longer than 3 weeks and contained a minor's ID.
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PCSD said search work is best left to professionals, but the department does have volunteer opportunities available for those who want to help.
PCSD investigators were also seen on Sunday searching Guthrie’s property and the property of a home neighboring Guthrie's residence.
The department said investigators are continuing to follow up in the neighborhood but would not provide specifics about the investigation because it remains active.
This story was originally published by Andrew Christiansen with the Scripps News Group in Tucson.
