Investigators are grappling with the unique and treacherous terrain of the Tucson area as the hunt for Nancy Guthrie continues. 

Law enforcement consultant Dave Smith, a retired lieutenant with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, highlights why the landscape is a detective’s nightmare. 

Just blocks from Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home are desert washes-natural drainage arroyos that act as a dense, green “alleys’ through wealthy neighborhoods. These areas are thick with brush making it nearly impossible to see someone even a few yards away.

Beyond the city limits, Arizona stretches for miles in every direction. Smith notes that this vast, rugged environment-combined with the transitory nature of evidence-presents a monumental challenge for search teams.

The whole Tucson Valley........

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