A fifth-grade teacher in Tucson says his quiet life imploded after internet sleuths decided he was the masked man who abducted Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie. Dominic Evans, 48, was tagged online as a prime suspect based on two things: he plays in a band with Guthrie's son-in-law and has a decades-old misdemeanor theft and DUI on his record, per the New York Times. That, and something about his eyes, was enough for strangers to swarm his street, livestream his house, and leave him and his wife Andrea too afraid to have their two sons at the home. Their address was posted online.
Evans, who claims to have met Nancy Guthrie only once 15 years ago, says he spoke with investigators for about 40 minutes two weeks ago and hasn't heard from them since. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the case with the FBI, said he feels for Evans, calling what he's enduring "horrible" and suggesting he consider libel suits against some accusers. The frenzy became so bad that the couple hid in their bedroom with the lights off and Evans took a short break from teaching. He's back in the classroom, but the family still monitors social media for fresh waves of speculation. "I feel like someone's taken my name," Evans says, adding that innocent people are getting hurt in the rush for clicks and clues.
At the Guardian, Alaina Demopoulos explores this as a wider issue tied to America's fascination with true crime. She describes online sleuths livestreaming every second of the investigation, including officer shift changes, touting false tips that "breed misinformation." Most "lack any streaming or good reporting judgment," Demopoulos writes. One even had a pizza delivered to Guthrie's front door, receiving a reprimand from the sheriff's office. State representative Alma Hernandez has argued "wannabe" reporters "have now caused more harm than good to this entire situation and put this serious case in jeopardy."
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