Nancy Guthrie case: Sister of missing woman Maura Murray reveals family’s most fearful moment ‘had to fight to be heard…’

“What they’re going through is something you’ll never forget,” Murray said, according to Fox News. “You can see it in their faces. You can hear the desperation in their voices.”

Murray explained that while such cases initially receive a lot of attention, resources, media coverage and public participation, the momentum can eventually fade. This leaves families alone to bear this burden.

“Most families … have to fight to have their voices heard and beg for this level of attention,” she said. “Some families are not getting anything at all.”

Murray said attention can save lives. “Media pressure can save lives,” she said.

Murray also explained that the attention Nancy’s case has received may ultimately generate many tips, but not all of them will be actionable.

Learn more | Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor recalls pet’s ‘atypical’ behavior around time of disappearance, ‘dog did wake up…’

“You’re pleading with the public for information, but at the same time you’re receiving speculation and hearsay,” she said. “There are some tricks you can’t pursue.”

“I call it a rollercoaster of hope,” Murray said. “You hope it solves the case … but it doesn’t.”

The most difficult turning point came when investigators exhausted immediate leads, Murray said. For her, that moment came just weeks after his sister went missing.

“The worst day was not the day she disappeared,” she said. “We were told that day that they were doing their best.”

From that point on, it became the family’s sole responsibility to push for answers through media coverage, public pressure and independent efforts, Murray said. “You can’t relax the pressure,” she said.

Murray said the family has now accepted the possibility that Maura may have died. However, they are still looking for answers.

“There is no such thing as closure,” she said. “That’s determination.”

Learn more | Nancy Guthrie case: Former FBI agent reveals why Savannah Guthrie’s mom was ‘more vulnerable’ to attack

“We’re in pain. It’s unbearable,” Savannah said during the sit-down preview. “I wake up in the middle of the night, every night. In the dark, I imagine her fear. It’s unimaginable, but these thoughts need to be thought about. I won’t hide my face. But she needs to go home now.”

Meanwhile, retired Los Angeles Police Department detective Moses Castillo said the emotional toll is already visible in the Guthrie family’s public appeal. “You can feel every ounce of her pain, her strength and her desperation,” Castillo said. “That determination matters. It moves people. It forces people to pay attention.”

Nancy was last seen just before 10pm on January 31, when she had dinner with her daughter Anne and her son-in-law Tommaso Scioni. The name of the suspect in Nancy’s disappearance has not yet been released.