Live updates: In new video, Savannah Guthrie urges abductor to ‘do the right thing,’ as FBI analyzes DNA from glove

True crime livestreamers and podcasters have poured into Arizona as the search for Nancy Guthrie continues, expanding the media presence in Tucson far beyond satellite trucks and network correspondents.

But not everyone believes the influx of online personalities has been helpful.

Arizona state Rep. Alma Hernandez delivered a blunt rebuke on X, accusing some self-styled online reporters of undermining the seriousness of the case.

“As someone who lives & represents Tucson/Pima County, I am so sick of watching the ‘reporting,’ grifting, insane speculation, lies, and BS by random wannabe journalists and YouTubers who have now caused more harm than good to this entire situation and put this serious case in jeopardy,” she wrote.

Hernandez urged content creators to “GO HOME,” adding, “Let law enforcement do their jobs. Stop following them during SWAT operations and playing detectives.”

“I am sick of the constant LIES from those who can’t even spell Tucson and clearly have never been to our city,” Hernandez said.

The growing presence of online sleuths is a double-edged sword, according to Josh Schirard, a former Galveston County, Texas, police captain who spoke to CNN.

“It’s really a little column A, column B,” Schirard said, explaining while online coverage can generate fresh attention, it can also divert valuable law enforcement resources toward tips that may not be credible.

He also noted some of the most critical breakthroughs in major cases have come from the public — not from detectives working alone behind a desk.

“We’ve seen it time and time again where someone in the community provides the key tip, spots something unusual, or helps put the puzzle pieces together,” Schirard said.

Some of the independent streamers traveled from across the country within days of Guthrie’s disappearance, bringing with them sizable social media followings in the hundreds of thousands. At least one has conducted police ride-alongs or embedded with fugitive task forces.

Others have been broadcasting to large YouTube audiences from out of state, then reporting from Tucson in person. They say their goal is accountability and transparency.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has repeatedly pushed back on rumors, including claims circulating online about a so-called “prime suspect.”

“Social media’s kind of an ugly world sometimes,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said last week, urging the public not to spread unsubstantiated information.