But they’ve also helped to amplify rumors and forced law enforcement to repeatedly set the record straight on at least one crucial detail.
Michael Alcazar, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and retired New York Police Department detective, said overall the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to the onslaught of social media posts.
“More people are aware; It keeps people alert,” he said. “If they know she hasn’t been found yet, perhaps people will remember that and if they see something, they might say something.”
He compared it to the widespread online response to the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito in 2021 and the impact that may have had on her body being found.
Two YouTubers said at the time that an image they posted showed Petito and her boyfriend’s white van and that it led investigators to the area where her body was found. But the FBI didn’t specify what led to the discovery.
“I think it’s just something that we have to adapt to as far as law enforcement,” Alcazar said. “The true crime community is growing. … There’s a lot of people out there that want to help.”
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But with the widespread posts also comes the proliferation of misinformation.
Ashleigh Banfield, from the cable network NewsNation, announced on her podcast Wednesday that a law enforcement source told her a Guthrie family member is the prime suspect.
She seemed to quickly walk back the statement seconds later, saying the person “may be a prime suspect,” and adding that family members are often looked at first. The information quickly took off across social media, with people posting photos of the person she named.
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Savannah Guthrie (right) with her mother Nancy (left) (NBCUniversal Media)
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos addressed the rumor early in a news conference Thursday, saying authorities don’t have any suspects or persons of interest. That remained the case on Friday.
“I plead with you to be careful of what it is we put out there. … You could actually be doing some damage to the case, you could do some damage to the individual, too,” he said later in the news conference. “Social media’s kind of an ugly world sometimes.”
Other posts have included a medium expressing her feeling that Guthrie is close by and a woman using astrology to point her viewers in the direction of what may have happened.
Calvin Chrustie, who has more than three decades of experience in negotiations for kidnapping, ransom and extortions, said if the public truly understood the toll those situations can have on family and law enforcement, they might not hastily post unsubstantiated information.
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“This stuff on X and other stuff out there that’s pure speculation is actually making it more difficult for the families and making it more difficult to the police to secure the safe, you know, the safe return of the hostage,” he said.
The home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, is seen from above in Tucson, Arizona (Associated Press)
Julie Urquhart, an elementary school teacher in New Brunswick, Canada, has been posting about the case on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. She said she was drawn to the disappearance because she has a mother near Guthrie’s age and was fascinated that someone could have taken her seemingly without a trace.
Urquhart said her information comes from national news sites and law enforcement news conferences. One of her posts on TikTok and Instagram amassed more 4 million views, she said.
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“That’s 4 million eyes that now saw that story and now maybe will see something or know something or know someone who does,” she said. “There’s just so many people it hits.”
Among the locations set for closure this year are 19 UK bank branches that are shutting down in February.
The Lloyds Banking Group, which runs Lloyds, Halifax and the Bank of Scotland, will shut 71 branches across 2026.
Among those planned closures are 40 Lloyds bank branches, 14 Halifax location and 17 Bank of Scotland sites.
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All of the businesses have cited the increase in the number of people banking online rather than in person as one of the reasons behind the planned branch closures.
These are the branches closing in February.
Halifax bank closures
Thetford – February 4
Belfast (Castle Court) – February 4
Kendal – February 10
Belfast (Connswater Shopping Centre) – February 10
Gillingham – February 11
Lloyds bank closures
Swindon – February 3
Kendal – February 10
Brecon – February 11
Cranbrook – February 11
Wadebridge – February 17
Stow-on-the-Wold – February 17
Brynmawr – February 17
St Ives – February 24
Chesham – February 24
Liskeard – February 24
Kenilworth – February 24
Bank of Scotland bank closures
Thetford – February 4
Belfast (Castle Court) – February 4
Kendal – February 10
Belfast (Connswater Shopping Centre) – February 10
Gillingham – February 11
Santander is also closing a host of bank branches this year.
The Spain-based banking giant announced the closure of 44 of its sites in a move putting 291 jobs at risk.
It comes less than a year after the business announced the closure of 95 branches last March, in a round of cuts which hit 750 workers.
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Santander said closing branches will be replaced with “community bankers”, who will operate from Santander Local stores or banking hubs to keep a presence in local communities.
Santander bank closures
This is the full list of Santander bank branch closures scheduled for this year.
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Remember to gamble responsibly
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Laura Woods and Eni Aluko disagree on the make-up of women’s football coverage (Pictures: Getty)
Laura Woods has hit out at Eni Aluko after her ‘damaging’ comments on who should and shouldn’t cover women’s football on television.
The presenter also suggested there are many reasons why pundits are selected for big games, including how ‘likeable’ a person is.
Former England forward Aluko slammed the BBC and ITV for including male pundits in the coverage of the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 final with Spain.
The 38-year-old had previously made a similar point, hitting out at Ian Wright for ‘blocking’ opportunities for female broadcasters by appearing regularly on women’s football.
Speaking on the 90s Baby Show podcast, she said: ‘In the women’s game the opportunities are even more limited, so the main characters of the show should be the women.
‘Men should be part of that. I’m not saying anybody should be excluded, I believe in diversity wholeheartedly, but the same way we’ve played a role in the men’s game that’s a supporting role, you’re part of the ensemble, you’re never going to get the premium final games, it should be the same way for women’s football.
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Ian Wright, Eni Aluko and Karen Carney working on ITV in 2023 (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I think we need to gatekeep the women’s game in a way that the men’s game is gatekept. What I mean by that is, and you’ve heard me talk about the journey of women’s football, it’s taken a while, it’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get the women’s game to where it is now. There’s a lot of people, including me, who have planted a lot of seeds to be reaping what we’re reaping now… TV, money coming into the game, investment, and it’s still growing.
‘From my perspective, we didn’t go through all of that – blood, sweat and tears – for women to be second place in our own sport. What are we doing?
‘That’s my point, the women’s game should be by women for women. Male allies should absolutely support that but when it gets to the point where you’re the main character of the show, we’re just repeating the patriarchal stuff that we’ve been fighting against.
Eni Aluko sparked controversy with her comments on a podcast (90s Baby Show)
‘Now whoever that upsets, that upsets, but that’s the reality. I’ve always been protective about women’s football because I’ve done a lot, I’ve invested a lot, I was doing women’s football when it didn’t pay to do women’s football. Now we’re reaping the rewards I’m like women should be winning right now.
‘My point is, I’ve never done a major final in men’s football for eleven years, I’ve done three World Cups, men’s Euros, Champions League, I’ve never had that opportunity, and maybe rightly so, I’d probably say rightly so because again, I think the guys should always be ahead of me, the main guys.
‘Last year, at the Women’s Lionesses final, I’m sat in the stands, I wasn’t on ITV for the final, Fara Williams was sat next to me, Fara Williams has 170 caps [172 caps] for England, something ridiculous, I think she’s the most-capped player, she’s sat in the stands.
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Eni Aluko questioned the BBC’s decision to have Nedum Onuoha as part of their punditry team for England’s Euro 2025 final against Spain (BBC)
‘The two broadcasters that had the rights for the game – ITV and BBC – on BBC you’ve got Ellen White, Steph Houghton and Nedum Onuoha, no offence to Nedum Onuoha, nothing against him, I don’t know whether he played for England or not, but you’re on the main panel for the final for England Women.
‘Let’s go over to ITV, I’m in the stands with 105 caps, so you’ve got two women, between us we’ve got 290 caps, something ridiculous, you turn over to ITV and it’s Ian Wright, Emma Hayes and Kaz Carney.
‘So out of six punditry spots, two have gone to men. Meanwhile you’ve got 290 caps, whatever it is, sitting in the stands.
Woods and Aluko have worked together numerous times (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I’ve just told you I’ve never done a final. I’m probably going to struggle to think of any women, a female pundit, who has done a men’s major final as a pundit. I’m not talking about presenters, people like to conflate the two, it’s a different role, it’s like comparing a forward and a defender, it’s different jobs, I’m talking about as a pundit, it doesn’t happen, so something is not right there because I’m saying this is still quite new where you’re watching women’s finals on TV, why are people like me and Fara not there?
‘It’s nothing against Ian, it’s nothing against them, I’m just saying broadly speaking we need to be aware of that because if we’re building a game where the limited opportunities are now being taken by men, where we can’t go into the men’s game and get the same opportunities, we’re stuck.’
Laura Woods slams ‘damaging’ comments
Woods, who has worked alongside Aluko in covering women’s football is not on board with her claims at all and made pointed comments on who has been given the roles of working on the biggest Lionesses matches.
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‘Caps don’t win automatic work and they don’t make a brilliant pundit either,’ Woods wrote on X. ‘The way you communicate, articulate yourself, do your research, inform your audience, how likeable you are and the chemistry you have with your panel are what makes a brilliant pundit.
‘”The women’s game should be by women for women,” is one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard. It will not only drag women’s sport backwards, it will drag women’s punditry in all forms of the game backwards.
Woods, Jill Scott and Aluko on ITV’s coverage of England men’s World Cup quarter-final with France in Qatar 2022 (Picture: Getty Images)
‘If you want to grow something, you don’t gate keep it. We want to encourage little boys and men to watch women’s football too, not just little girls and women. And when they see someone like Ian Wright taking it as seriously as he does – they follow suit. That’s how you grow a sport.
‘Here’s a picture of our team at ITV. We won best production at the Broadcast Sport Awards 2025 for our coverage of the women’s euros. Seb Hutchinson won best commentator too. So I think ITV got it just right.’
Here’s a picture of our team at ITV. We won best production at the Broadcast Sport Awards 2025 for our coverage of the women’s euros. Seb Hutchinson won best commentator too. So I think ITV got it just right. pic.twitter.com/w2KiIswJAG
Aluko was asked if the solution is to bring in more female pundits for high-profile matches in the men’s game, she replied: ‘I think that would make it more fair.
‘If I’m not doing the women’s final but I’m getting a job doing the men’s final then it is what it is, but I can never do the men’s final so the only way I have an opportunity is to do the women’s final but now I can’t do the women’s final, and I can’t bring all of that experience and insight.
‘And let’s be honest, what I represent for young girls who want to be footballers, who want to be broadcasters, is way more than what Ian Wright represents.
‘Again, I’m not knocking Ian Wright, it’s not even about him, it could be any man, it’s really important we keep an eye on the premium opportunities. It’s hard, I don’t want to go into it because people might write headlines, but the issue I have with Ian is that I think in his position he needs to clock what I’m saying.’
As more than 127,000,000 people tuned in from around the world to watch the Super Bowl last night, they were greeted with a sobering message during advertisements.
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An emotional advertisement released by World Without Exploitation featured various survivors of paedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, pleading with Americans to stand with them.
‘3 million files still have not been released,’ the advert read, as faces of victims flashed behind it.
Fittingly, the words were then blacked out – a nod to the heavy redactions seen in the millions of files already released by the US Department of Justice.
The black redaction bar was then placed on the mouths of Epstein’s survivors in the commercial, before finishing with a desperate plea to Americans.
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‘We all deserve the truth. Stand with us. Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi: it’s time for the truth.’
The survivors had their mouths redacted in a powerful statement (Picture: World Without Exploitation)
Photos of the survivors when they were younger were held (Picture: World Without Exploitation)
The sobering message came during one of the most-well-viewed television events of the year.
Pressure is still mounting for Bondi to release more of the files – the current release is just around half of what the DOJ has in its possession.
‘While the commitment of Department personnel to this effort has been substantial in breadth and impressive in effort, substantial work remains to be done,’ the department said.
If that timeline proves to be true, the final files won’t be released until well after Donald Trump’s second term in office is over.
The recent batch of files contained shocking evidence of sex trafficking of underage girls and other crimes.
Survivors have been rallying for a full, unredacted release of the files (Picture: Getty)
The statement from the Manhattan US Attorney’s office is dated August 9 2019, while the standard account says the paedophile was found hanged in his cell at 6.30am on August 10.
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Two versions of the US Attorney’s statement dated August 9 appear in the files, both with subtle differences from the one dated August 10.
Instead, both say he was ‘found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead shortly thereafter’.
Like the publicly released statement, both versions with the earlier date pay tribute to the ‘brave young women’ who either have or have not yet previously come forward, though the wording differs slightly.
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According to the official account of Epstein’s death, a corrections officer found him unresponsive on the morning of Saturday, August 10. Medical personnel tried to revive him, but he was later pronounced dead.
Isabel, who has played Victoria Sugden in Emmerdale for nearly 20 years, is set to become a first-time mum.
The soap star filmed her final scenes in December and revealed how she was releived to be getting a break.
Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins on taking break from ITV soap
Speaking to The Sun , she said: “I thought I would be really emotional when I filmed my final scenes.
“Emmerdale is all I have ever known. But pregnancy does funny things to you and the truth is I felt ready not to have to film on Emmerdale!
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“I live in Manchester and I’ve been driving over to Leeds to film. By the end, I felt exhausted and I knew it was time to have a rest before the baby arrives.”
Isabel discovered she was pregnant shortly after getting married to her partner, Adam, in April 2025, and is expecting sometime soon.
She said: “It suddenly feels very real now. I am so excited about becoming a mum for the first time and this will be, by far and away, my biggest role I’ve ever had.
“Adam is going to be a great dad. He pours his heart into everything he does and we both feel so lucky to be having a child.”
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The couple chose not to find out whether they are having a boy or a girl, with Isabel also saying how co-stars Ryan Hawley, who plays half-brother Robert, and Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle, have helped her on set.
She said: “Ryan is a father, so is Danny, and they have been so sweet.
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“They have really spoilt me, making sure I have somewhere to sit down in between scenes.
“I remember once I’d missed breakfast and Danny went to the canteen to get me toast. They are always getting me snacks and both have been really caring.
“They are like my two naughty brothers as they also have a great sense of humour.”
Despite her break, Isabel has confirmed she will return to Emmerdale in the future.
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She said: “They told me it was up to me when I come back to the soap, which is lovely.
“I’ve been in Emmerdale for 19 years and it’s been a huge part of my life. Everyone has been so nice.”
She added: “I am in my own baby bubble now.
“I will be back in time but now it’s time to be with my baby and Adam. We can’t wait to be parents.”
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Which actors have been on Emmerdale the longest?
Despite Isabel having been on Emmerdale for nearly two decades, there are characters who have been on the show even longer.
Chris Chittell, who plays Eric Pollard in the ITV soap, first began in 1986, having now been on the show for 40 years, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap’s history.
Sheila Mercier was another long-standing Emmerdale star, having played Annie Sugden in the soap from the programme’s first episode in 1972 until 1994, with a guest return in 2009.
Annie died off-screen in August 2020, aged 100.
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Other long-serving characters include Steve Halliwell, who played Zak Dingle from 1994 until his death in 2023, as well as James Hooton (Sam Dingle), Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle) and Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk), each playing their role since 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively.
Several characters may have appeared longer, such as Robert Sugden since 1986, but have been played by more than one actor.
Emmerdale airs every weekday at 8pm on ITV1 and STV1, with episodes available at 7am on ITVX.
Who is your favourite character on Emmerdale? Let us know in the comments.
The Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Aden Durde says “there’s no better feeling” as his side beat the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
“The referee’s call of a free-kick and yellow card to Guehi for the challenge on Salah was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge outside of the area and deemed not to be denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) as there was a covering defender,” they said in a statement.
A week ago, The Sun claimed that the F1 icon and reality-star-turned-mogul had been quietly dating, with the pair having apparently spent a recent cosy weekend together in the Cotswolds.
The two had already been friends for around a decade before the romance rumours began earlier this month, and made their first public appearance together when she was seen in his suite at the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
Entertainment Tonight also later shared footage of what appeared to be the two leaving together after the game.
Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton are seemingly confirming their rumored romance as the two were spotted together at the Super Bowl. 👀 pic.twitter.com/vDMTaSAMhy
Lewis and Kim have been in and out of one another’s lives for more than 10 years now, notably posing for a picture together with their most famous exes, Nicole Scherzinger and Kanye “Ye” West, back in 2014.
Lewis Hamilton, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Kardashian and Kanye “Ye” West at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards in September 2014
Richard Young/Shutterstock
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The British racing driver and former Pussycat Dolls star were in an on-and-off relationship for eight years between 2007 and 2015.
Kim and Ye officially parted ways after eight years of marriage in 2022, and since then, she’s dated former Saturday Night Live comic Pete Davidson and been romantically linked with NFL star Odell Beckham Jr.
The All’s Fair star and Ye share four children, 12-year-old North, 10-year-old Saint, eight-year-old Chicago and six-year-old Psalm.
Manchester United are likely to bring in a new head coach at the end of the season despite Michael Carrick automatically placing his name in the hat
Gary Neville has claimed that Manchester United have told him that they have already started looking for a permanent head coach for the 2026/27 season.
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United appointed Michael Carrick on an interim basis last month after Ruben Amorim was sacked. The former United midfielder has got off to the perfect start with four wins from four games, beating Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique is one of the favourites to come to the club, with Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel all linked with the vacancy.
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According to Neville, the process to bring in the new manager has already begun. Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast on Sunday after the weekend’s Premier League action, the former defender revealed insight into the decision-making process.
“I asked the club ‘what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you’re saying publicly to everybody else?’ They said ‘we’ve actually begun our process now of starting to look for another manager,’” he said.
“What they’ve said is they’re not going to be bounced into, irrespective of wins or draws or losses on the pitch in this next couple of months, making an appointment. They’re going to wait towards the end of the season… if Michael Carrick says ‘I want to put my name in the hat’, Carrick would go into a process.”
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Carrick has avoided any talk about his long-term future at Old Trafford, but prior to the win over Tottenham, he dropped his first hint that he would stay if the opportunity was presented. “Nothing’s changed, to be honest,” he said.
“I’m fully aware of the role I’m doing here and the responsibility I’ve got. We want to be successful, and I want the club to be successful beyond the end of the season – if that’s me, if that’ somebody else.
“At this stage, I can’t control that and we’ll see what happens, but it’s certainly about trying to improve the team and making Manchester United stronger. Results over a short period of time don’t change that.
“If they have changed there is something wrong. It can’t be so knee-jerk whether it’s really good or whether there’s a few issues we need to solve.”
Martin and Tomas Rosinski, co-founders of OnlyCat, will appear on the BBC One show on Thursday, February 12, to present their smart pet product to Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Steven Bartlett and Susie Ma.
Their product is designed to use AI to detect and prevent cats from bringing prey into the home.
Martin and Tomas Rosinski, co-founders of OnlyCat (Image: OnlyCat)
Martin Rosinski, co-founder of OnlyCat, said: “Jinx is brilliant – but like many cats, she had a habit of proudly bringing home things we didn’t want brought in.
“That was the spark.
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“We wanted to solve a real, everyday problem for cat owners in a way that was smart, practical, and genuinely life-improving.”
The OnlyCat flap includes an AI camera that scans each time a cat tries to enter.
If prey is detected, the flap remains locked and the owner can receive a video alert.
It also features microchip-based access control, allowing users to decide which cats can come and go.
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Tom Rosinski, co-founder of OnlyCat, said: “Our goal was simple: keep the freedom cats love, while giving owners back control at the front door.
“OnlyCat is already the fastest-growing startup we’ve ever built.
“We wanted to solve a real, everyday problem for cat owners” (Image: OnlyCat)
“We’re building an incredible team, we’re seeing phenomenal feedback from customers, and demand is growing rapidly.”
The business launched through crowdfunding and has since generated more than £2 million in revenue.
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The company now manufactures in the UK and ships its products worldwide.
Martin and Tomas are now supported by a senior management team, as well as engineers, designers, and software specialists.
Customer reviews have described OnlyCat as “life-changing” and “worth every penny.”
On Dragons’ Den, the brothers say they will seek investment to boost manufacturing, grow international sales, and take the business to its next stage.
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The outcome of their pitch remains under wraps until the episode airs.
Dragons’ Den viewers can tune in to BBC One or BBC iPlayer at 8:00pm on Thursday, February 12 to see whether the Rosinski brothers secure investment.
