Nancy Guthrie tip lines flooded as officials urge public to send only viable leads

A 911 dispatch official says investigators searching for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie are being inundated with calls, and many of them are not helpful.

Cecilia Ochoa, a 911 dispatch manager, said in an interview with Fox News that call-takers are working to carefully screen information before passing it along to investigators, who are reviewing thousands of tips related to the case.

“When somebody calls in, a tip or a lead, we have call takers that are trying to ask very specific questions, they’re trying to be as detailed as possible,” Ochoa said. “We want to make sure that the tips and the leads that we’re receiving here are credible, that they’re a viable piece of information and it’s something that our investigators might be able to act on.”

She said intelligence personnel and investigators are actively reviewing the massive volume of incoming information.

“We have intel and we have investigators on the other side of these calls, basically, that are combing through the thousands of tips that are being received in this center,” Ochoa said. “So there’s somebody pretty much actively looking at this information, combing through all of the leads and the tips.”

But officials are urging the public to think carefully before calling.

“When somebody feels that they have a tip, a lead, some sort of information, what we’re asking is that you just take a moment before you call and ask yourself, is this tip viable? Is this tip credible? Is this a tip that investigators may be able to act upon?” Ochoa said.

Ochoa stressed heavy call volumes are affecting both local dispatchers and the FBI tip line.

“We’re looking for facts at this point,” Ochoa said. “People have thoughts, people have opinions as to how this investigation should be handled. Those are just not helpful to us because A, you’re tying up a first responder on the phone and B, we have investigators and detectives on the other side of these phone calls that are having to comb through every single one of these tips and leads.”

Authorities have repeatedly urged anyone with credible information about Guthrie’s disappearance to contact law enforcement.

Fox News’ Kitty Varnavides contributed to this reporting.