Nancy Guthrie latest: Search enters 3rd week with no arrests as authorities review thousands of tips in her disappearance
The Pima County sheriff said DNA that doesn’t belong to the 84-year-old or anyone close to her was obtained from her property and is being tested.
Savannah Guthrie and Nancy Guthrie on the Today show set in 2015, and a new photo of a person taken from Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera released by the FBI. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: FBI via AP, Don Arnold/WireImage via Getty Images)
The search for Nancy Guthrie entered its third week on Sunday. Investigators haven’t yet named a suspect or made arrests in the case, as they field thousands of tips submitted after the FBI released surveillance images from Guthrie’s doorbell camera.
Authorities — including SWAT and forensics teams — swarmed a home on the edge of the Catalina Foothills neighborhood north of Tucson, Ariz., near Guthrie’s home, as it carried out a federal court-ordered search warrant. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday that the warrant was “based on a lead we received” and that no arrests were made from that law enforcement activity.
Additionally, a person was questioned during a traffic stop on Friday night, but there weren’t any arrests from that either.
Sheriff Chris Nanos told the New York Times that DNA from someone other than Nancy Guthrie and those close to her was collected from Guthrie’s property, but would not disclose where it was located. Investigators are currently working to identify the DNA.
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Authorities last week expanded their call for video of any “suspicious activity” from people within a 2-mile radius of the 84-year-old’s home. The sheriff’s department said that “several items of evidence, including gloves,” were recovered and are being submitted for analysis. It’s unclear whether authorities believe the gloves are the same as those worn by the person seen in the footage.
On Thursday afternoon, the FBI released a new description of the suspect based on forensic evidence from the doorbell camera. He is described as “approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build.” The agency also provided specific details of the backpack he is believed to have been wearing and announced that it was increasing its reward for information leading to Guthrie’s location to $100,000.
Officials said last week that they have received more than 18,000 tips since the investigation began, including over 4,000 since doorbell camera images of what the FBI described as “an armed individual” on the morning of her disappearance were released.
Guthrie, the mother of Today show cohost Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at around 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 31, when she was dropped off at her home by family members following dinner, police said. She was reported missing around noon the next day after she did not show up at a friend’s house to watch an online church service.
Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department tip line at 520-351-4900 or the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Live62 updates
Kate Murphy
Why Nancy Guthrie’s case has gripped the attention of the U.S.
Yellow flowers and signs remain at a vigil outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
As the cohost of Today, Savannah Guthrie’s fame has led to national attention in the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, and significant resources have been dedicated to finding her. But it has also led to rampant speculation and false leads.
YouTuber Jimmy Williams told the BBC that the speculation only heightens the intrigue of the case. Since Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, his YouTube channel has gained more than 8,000 new subscribers, he said.
Many who have kept up with the details of the case feel for the Guthrie family and believe that this could happen to anybody’s mother.
Kelly Himes, who told the BBC that she lives several miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home, felt compelled to visit the growing number of flowers at the end of Nancy’s driveway to offer a prayer.
“Nancy’s the same age as my mom, the same height as my mom, and she’s got the same hair,” Himes told the BBC. “She lives alone, just like my mom does. This is someone who could be anybody’s mother.”
Kate Murphy
No news conferences scheduled for Sunday, sheriff’s department says
There are currently no planned news conferences scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department told Yahoo in an email on Sunday morning.
Kate Murphy
Authorities attempt to detect Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker using ‘signal sniffer’
Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from the accompanying app on her phone just before 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, the same day she was reported missing.
Authorities are now using a device called a “signal sniffer” mounted on a Pima County Sheriff’s Department helicopter to attempt to detect her pacemaker, NewsNation reported.
“The helicopter has to stay low and move slowly for it to work,” NewsNation reporter Brian Entin said in a Saturday post on X.
Former FBI special agent Maureen O’Connell also told NewsNation on Saturday, “With regards to this particular tool … I do know that the pacemaker sends off a very short-distance alert, or whatever, so they’re going to have to get really close.”
Kate Murphy
Arizona state rep blasts true crime content creators for doing ‘more harm than good’
Arizona state Rep. Alma Hernandez, who represents Pima County, blasted “random wannabe journalists and YouTubers” in an X post on Saturday for doing “more harm than good” in the investigation.
“Let law enforcement do their jobs. Stop following them during swat operations and playing detectives,” she said, adding that she is sick of the “constant LIES” and calling for them to “GO HOME.”
Kate Murphy
Search for Nancy Guthrie enters 3rd week
The search for Nancy Guthrie entered its third week on Sunday. The 84-year-old was last seen on Jan. 31 at her Tucson, Ariz., home and was reported missing by her family on Feb. 1. Here’s what we know so far about the investigation:
The FBI shared details about the masked person seen in the doorbell camera footage it released, describing them as 5 feet 9 inches tall with an average build. They were wearing dark clothing, black gloves and sneakers, and had a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
DNA uncovered by forensics teams on Nancy Guthrie’s property that does not match her or anyone close to her is being analyzed at a laboratory, the Pima County sheriff said.
Additionally, multiple pieces of evidence collected by investigators, including several gloves, are undergoing forensic analysis. One of the gloves was discovered up to 10 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home.
Authorities have not named a suspect or made any arrests as of Sunday morning.
On Feb. 10, law enforcement detained a man for questioning and searched his residence in Rio Rico, Ariz. He was released hours later.
No arrests were made on Friday following a law enforcement operation at a residence near Nancy Guthrie’s home.
Andrew Romano
Law enforcement swarmed two locations near Guthrie’s home last night
Pima County law enforcement block a road near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Late Friday, more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles — including SWAT and forensics teams — swarmed a residence on the edge of the Catalina Foothills neighborhood, a short drive from both Nancy Guthrie’s home and the home of her older daughter and son-in-law.
Multiple roads were closed for about four hours while officers conducted activity “related to the Guthrie case,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed on X.
But despite initially posting that “a written statement” about Friday’s activity would be “forthcoming,” the department ultimately left the scene without explaining why they were there.
“Because this is a joint investigation, at the request of the FBI — no additional information is currently available,” the department announced.
Local deputies and FBI investigators also converged on a second scene in the parking lot of a restaurant about five minutes away from the residential neighborhood they had sealed off.
They were seen investigating and photographing something in the trunk of gray Range Rover. A tow truck eventually hauled the SUV away. It is unclear whether this activity was connected to the Guthrie case.
Dylan Stableford
Sheriff says no gloves were found at Nancy Guthrie’s home
The home of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Ariz. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
In an interview with a Fox News reporter on Friday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that the gloves that were recovered by investigators were not found at Nancy Guthrie’s home.
“We never found a glove on that property,” Nanos said.
The department said in a statement on Thursday that investigators had “recovered several items of evidence, including gloves,” and that they were being submitted for analysis. It did not say where the items were recovered.
NBC News incorrectly reported that the gloves were found at Guthrie’s residence. On Friday morning, the network issued a correction, stating that it was not clear where they were found.
Dylan Stableford
No press briefing scheduled today
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it will not hold a press conference on the Nancy Guthrie case today, saying in a post on X that it would notify the media only “if any significant developments occur.”
The last official media briefing on the investigation was on Feb. 5.
Dylan Stableford
Trump: ‘Somebody either knew what they were doing very well, or they were rank amateurs’
President Trump speaks with reporters at the White House on Feb. 13. (Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images)
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, President Trump was asked why the FBI, which is assisting the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, hasn’t taken over the case.
“It was a local case originally, and they didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine — it’s up to them. It’s really up to the community,” Trump said. “But ultimately, when the FBI got involved, I think, you know, progress has been made.”
Asked later if he believes the Mexican cartel or a foreign nation was involved in her apparent abduction, the president replied: “You can’t say that yet. It’s a little bit early, but it’s, uh — somebody either knew what they were doing very well, or they were rank amateurs. Either way, it’s not a good situation.”
Dylan Stableford
Rain showers in the Tucson area could complicate the search for evidence
There are light rain showers falling in the Tucson, Ariz., area, including in Nancy Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood.
The FBI’s field office in Phoenix told CNN that its agents would continue their investigation “regardless of weather conditions.”
But any rain could complicate the search for evidence in the desert terrain. However, while forecasters had predicted up to an inch of rain in some areas, the National Weather Service said it now expects “little to no” accumulation this morning.
Dylan Stableford
Man accused of sending fake ransom note to Guthrie family is released after appearing in federal court
A California man accused of sending a fake ransom note to the family of Nancy Guthrie appeared in federal court in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday.
Derrick Callella, of Hawthorne, Calif., has been charged with “transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce, and without disclosing his identity, utilizing a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for District of Arizona announced in a press release.
According to prosecutors, Callella sent text messages to Nancy Guthrie’s daughter, Annie Guthrie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, asking about a bitcoin transaction moments after the Guthrie family released their first video message addressing Nancy Guthrie’s apparent kidnapper.
Callella made an initial appearance in federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., last week and was released on $20,000 bond.
He was granted release on Thursday under multiple conditions — including no contact with any victims or witnesses and having all of his devices monitored — as he awaits trial.
Dylan Stableford
Sheriff says investigators have ‘good leads’ as search for Nancy Guthrie enters its 13th day
Pima County Sheriff’s deputies are seen outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home on Feb. 12. (REUTERS / REUTERS)
In a new interview with KOLD-TV, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators have developed “good leads” in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
But Nanos also acknowledged that there are still no signs of the 84-year-old, who was reported missing on Feb. 1.
And the sheriff again disputed a report that he was blocking the FBI’s access to key evidence in the investigation, insisting that local and federal law enforcement are on the same page.
Dylan Stableford
Nancy Guthrie’s neigbors are tying yellow ribbons to trees around her home
Yellow bows are seen tied to trees near Nancy Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills north of Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 12. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)
In addition to the growing makeshift memorial outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home, neighbors of the missing 84-year-old in the Catalina Foothills have been tying ribbons to trees, symbolizing hope of her safe return.
KOLD-TV reports that a local Tucson flower shop has also been helping create special arrangements with yellow roses for those looking to support the Guthrie family.
People deliver flowers to a makeshift memorial at the entrance of Nancy Guthrie’s home on Feb. 12. (Brandon Bell via Getty Images)
Dylan Stableford
Sheriff denies report he is blocking FBI access to evidence: ‘Not even close to the truth’
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media on Feb. 3. (Jan Sonnenmair via Getty Images)
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is denying a report that he is blocking the FBI’s access to key evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the FBI asked for evidence, including gloves and DNA found near the 84-year-old’s home, to be processed at the bureau’s national crime laboratory in Quantico, Va., but Nanos insisted on using a private lab in Florida.
In an interview with KVOA-TV, Nanos said the report was “not even close to the truth.”
Nanos said that he and FBI officials had a discussion about sending recently discovered gloves to the bureau’s lab. “I said ‘No, why do that? Let’s just send them all to where all the DNA exist, all the profiles and the markers exist,'” Nanos explained. “They agreed, makes sense.”
Mike Bebernes
FBI releases new description of the suspect, increases reward to $100,000
Authorities provided a new description of the person suspected of abducting Nancy Guthrie based on forensic evidence from images captured by the doorbell camera outside her home.
He is described as “approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build.” The agency also shared specific details of the bag he is believed to have been wearing, a black, 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.”
The FBI is also doubling the size of its reward for information that leads to her location, from $50,000 to $100,000. The agency said it has collected more than 13,000 tips from the public since Guthrie’s disappearance on Feb. 1.
Mike Bebernes
Rain forecast for Friday could complicate evidence gathering around Guthrie home
Forecasters are expecting rain showers that could bring between one-quarter and 1 inch of precipitation to the Tucson, Ariz., area on Friday, which could create challenges for law enforcement as they scour the area surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s home for evidence.
Friday’s showers will be the first rain to fall in the area since Guthrie’s disappearance on Feb. 1. The FBI’s field office in Phoenix told CNN that its agents will continue their investigation “regardless of weather conditions.”
Yahoo News Photo Staff
Photos: The hunt for evidence
Photos show investigators searching for evidence in the past few days near Nancy Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Ariz.
Investigators look over paperwork in the neighborhood where Annie Guthrie, whose mother Nancy Guthrie has been missing for more than a week, lives just outside Tucson, Ariz. on Feb. 10. (Ty ONeil/AP)
An investigator looks inside a culvert in the neighborhood where Annie Guthrie —whose mother, Nancy Guthrie, has been missing for more than a week — lives, just outside Tucson, Ariz. (Ty ONeil/AP)
Investigators search the edges of Nancy Guthrie’s street on Feb. 11. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)
A Pima County Sheriff’s Department deputy stands guard at the home of Nancy Guthrie in the Catalina Foothills on Feb. 11. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)
Yahoo News Photo Staff
Sheriff’s department says there aren’t any scheduled press briefings at this time
Broadcasters are stationed outside Nancy Guthrie’s residence on Feb. 12. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a post on X Thursday that there are no scheduled press briefings at this time and that Sheriff Chris Nanos is not conducting separate interviews.
If there’s a “significant development” in the case, a press conference will be called, the post added.
Dylan Stableford
Investigators ‘have recovered several items of evidence, including gloves,’ police say
In an update on Thursday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said that investigators have “recovered several items of evidence, including gloves,” and that they are being submitted for analysis.
On Wednesday, as FBI agents scoured the Catalina Foothills near Nancy Guthrie’s home north of Tucson, Ariz., a black glove was recovered about 1.5 miles from the 84-year-old’s residence, according to a New York Post reporter who was there when the item was found.
It’s unclear whether authorities believe it’s the same glove worn by the person seen in the doorbell camera footage released earlier this week by the FBI.
Kate Murphy
Pima County Sheriff’s Department expands request for video surveillance footage
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is expanding its call for video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s neighbors.
Investigators are now “requesting any video showing vehicles, traffic, pedestrians, or suspicious activity from Jan. 1 – Feb. 2” in a 2-mile radius of Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills, the department announced in a post on X.
Police previously asked neighbors to review footage from Jan. 11 between 9 p.m. and midnight, as well as from Jan. 31 between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
An alert was also sent through the Neighbors app, police said. Residents may be contacted directly through the app by the sheriff’s department, urging recipients to “verify legitimate posts” by looking for a blue checkmark.
