Nancy Guthrie Update: Sheriff Reveals Where He Believes She Was Held
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he believes Nancy Guthrie was held somewhere close to her home in Tucson, according to BBC.
Nanos said he believes the missing 84-year-old was a victim of a targeted kidnapping, the U.K. outlet reported.
The sheriff said he is confident law enforcement will find Guthrie, whether it takes “10 days, 10 months, or worse”.
Pima County Sheriff, Chris Nanos, speaks to the media on February 3, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. | Photo by Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images
Why It Matters
Nancy, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for over two weeks, prompting a multiagency search involving local law enforcement and the FBI. Nancy was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Alleged ransom notes were sent to multiple news outlets after her disappearance.
Nanos previously said at a news conference that there were clues at the crime scene indicating Nancy “did not leave on her own.” The sheriff has also said Nancy needs daily medication, and it could be fatal if she does not take it every 24 hours.
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What To Know
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said investigators are analyzing biological evidence found at Nancy’s home and DNA profiles are currently under lab analysis.
Nanos told the Today show that DNA at Nancy’s property could belong to the suspect behind her disappearance.
“We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we don’t know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out,” Nanos said.
The sheriff’s department said the DNA found at the property did not match DNA from a set of gloves found on a set of gloves located two miles from the home.
The FBI said DNA was found on a set of gloves that resemble gloves worn by a potential subject in a surveillance video released by law enforcement.
The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance photos and video of a potential subject last week as part of the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance. The agencies said they had worked closely with private sector partners to recover any images or video footage from Nancy’s home “that may have been lost, corrupted, or inaccessible due to a variety of factors, including the removal of recording devices.”
Law enforcement said the footage showed “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”
Nanos said Google is working on retrieving additional footage from other Nest cameras on Nancy’s property, according to the Today show. He said other private companies, including Meta and Apple, have offered to help, according to the outlet.
The sheriff’s department said the DNA evidence from the gloves was submitted to the national DNA database CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), but there were no hits.
The National DNA Index (NDIS) had over 19.2 million offender profiles, 6.1 million arrestee profiles and 1.4 million forensic profiles as of November of last year, according to the FBI.
Nanos said he did not view the lack of matches as a setback, and he said DNA can still play a crucial role in the case, according to BBC.
The sheriff’s office said investigators are looking into additional investigative genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches.
What People Are Saying
Savannah Guthrie, in a video posted on Instagram: “It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope and we still believe.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, in comments to ABC News: “We’re not giving up. If Nancy’s out there, we’re going to find her. We’re not giving up.”
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. A reward of $102,500 is being offered by 88-CRIME for the arrest of the person or persons involved in the disappearance.
