Private investigator claims cartel behind Nancy Guthrie abduction

Nancy Guthrie may have been abducted by drug cartel — but may still be in Arizona, one private investigator believes.

Bill Garcia, a California-based PI with more than 35 years of experience, told Border Report he thinks the 84-year-old was abducted in a “money-making venture by people involved with a cartel” — but not taken into Mexico.

“That particular area of Arizona is a high drug and money transporting area,” Garcia said.

Bill Garcia, a veteran California private investigator, wearing a dark button-up shirt and a wooden beaded necklace.
​​Private investigator Bill Garcia claims the case may be tied to cartel-linked activity in southern Arizona, though authorities have not publicly endorsed that theory.Bill Garcia / LinkedIn

A man holding a radio stands on a dirt road next to a sign for the Rivers South OHV Staging Area.
“That particular area of Arizona is a high drug and money transporting area,” Garcia said.Bill Garcia / LinkedIn

“It has deepened my believe that this is in some way related to a money-making venture by people involved with a cartel.”

Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing from her Tucson home on Feb. 1.

Authorities have said she was likely taken from her residence overnight, and the FBI has released surveillance images of a masked suspect seen at her front door.

Infrared security camera footage of a person wearing a ski mask, holding flowers.
The FBI has released surveillance images of a masked suspect seen at Guthrie’s front door in the early hours of the morning she disappeared.FBI via Getty Images
The motive for the apparent kidnapping remains unclear.

Officials have ruled out a burglary gone wrong, and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said Guthrie could have been taken as “revenge for something,” but little else has been made public.

Garcia pointed to that surveillance footage, arguing the suspect “doesn’t appear to be very sophisticated.”

Black and white image of a masked suspect outside Nancy Guthrie's Arizona home.
Authorities have said blood was found on the porch of Guthrie’s home, but none leading away from the residence.FBI via Getty Images
“He does things a professional would not do,” Garcia said. “For instance, the way he approaches the camera … why would he pick up some shrubbery as it didn’t effectively cover up the camera?”

He also cited the suspect’s clothing and gear, describing a holster typically made in Mexico that he said appeared too big for the gun the person had.

“Just the appearance and mannerisms makes me believe it is a low-level associate,” Garcia said.

Aerial view of a house and property, with a Pima County Sheriff's vehicle and an officer on a dirt road.
In an aerial view, Pima County Sheriff’s vehicles sit in the driveway of the home of Nancy Guthrie on Feb. 20, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona.Getty Images
“If Nancy did come to the front door and contacted this person, I suspect there may be some type of struggle most likely after the camera was removed,” he added.

Police have said blood was found on the porch but not leading away from the home.

Garcia said he believes she was forced back inside, where another kidnapper was waiting.

Authorities have not publicly endorsed Garcia’s cartel theory.

The timeline of the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom:


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Despite speculation she may have been transported south of the border, Garcia said he doubts that scenario because of heavy law enforcement presence between Tucson and Mexico.

“They would have to choose a location that’s safe and where they’re less likely to be caught in the act — that’s why I suspect she would be somewhat north of Tucson in that hundred-to-130-mile area between Tucson and outside of Phoenix and Mesa Arizona,” he said.

FBI sources said this week that Guthrie may be in Mexico, while Nanos has claimed his team’s evidence puts her in Tucson.

Unnamed sources told TMZ the FBI had been in contact with Mexican officials about the case.

A smiling woman with glasses in her hand leans on a wooden fence, with mountains and covered wagons in the background.
Garcia said he believes Guthrie was forced back inside, where another kidnapper was waiting.Facebook/Nancy Guthrie

Nancy Guthrie smiling at a table in a restaurant.
Law enforcement officials have cleared family members of wrongdoing in connection with Guthrie’s disappearance.Facebook/Savanah Guthrie
But Border Patrol officer Leon Boyer, an expert on Mexican security, previously told The Post he does not believe cartels would be involved.

Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie, pose for a photo.
Investigators have said the motive behind Nancy Guthrie’s apparent abduction remains unclear weeks after she vanished from her Tucson home.via REUTERS

A sheriff's deputy in uniform walks along a desert pathway at night.
A member of the Pima County Sheriff’s Office walks around Nancy Guthrie’s home on Feb. 10, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona.APGarcia, who is best known in Southern California for solving difficult missing persons cases, said he is not campaigning for the job and “would never push himself onto an investigation.”

In 2002, he located the body of a child who had gone missing after authorities had spent weeks searching without success, according to Border Report.