Savannah Guthrie said that she and her family have accepted that her missing mother, Nancy, may “already be gone,” but that they are still holding out hope while announcing a private reward of up to $1 million for her recovery.
“We still believe in a miracle, we still believe that she can come home,” the co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show said in an emotional video posted Tuesday morning to Instagram.
“We also know that she may be lost, she may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother Pierce, and with our daddy. And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it,” she says in the video. “But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads us to her recovery.”
Nancy Guthrie is believed to have been abducted from her Tucson-area home by a masked, armed man more than three weeks ago. Video and photos released by the FBI captured a person outside the 84-year-old’s front door on the morning of Feb. 1 wearing a backpack, a ski mask, gloves and a handgun at their waist.
No arrests have been made or suspects identified in the case.
Savannah Guthrie, while fighting back tears, acknowledged that it’s now been 24 days since her mom vanished, leaving her in perpetual pain.
A missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie is seen.
“Every hour and minute and second, and every long night has been agony since then, of worrying about her, fearing for her, aching for her, and most of all just missing her,” she says.
The FBI on Tuesday shared news of the Guthries’ reward on social media, while reminding that its $100,000 reward also remains active.
Savannah Guthrie said her family has also donated $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“Somebody knows something that can bring her home. Somebody knows,” she says in the video.
The 84-year-old is believed to have been abducted from her Tucson-area home by a masked, armed man on Feb. 1.
The announced reward increase comes one day after law enforcement sources told ABC and CBS News that Nancy Guthrie’s front door camera captured the suspect outside her home at another, unknown time before her Feb. 1 disappearance. During that alleged visit, the person appeared wearing similar clothing but was without a backpack.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department on Monday shot down those reports, however, saying it’s “purely speculative” to say that the suspect visited the home at an earlier date based on those images.
“There is no date or time stamp associated with these images,” the department said of images showing the individual not wearing the backpack. “Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.”
Savannah Guthrie’s family is offering up to $1 million for the return of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, she announced in a February 24 Instagram video. “We still believe in a miracle,” the Today anchor said. “We still believe that she can come home.” Nancy was initially reported missing in Arizona on February 1. Law enforcement suspect that she was abducted from her home and have released images that appear to show a masked, armed individual tampering with Nancy’s front-door camera. Although Savannah acknowledged that Nancy may already be “dancing in heaven,” she said her family needs to know where she is so that they can either have a “glorious” homecoming or celebrate her “beautiful, brave, courageous, and noble life.”
In her post caption, Savannah urged anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or reach out to her directly, noting that they can remain anonymous. She also clarified that her family’s reward will be paid only if it is consistent with the criteria for payment set by the FBI, which has offered up to $100,000 for information “leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.” (Now that he’s done downing beers with the U.S. men’s hockey team at the Olympics, perhaps FBI director Kash Patel will have more free time to follow any leads in this investigation?)
In the weeks since Nancy’s disappearance, some people have expressed frustration online that all missing-persons cases do not receive the same level of concern and coverage in the media. Savannah acknowledged in her video that her family is not alone in this “uncertainty,” explaining that for that reason, they are also donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “We are hoping that the attention that has been given to our mom and our family will extend to all the families like ours,” she said, “who are in need and need prayers and need support.”
Savannah Guthrie and her family are offering an additional reward of up to $1 million for any information leading to the whereabouts of their mother, Nancy Guthrie. The “Today” show co-host made the announcement on social media Tuesday.
In a new video posted to Instagram, Savannah Guthrie expressed hope that her mother will be found but also acknowledged that she “may be lost.”
“She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves,” Guthrie said.
The FBI is also offering a $100,000 reward, and encouraged anyone with information to contact the tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
“Someone out there knows something that can bring her home,” Savannah Guthrie said in the video. “Somebody knows, and we are begging you to please come forward now.”
She also said the family would be donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“We are hoping that the attention that has been given to our mom and our family will extend to all the families like ours who are in need and need prayers and need support,” Guthrie said, adding, “We know there are millions of families that have suffered with this kind of uncertainty.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Investigators in the Nancy Guthrie case in Arizona have turned to an investigative technique called genetic genealogy as they try to make the most of DNA evidence that’s been collected during the search for the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie.
The process has been used to crack some notable cases in the past decade, including identifying the so-called Golden State Killer in California who’d eluded authorities for over 40 years and the man behind the high-profile killings of four Idaho college students.
Nearly three weeks after Nancy Guthrie, 84, was believed to have been forcibly taken from her Tucson home in the middle of the night, authorities haven’t named a suspect or a person of interest in the case. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department announced this week that Savannah Guthrie, her two siblings and their spouses have been cleared as suspects.
The sheriff’s department has also said that a DNA profile from a set of gloves found about 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s house didn’t match any entries in the national database maintained by the FBI known as the Combined DNA Index System, or CoDIS. The database contains DNA profiles of individuals with a previous arrest for certain crimes who had supplied a DNA sample.
The sheriff’s department also said that the DNA profile from the gloves didn’t match other DNA evidence from Nancy Guthrie’s property. The department has said DNA was collected at the property that isn’t from Guthrie or those in close contact with her, and that investigators were working to identify who it came from. The department said Friday that DNA analysis was underway on biological evidence recovered during the investigation and that the process can be lengthy.
In an aerial view, a Pima County sheriff’s deputy keeps guard outside of Nancy Guthrie’s residence on Feb. 15, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The department noted that investigators were looking into investigative genetic genealogy options to check for matches. A federal law enforcement source told CBS News investigators would also be checking commercial DNA databases, which are separate from CoDIS.
Emanuel Katranakis, a former deputy chief with the New York Police Department who spent 25 years in the NYPD’s Forensics Investigations Division and was its commanding officer, told CBS News that genetic genealogy is essentially the final effort to match a DNA sample to a person after collecting the evidence and searching in CoDIS, if there is no direct or partial match in the federal or state databases.
“If this perpetrator has a relative that is a convicted offender in the database, you build a family tree around it,” Katranakis said. He also said, “You’re throwing a wide net, you’re looking for cousins.”
It’s a strategy that has worked before.
In Idaho, Bryan Kohberger is serving four life sentences after pleading guilty last year to killing four college students in the early morning hours in their home in 2022. Investigators were able to tie him to the killings using DNA retrieved from the button snap of a knife sheath that was left near one of the slain students’ bodies.
The FBI used genealogy sites to build family trees of genetic relatives using the crime scene DNA profile, and from there identified Kohberger as a possible suspect, prosecutors said. Investigators searched through garbage from the Pennsylvania home of Kohberger’s parents and recovered a Q-tip that was determined to come from the father of the person whose DNA was found at the Idaho home.
Bryan Kohberger appears at his sentencing hearing July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho.
AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool
In California, the decadeslong pursuit of the so-called Golden State Killer, who was behind 13 killings and dozens of rapes, led to the 2018 arrest of a retired police officer in his 70s after a DNA sample was submitted to a public database popular with genealogy enthusiasts.
The sample was collected after a double murder in 1980 but didn’t match with anything in law enforcement’s systems until the 21st century, according to court documents. After turning to the public database, investigators ultimately landed on Joseph DeAngelo. He was arrested in 2018 after investigators obtained a tissue from his trash that had his DNA. DeAngelo, now 80, pleaded guilty in 2020 and is serving multiple life sentences.
Joseph James DeAngelo sits in court during victim impact statements Aug. 20, 2020, in Sacramento, California.
Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool
Suzanna Ryan, laboratory director at private forensic DNA lab Pure Gold Forensics in Southern California, told CBS News that when investigators turn to genetic genealogy, there has to be enough of a DNA sample left to undergo additional analysis.
“Sometimes the original lab has to use all of the sample for traditional testing in order to even attempt to obtain a result,” she said in an email.
An ideal DNA sample would have a single source profile, like a blood stain or a semen sample, Ryan said. However, labs can also work with samples that have two contributors as long as most of the sample is from a potential perpetrator.
“The labs could work with a mixture of, let’s say 80% contributor ‘A’ to 20% contributor ‘B’ as long as the potential perpetrator is the 80% component,” Ryan said. “If it’s the other way around, they usually can’t do much with that type of mixture in terms of the downstream genealogical research.”
The use of genealogical databases in criminal investigations has raised questions about whether people who upload their DNA profiles are fully aware of how they might be used.
FamilyTreeDNA, which allows users to use their DNA data to find relatives, told CBS News it doesn’t work directly with law enforcement on forensic genetic genealogy cases. The company said related work is carried out through an independent third-party partner that uses a consent-based database.
“Participation in investigative genetic genealogy matching at FamilyTreeDNA is strictly voluntary and opt-in only,” the company said in a statement. “We place the highest priority on customer privacy, data security, and ethical use in all aspects of our operations.”
CBS News has also reached out to several other popular commercial DNA database companies for their responses.
As of February 18, the Guthrie family has been cleared of suspicion for their matriarch’s kidnapping. The FBI conducted a SWAT raid on a home February 13, detaining two people but arresting no one. There is a physical description of one suspect, obtained through home-surveillance footage, but no name has been attached.
Below, everything we can confirm about the disappearance and search for Nancy so far.
Guthrie was last seen the evening of Saturday, January 31, when she ate dinner at her daughter Annie’s Tucson home. Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, dropped Nancy off at her house around 9:45 p.m. local time and says he made sure she made it inside safely before driving away.
When Nancy didn’t show up to her regular church service on Sunday, February 1, friends notified the Guthrie family, who went to her home to see if something was wrong. They discovered her belongings — including a wallet, phone, and daily medications — were there, but she was not. The family called 911, and after an initial investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department determined this was a criminal case, not a situation involving a senior citizen who had willingly left or wandered off.
On February 16, Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos officially cleared the Guthrie family. “The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case,” he wrote. He’d previously told Arizona’s KTVK-TV, on February 13, that no one had been ruled out as a suspect, even the Guthries. “Everybody — particularly the Guthrie family, but everybody — has been very cooperative with us,” he said, but also “Nobody’s cleared.”
A DoorDash driver, who identified himself as Carlos Palazuelos, told Telemundo on Wednesday, February 11, that he was detained by law enforcement for questioning, then ultimately let go. He said that his Rio Rico house was searched with a warrant, during which both his front and back doors were damaged. Palazuelos said that, though he works as a delivery driver, he does not remember ever delivering anything to Nancy’s house.
On February 12, the FBI released a physical description of one suspect. Based on security camera footage, the suspect is thought to be a male between five-foot-nine and five-foot-ten, per the BBC.
On February 13, PCSD revealed it had found DNA at Nancy Guthrie’s home that does not belong to her or those in close contact with her. Police would not disclose anything else about the DNA or where exactly it was found. Police also said several gloves were found, with the closest being two miles from Guthrie’s home. No gloves were found on the property.
The FBI and PCSD worked with “private partners” to unearth photos from Nancy’s front-door camera, which they released on February 10, including via a tweet by FBI director Kash Patel. The images show an armed masked individual tampering with Nancy’s front-door camera on the same day that she went missing.
Clockwise from top left: Photo: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s Department
Clockwise from top left: Photo: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: P… Clockwise from top left: Photo: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s DepartmentPhoto: Pima County Sheriff’s Department
The PCSD arrived at Nancy’s home around noon on February 2 and discovered evidence that, according to Sheriff Chris Nanos, gave officers “grave concern.” This included red splatter on her front doorstep, signs of forced entry, and a missing doorbell camera. Homicide detectives were called in because of “what the scene was telling us,” according to Nanos. “It’s not standard. Typically, our homicide team comes out when he have a homicide, a body,” he said at a Sunday briefing. “She did not leave on her own; we know that.”
DNA testing later confirmed that the red splatter was Nancy’s blood. Investigators also learned that the missing camera was disconnected at 1:47 a.m. and that her security system had a “person on camera” alert at 2:12 a.m. At a February 5 press conference, Nanos said that Nancy’s cameras were not connected to a subscription service and there was no recording of the detected movement, which authorities said could have come from an animal and not necessarily a person. An external company’s efforts to recover the footage were unsuccessful, and PCSD is exploring other methods to extract any information from the software.
The immediate worries for Nancy’s safety include fears about her health. Her pacemaker disconnected from her Apple Watch and iPhone at 2:28 a.m., just after her security system detected movement. A cardiologist interviewed by the New York Postsaid the likely cause of the disconnection was Nancy being physically taken out of range of her devices and that the disconnect does not necessarily indicate anything medically worrisome occurred.
Law enforcement said Nancy is in good cognitive health but cannot walk more than 50 yards on her own and takes daily medication for unspecified pain and cardiac issues. Beyond the complications that the stress of the situation could have on her heart, the interruption in her medication regimen could be serious. Pharmacies in the area are on alert for anyone suspicious picking up the medicines she needs.
Savannah Guthrie didn’t appear on the Today show on February 2, with fellow anchor Craig Melvin reading a statement in her absence: “On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.”
Today co-hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones shared the statement again during the third hour of the show, with Bush Hager reminding viewers that Nancy urgently needs her medications. It was later announced that Savannah would no longer be covering the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
On February 4, Savannah and her elder siblings, Annie and Camron, posted a video to Instagram, tearfully pleading for information about the whereabouts of their mother, whose husband, Charles, died in 1988. “Our mother is a kind, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light,” Savannah read from a statement. “We, too, have heard the reports about a possible ransom letter in the media. As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.” The FBI provided “expertise” ahead of the video, but the Pima County sheriff was not made aware of it until his wife showed him the video on social media.
Later that day, President Trump called Savannah to offer support from federal law enforcement, a day after the White House encouraged anyone with information to come forward in an official post on X. Around 400 people from the Tucson area attended a candlelight prayer vigil at St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church to offer support for the Guthries, who did not attend.
On February 15, Savannah Guthrie posted another direct plea to her mother’s kidnappers 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,” she said. “I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is, it’s never too late. And you’re not lost, or alone. And it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here. We believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it’s never too late.”
On February 3, TMZ and local news stations received ransom letters via e-mail from a purported kidnapper, asking for millions of dollars in bitcoin for Nancy’s safe return. The note allegedly included two deadlines for the payment — 5 p.m. on February 5 and 5 p.m. on February 9 — but did not specify a time zone. Law enforcement has not provided any more details, and no developments were publicly announced after the first deadline passed.
At 5 p.m. on February 5, Camron Guthrie released another statement via Savannah’s Instagram account, saying, “Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.”
Authorities haven’t revealed any specifics of the letter, but TMZ founder Harvey Levin told CNN the letter contained credible details about Nancy’s Apple watch and a floodlight on her property. Levin added that the author of the note took care to not reveal any identifying information but said Nancy is “okay but scared.” Without elaborating, Levin called the February 9 deadline “far more consequential.”
Also on February 5, the FBI arrested 42-year-old Derrick Callella of Hawthorne, California, for sending ransom text messages to the Guthrie family. FBI Phoenix special agent in charge Heith Janke said this “impostor ransom demand” was unrelated to the letters sent to the media. Callella allegedly sent the texts using an app that created a fake phone number for him, and authorities were able to trace it back to an email address he used. According to a DoJ press release, Callella is facing charges of “transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce, and without disclosing his identity, utilizing a telecommunications device with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass a person.”
On February 7, Savannah Guthrie released a video stating that the family would “pay” for the safe return of their mother. In the video, she is seated on a couch next to her brother, Camron, and sister, Annie. “We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace.”
It is unclear which ransom note Guthrie is directing her plea to. There have been three news outlets contacted with possible ransoms, and the video did not directly address any one in particular.
On Sunday, February 8, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it was securing Nancy Guthrie’s residence. This came a day after police were seen searching the home. They were seen searching the septic tank on Saturday, per “Page Six.” According to Variety, PCSD will “maintain a presence at Nancy Guthrie’s residence for security” at the request of the family.
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Friday, February 6, that they were aware of a new message from the alleged kidnappers and that they were verifying its authenticity.
As of the press conference on February 5, PCSD and the FBI do not have any suspects or persons of interest in the disappearance. An Uber driver who dropped Nancy off at her daughter’s home for dinner was interviewed and cleared of suspicion. Several issues have hampered the investigation, including a lack of surveillance footage from neighbors’ security systems and the harsh outdoor conditions search parties could face in the Catalina Foothills area where Nancy lives. Per AZ Central, her neighborhood is close to both the sprawling desert and the Santa Catalina Mountains, so the ground and air-rescue teams are dealing with “uneven topography, limited visibility, and temperature changes” with nighttime temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s.
The FBI also announced it is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s return. “If those that may have Nancy are watching this, the family is ready to talk, get proof of life, because there has been no contact after that ransom note went to the media,” Janke said at the briefing.
On CNN, James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory special agent with experience in hostage negotiations, said the family’s video pleas indicate “they have not received any other reach-outs and they’re basically in the dark right now, so that’s what makes this such a tough case from the motivation perspective. Was it revenge or was it for profit? I think investigators have reached a dead end, and that’s why the sheriff of Pima County is basically saying they’re going to start putting up literal physical billboards to try to crowdsource this and get more people to come forward with information.”
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there,” Nanos said at the Thursday press conference. “We want her home.”
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are still asking anyone with tips to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Investigators are using a tracking device called a “signal sniffer” that can detect signals emitted from electronic devices as the search for Nancy Guthrie continues in its third week.
David Kennedy, a former NSA hacker and inventor of the signal sniffer being used in the investigation, told CBS News that because Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from the app on her phone, it indicates the device is equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy technology, a power setting designed so the device will last multiple years.
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing when she failed to show up for church on Feb. 1, after vanishing in the middle of the night from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in an apparent abduction. Authorities said Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from the pacemaker app on her cellphone at 2:28 a.m.
Kennedy said Bluetooth Low Energy only has a 10- to 15-foot radius, but with signal amplifiers and high-gain antennas, the radius can extend to several hundred feet.
He said after conducting a test at his home using a non-commercial drone and off-the-shelf items to modify it, he was able to extend the device’s detection range to about 800 feet.
“With amplification, with the ability to deploy things like drones or leveraging helicopters, they should be able to cover a lot larger area and then really home in just from a few meters to the actual signal itself,” Kennedy told CBS News.
Since the pacemaker sends out a Bluetooth signal every two to three minutes, the signal sniffer can pick up its location, Kennedy said, which law enforcement would be able to view and trace using Nancy Guthrie’s phone.
The tracking tool was mounted on a helicopter on Monday, law enforcement sources told CBS News. The helicopter carrying the device was flying slowly at a low altitude over the area where investigators are still hoping to find Guthrie, the sources said.
Kennedy said he believes the helicopter was used as a quick stopgap to get a general location to see what was happening in the area. He said a signal sniffer could be fixed to a drone or a car, though a drone is more efficient because it can cover greater distances faster, and that using a helicopter or car could interfere with the signal due to metal buildings or concrete walls.
Since signal sniffers are considered a new capability for law enforcement, Kennedy said officials don’t have massive fleets of drones being used, and that it will take time to build out the infrastructure to do so. He said if there were around 50 to 60 drones covering 300 to 800 feet, it would speed up the process.
“You can really cut that time down pretty substantially across the board, you’re probably talking, a day or a few days or a maximum of two weeks of being able to cover 120-foot-mile radius, to be able to actually identify it,” Kennedy said. “It really comes down to manpower, drone operators [and] the drone technology itself.”
After Nancy Guthrie’s Feb.1 abduction from her Tucson, Arizona, home, her daughter “Today” host Savannah Guthrie put out a call on social media for tips on her mother’s whereabouts, pleading for her safe return.
So far, social media users have been less than helpful. With the Justice Department’s Jan. 30 release of more than 3 million pages of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, X users proposed bogus links between the abduction and the file release.
MultipleXposts include a photo of Savannah Guthrie’s family and an accusation about her husband, Michael Feldman.
“Her husband’s company is listed as a co conspirator in the Epstein files… FGS Global,” reads a Feb. 12 X post with over 1 million views. “In case you’re wondering why now of all times for Savannah Guthrie’s mother to be ‘kidnapped.’”
The co-anchor’s husband isn’t named in the Epstein files, and neither is his current company.
Searching the digital Epstein files, we found one 2013 email to Epstein from a person named Michael Feldman, but it seems to be someone else, introducing himself as a “theoretical physicist.”
Guthrie’s husband is a communications consultant who previously worked in the Clinton administration as chief liaison to Congress and senior adviser for former Vice President Al Gore. Feldman currently works as North American co-chairman of FGS Global, an international public relations firm.
We did not find FGS Global listed in Justice Department files, but another public affairs company that was merged to found FGS Global was listed. As a community note on one of the X posts said, Feldman helped found Glover Park Group in 2001, and its name appears twice in the Epstein files. The firm merged with other companies to form FGS Global in 2021.
PolitiFact reached out to FGS Global, but didn’t receive an immediate response.
The second was in a 2015 email forwarded by Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury secretary and former Harvard University president. Summers suggested that Epstein contact Joe Lockhart, who worked at the Glover Park Group and served as press secretary during the Clinton administration, as well as other Democratic politicians. The initial email says Lockhart “helped Clinton and Genera= (sic) Petraeus.” (Former CIA director and retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus had an extramarital affair uncovered in 2012.)
(Screenshot of a Jan. 8, 2015, email exchange in the Epstein files)
These mentions are not evidence that Feldman, FGS Global or Glover Park Group were “co-conspirators” with Epstein.
Being mentioned in the files does not mean criminal wrongdoing. We reported in 2025 that figures such as President Donald Trump and Clinton appear in the files, but that doesn’t mean they are guilty or charged with crimes. As of February 2026, Epstein and his coconspirator Ghislaine Maxwell are the only people who have beenconvicted in the scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Feb. 16 on X that the Guthrie family, including “all siblings and spouses,” had been cleared as possible suspects in the Nancy Guthrie case.
We rate the X posts’ claims about Guthrie’s husband’s company False.
Sheriff Chris Nanos of Pima County, Arizona, tells CBS News that investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie believe the clothing and face mask worn by the suspect in the chilling doorbell video released last week were purchased at Walmart.
They are still working to identify each brand. CBS News first reported that the suspect’s backpack, identified as a black Ozark Trail Hiker, was sold exclusively at Walmart.
It remains unclear whether the items were bought online or in-store in Arizona or elsewhere. The sheriff said investigators have spent several days reviewing surveillance video at local Walmarts.
Two of the images released by the FBI of a subject seen on surveillance video in the Nancy Guthrie case.
FBI
Guthrie, 84, the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since Feb. 1. Authorities believe she was abducted from her home in Tucson in the middle of the night.
Nanos called the backpack one of the most promising leads in the case.
Walmart has provided records of all Ozark Trail Hiker online and in-store purchases over the past several months, including sales beyond the Tucson area, to investigators.
CBS News reached out to Walmart corporate offices, but a spokesperson declined to comment.
The FBI says the masked figure seen on Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera was carrying a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack like the one seen at right.
FBI
Investigators believe the face mask the suspect wore is black but appears lighter on the video footage due to Nest camera’s infrared technology.
DNA evidence on glove
Meanwhile, authorities are conducting DNA testing on a black glove found near Guthrie’s home which “appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video,” the FBI said in a statement on Sunday.
The FBI said it received preliminary results of DNA testing on Saturday, and once those findings were confirmed it would enter what it called “the unknown male profile” into CoDIS, the FBI’s national database for matching DNA profiles.
The bureau previously described the individual as a male with an average build who is about 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall.
Investigators have also collected other DNA evidence from Nancy Guthrie’s property as part of the ongoing investigation, but the results have not led to a suspect, according to Nanos.
Multiple law enforcement agencies spent hours Friday evening searching a residence less than two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home.
Nanos told CBS affiliate KOLD that the activity was the result of following up on “a lead that led to a search warrant and no arrest.” Authorities did not release other details on what led them there or what, if anything, may have been found.
Investigators packed up equipment near Nancy Guthrie’s home Thursday on day 12 of the search for the missing 84-year-old, and new tips are flowing in in her disappearance. Doorbell camera footage was released earlier in the week of *** masked and armed person on her front porch. From that video, the FBI now saying the suspect is male, 5’9 to 5’10, and wearing *** black 25 L Ozark Trail hiker pack backpack. The height and the backpack are very good clues, and what the The FBI will do is they’ll start with the realm of the possible. How many of these backpacks were sold, when they were sold. *** white tent was temporarily placed outside the front door of Guthrie’s home Thursday, and the sheriff’s department says it has discovered multiple gloves in the investigation. They’re going to check this thing every possible scientific way for anything that can bring them to *** clue or *** person. Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie posting *** tribute to her mother on social media as she and her siblings. Desperately hold on to hope for her return. Near her home, yellow ribbons lined trees and sympathizers added flowers to *** growing shrine outside. In front of *** local news station in Tucson, *** banner has been placed reading Bring Her Home. Some neighbors are writing messages of support. I think we’re all just wishing the best for them and praying for *** resolution. So praying for, obviously it would be amazing if she were brought back to them. I’m Cherelle Hubbard reporting.
Savannah Guthrie’s latest message to mother’s kidnapper: ‘Do the right thing’
On Sunday evening, Savannah Guthrie took to social media in another attempt to plead to the kidnapper of her mother, Nancy.It has been two weeks since 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona, home. Video above: New tips in Nancy Guthrie caseEarlier Sunday, the FBI said DNA recovered from a glove near Nancy Guthrie’s home appears to match glove worn by suspect in video.In the Instagram video, Savannah Guthrie said, “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. I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it’s never too late and you’re not lost or alone. And it is never to late to do the right thing. We are here. We believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being. It’s never too late.”Guthrie, her sister and her brother have gone on social media and shared multiple video messages to their mother’s purported captor.The family’s Instagram videos have shifted in tone from impassioned pleas to whoever may have their mom, saying they want to talk and are even willing to pay a ransom, to bleaker and more desperate requests for the public’s help. A video on Thursday was simply a home video of their mother and a promise to “never give up on her.”Sunday’s video issued an appeal to whoever abducted her mother or anyone who knows where she is being kept. Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs vital daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and have dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
On Sunday evening, Savannah Guthrie took to social media in another attempt to plead to the kidnapper of her mother, Nancy.
It has been two weeks since 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona, home.
Video above: New tips in Nancy Guthrie case
Earlier Sunday, the FBI said DNA recovered from a glove near Nancy Guthrie’s home appears to match glove worn by suspect in video.
In the Instagram video, Savannah Guthrie said, “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. I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it’s never too late and you’re not lost or alone. And it is never to late to do the right thing. We are here. We believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being. It’s never too late.”
Guthrie, her sister and her brother have gone on social media and shared multiple video messages to their mother’s purported captor.
The family’s Instagram videos have shifted in tone from impassioned pleas to whoever may have their mom, saying they want to talk and are even willing to pay a ransom, to bleaker and more desperate requests for the public’s help. A video on Thursday was simply a home video of their mother and a promise to “never give up on her.”
Sunday’s video issued an appeal to whoever abducted her mother or anyone who knows where she is being kept.
Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs vital daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and have dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
“It’s Monday morning quarterbacking,” Nanos said. “I do it all the time, so you can do that for me. I’ll take that hit.” And to a question about whether possible evidence could have been contaminated? That’s a later problem. “I’ll let the courts worry about that.”
Even a widely reported SWAT action at a residence near Guthrie’s home Friday night was accompanied by little context: Media assembled at a designated point, expecting an update, but were told hours later that there would be no formal statement. “Because this is a joint investigation, at the request of the FBI – no additional information is currently available,” the PCSD said via X. According to CNN, no suspects were detained in the law enforcement swarm, which blocked a road about two miles from the primary scene.
Day after day for almost two weeks, a growing number of people—media professionals and self-appointed citizen investigators alike—have flocked to Nancy’s home in the Catalina Foothills outside Tucson, where information comes out in drips and drabs, sudden flurries of activity erupt and then abruptly die out, and that crime scene tape goes up and down again and again. Consider that though the FBI on Tuesday released several still shots and clips of a person approaching Nancy’s door, recovered from home surveillance cameras, law enforcement continues to decline to confirm or deny that there were signs of forced entry to the home. “I have no clue where that comes from,” Nanos said in that news conference. “We are not discussing that at all.”
In the same media briefing, he seemed to shut down hope that any footage would be recovered, saying, “the tech company that we sent that camera off to, they’ve run out of ways to recover any video.” Because Nancy didn’t have an active subscription, the footage wasn’t saved.
Then, those images were released on February 10, along with a joint statement from law enforcement citing “residual data” on “backend servers” that “uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.” What change that made this possible? They’re not saying.
FBI and SWAT units during an operation related to Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping on February 13.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Ford Hatchett, a journalist with Phoenix’s ABC15, arrived at Nancy’s house on Monday, February 1, the morning after her disappearance, and has been back and forth between Phoenix and Tucson several times in the days since. He tells Vanity Fair that while he’s covered crime stories before, “this particular case has been pretty bizarre.”
An active SWAT operation is unfolding in Pima County, Arizona, near Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood, in connection to her disappearance, News Nation reports on Friday night.
Newsweek reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department via email Friday night for comment.
Why It Matters
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for 13 days. The disappearance and search have sparked nationwide attention. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said items at the scene indicate that the 84-year-old woman did not leave “on her own.”
What To Know
According to NewsNation, SWAT centered in on a home, ordered two people out and they complied. The home is now being searched. The area blocked off by police is about 1.9 miles from Guthrie’s home, NewsNation reports.
A Pima County Sheriff’s Department plane was in the air on Friday, NewsNation says, about the time a mobile command center was spotted leaving the department.
Also on Friday, TMZ said it received a new email from a man claiming to know the identity of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper. The email says the person wants the $100,000 FBI reward in two separate bitcoin transactions and will reveal “the name of the main individual.”
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
The disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom has left a lot of people scrambling in different ways. There are a lot of questions. What happened, and why did it happen? How could it have been prevented? And these questions aren’t even just being asked by NBC and the Guthrie family, but by anyone involved in entertainment.
Don Lemon, for example, reportedly got additional security for his mother. There have been no specific threats made, but the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping has left everyone rattled. “This shook everyone,” one network insider told Rob Shuter. “If it can happen to Savannah, it can happen to any high-profile host’s family.”
And Lemon is reportedly not the only one taking these precautions. Multiple networks, including NBC News, have been holding internal briefings with senior staff and on-air talent about their own safety and that of their family members.
“There’s no panic, but there is seriousness,” a source explained. “Executives are saying: don’t ignore your instincts.”
This means being careful with things like routines, travel patterns, and even the visibility of family members for on-air talent—especially older parents. “This is a wake-up call,” another source said. “These hosts are public figures, but their families didn’t sign up for this.”
For NBC, this feels personal after Nancy Guthrie, and they’re not taking any chances. “It shattered the illusion of distance,” one staffer said. “People always think danger is abstract — until it isn’t.”
And Don Lemon would rather go the extra mile. “He didn’t hesitate,” a confidant said. “His attitude was simple: protect first, ask questions later.”
Savannah Guthrie has been absent from her job on the Today show since February 2, the day after her mother first disappeared. She’s been in Arizona alongside her siblings and has been posting on social media, pleading with the kidnappers and sending messages to her mother.
On a message posted on Saturday, Feb. 7, she said. “We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.” There has been no confirmation that the ransom has indeed been paid.
The Guthrie family also said in another video, “We believe that somehow, some way, [Nancy] is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place,” adding, “We believe our mom is still out there.”
“We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Savannah also explained. “So, I’m coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.”
When it became clear that Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy, had been kidnapped, the focus then turned to her possible abductors and what exactly they wanted. Ransom notes were received by both TMZ and two local Tucson TV stations, and from then on, the focus has been on getting Nancy Guthrie back alive, no matter the cost. Her family even went on social media to say they would pay the ransom.
That ransom, as specified in the note, has been set at 6 million dollars. It’s a considerable amount, even for Guthrie, who is better known for her on-camera role on the Today show. But as the family confirmed they were willing to pay and pleaded with the captors, some people have started to wonder if the ransom has indeed been paid and who paid it.
According to Rob Shuter, NBC staffers have been putting pressure on leadership to step in to pay the ransom. “People are begging the company to do something,” one insider told Shuter. “Savannah is family to them.”
But the company is afraid it could set a dangerous precedent. “That’s the nightmare scenario,” a source explained. “You don’t want to become a target.”
So, discussions are being had. “No one wants blood on their hands,” the insider said. “But no one wants to open a door that can’t be closed.”
Meanwhile, the reports indicate there’s no pressure on Guthrie to resume her usual duties on the Today show. But everyone is rattled by her absence and what’s going on—and following the news closely.
“This isn’t about ratings or contracts,” another source added. “It’s about fear, compassion, and the impossible choices no one prepares you for.”
All of this comes as police have recovered a glove they believe to be connected to the kidnapping and have released photos and surveillance video showing a suspect. TMZ also reported that police believe the kidnapper is from the Tucson area, due to the fact that the ransom note sent promised to return Nancy Guthrie to Tucson within 12 hours of receiving the ransom. The note was also sent to two local TV stations in Tucson.
Nancy Guthrie went missing sometime between the night of January 31st and the morning of February 1st, and was reported missing after her family checked on her when she didn’t show up for church on that Sunday. She and her late husband Charles shared three kids: Savannah, Annie and Camron.
Savannah Guthrie has been absent from her job on the Today Show since February 2. She and her siblings have been posting online ever since their mom disappeared, and even pleaded to pay the ransom requested. On a message posted on Saturday, February 7, Guthrie said. “We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
On another video, she said, “We believe that somehow, some way, [Nancy] is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place,” adding, “We believe our mom is still out there.”
An Arizona sheriff’s department got more than 4,000 calls within 24 hours after the release of videos of a masked person on Nancy Guthrie’s porch. Many tips will be worthless. Others could have merit. Experts say one thing’s certain: They can’t be ignored.Tips can solve crimes — big or small — and eerie images of a mysterious male covered head to toe have been the most significant clues shared with the public during Guthrie’s nearly two-week-old disappearance in the Tucson area.“It’s a tremendous amount of work,” said Roberto Villaseñor, a former Tucson police chief.“In a situation like this, you really cannot do what’s been done without tips and public input,” he said. “They have processed the scene. But once that’s done and exhausted, it’s hard to move forward without additional information coming in.”Tens of thousands of tipsThe Pima County sheriff and the FBI announced phone numbers and a website to offer tips about the apparent kidnapping of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Several hundred detectives and agents have been assigned to the case, the sheriff’s department said.The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day when Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.”Every tip is reviewed for credibility, relevance, and information that can be acted upon by law enforcement,” the FBI said Thursday on X, adding that the effort is a 24-hour operation. It said it won’t comment on the tips received.Video above: FBI shares video in Nancy Guthrie caseTips have blown open investigations many timesMajor U.S. crimes for years have been cracked with a tip. In 1995, the brother and sister-in-law of Ted Kaczynski recognized certain tones in an anonymous, widely published anti-technology manifesto. Known by the FBI as the “Unabomber,” Kaczynski was found living in a shack in Montana and subsequently admitted to committing 16 bombings over 17 years, killing three people.The 1989 murders of an Ohio woman and two teen daughters in Florida were solved three years later when St. Petersburg police asked the public if they recognized handwriting found in the victims’ car. A former neighbor led investigators to Oba Chandler.Retired Detroit homicide investigator Ira Todd recalled how images from a gas station camera solved the disappearance and death of a 3-month-old baby — and stopped authorities from pursuing the wrong person in 2001. “A niece of this guy saw it on TV and says, ‘That’s my uncle,’” he said.The murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 generated nearly 40,000 tips to state and federal authorities. None had a direct role in the capture of Bryan Kohberger, but the public’s involvement nonetheless was “absolutely” important, said Lt. Darren Gilbertson of the Idaho State Police.“That’s one of the things that kept us going for weeks,” he said, while authorities awaited DNA and other evidence.Sorting the helpful from the conspiracyGilbertson said much of the early vetting was done by the FBI. He said agents and analysts who were screening tips had a good grasp of what information could be spiked and what should be handed up to key investigators. Some tips arrived by regular mail.“Aliens to bears to crazy conspiratorial ideas — don’t even pass that along,” Gilbertson said.Nancy Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Hours before her family knew she was gone, a porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket and gloves — images that were released by the FBI along with a public plea for help. The FBI on Thursday said the person, who they now consider a suspect, is a male, about 5-foot, 9-inches tall with a medium build. The agency also named the brand and model of the backpack.The sheriff’s department has not said whether any tips tied to the videos have advanced the investigation.“I’m hopeful,” said Villaseñor, the former Tucson chief. “I have seen cases where simpler and less detailed information has helped bring somebody about. Maybe someone recognizes clothing, maybe the bag. You never know what someone will key on.”
TUCSON, Ariz. —
An Arizona sheriff’s department got more than 4,000 calls within 24 hours after the release of videos of a masked person on Nancy Guthrie’s porch. Many tips will be worthless. Others could have merit. Experts say one thing’s certain: They can’t be ignored.
Tips can solve crimes — big or small — and eerie images of a mysterious male covered head to toe have been the most significant clues shared with the public during Guthrie’s nearly two-week-old disappearance in the Tucson area.
“It’s a tremendous amount of work,” said Roberto Villaseñor, a former Tucson police chief.
“In a situation like this, you really cannot do what’s been done without tips and public input,” he said. “They have processed the scene. But once that’s done and exhausted, it’s hard to move forward without additional information coming in.”
Tens of thousands of tips
The Pima County sheriff and the FBI announced phone numbers and a website to offer tips about the apparent kidnapping of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Several hundred detectives and agents have been assigned to the case, the sheriff’s department said.
The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day when Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.
“Every tip is reviewed for credibility, relevance, and information that can be acted upon by law enforcement,” the FBI said Thursday on X, adding that the effort is a 24-hour operation. It said it won’t comment on the tips received.
FBI via AP
This combo from images provided by the FBI shows surveillance footage at the home of Nancy Guthrie the night she went missing in Tucson, Ariz.
Video above: FBI shares video in Nancy Guthrie case
Tips have blown open investigations many times
Major U.S. crimes for years have been cracked with a tip. In 1995, the brother and sister-in-law of Ted Kaczynski recognized certain tones in an anonymous, widely published anti-technology manifesto. Known by the FBI as the “Unabomber,” Kaczynski was found living in a shack in Montana and subsequently admitted to committing 16 bombings over 17 years, killing three people.
The 1989 murders of an Ohio woman and two teen daughters in Florida were solved three years later when St. Petersburg police asked the public if they recognized handwriting found in the victims’ car. A former neighbor led investigators to Oba Chandler.
Retired Detroit homicide investigator Ira Todd recalled how images from a gas station camera solved the disappearance and death of a 3-month-old baby — and stopped authorities from pursuing the wrong person in 2001. “A niece of this guy saw it on TV and says, ‘That’s my uncle,’” he said.
The murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 generated nearly 40,000 tips to state and federal authorities. None had a direct role in the capture of Bryan Kohberger, but the public’s involvement nonetheless was “absolutely” important, said Lt. Darren Gilbertson of the Idaho State Police.
“That’s one of the things that kept us going for weeks,” he said, while authorities awaited DNA and other evidence.
Sorting the helpful from the conspiracy
Gilbertson said much of the early vetting was done by the FBI. He said agents and analysts who were screening tips had a good grasp of what information could be spiked and what should be handed up to key investigators. Some tips arrived by regular mail.
“Aliens to bears to crazy conspiratorial ideas — don’t even pass that along,” Gilbertson said.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Hours before her family knew she was gone, a porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket and gloves — images that were released by the FBI along with a public plea for help. The FBI on Thursday said the person, who they now consider a suspect, is a male, about 5-foot, 9-inches tall with a medium build. The agency also named the brand and model of the backpack.
The sheriff’s department has not said whether any tips tied to the videos have advanced the investigation.
“I’m hopeful,” said Villaseñor, the former Tucson chief. “I have seen cases where simpler and less detailed information has helped bring somebody about. Maybe someone recognizes clothing, maybe the bag. You never know what someone will key on.”
Authorities have released surveillance photos and video showing a masked, armed individual at the home of Nancy Guthrie amid the ongoing search for the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.
The images released by the FBI on Tuesday show someone wearing a ski mask, gloves and carrying a backpack and what appears to be a pistol at their waist. FBI Director Kash Patel attributed the black-and-white images to a surveillance camera that was on Guthrie’s front door.
New images have been released in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
Images of a subject in the search for Nancy Guthrie show an individual in a ski mask and gloves.
“Working with our partners – as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance,” he said in an online post.
New images in the search for Nancy Guthrie:
Over the last eight days, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been working closely with our private sector partners to continue to recover any images or video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home that may have been lost,… pic.twitter.com/z5WLgPtZpT
One video shows the subject walking up to the house with their head bowed down. A second video shows the person walking away from the door and appearing to grab vegetation from the ground. They then carry it back to the door and try to cover the camera’s lens with the plants.
The images were first shared privately with the Guthrie family. Because the family was unable to immediately recognize the person, the FBI publicly released the images, NBC News reported.
Authorities previously said they were unable to obtain footage from the doorbell camera due to Guthrie not having had an active subscription for the device, meaning any footage was not saved. They said the camera was disconnected around 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, and about 20 minutes later, the camera’s software detected movement.
Images from a surveillance camera show a person outside the home of Nancy Guthrie.
Savannah Guthrie shared the images and video on social media and expressed hope for her mother’s safe return.
“Someone out there recognizes this person. We believe she is still out there. Bring her home,” she posted with video of the masked individual.
The person, wearing a mask and carrying a backpack and firearm, is seen approaching the front door.
The White House said its prayers are with the Guthrie family.
“The President encourages any American across the country with any knowledge of this suspect to please call the FBI who continue to assist state and local authorities,” it said in a social media post.
The images come more than a week after the 84-year-old was reported missing from her home outside Tucson.
Additional recovered footage, from the same camera – at the same timeline the morning of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. This footage is just before the original video shared, with the individual approaching Nancy Guthrie’s front door.
Authorities have said that Guthrie was taken against her will, sometime between Saturday night, Jan. 31, and Sunday morning, Feb. 1. Blood was found on her front porch, matching her DNA.
Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to her disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie issued another public plea for help on Monday, stating in a video posted on her Instagram page: “We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie.
Fresh surveillance images from Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing, coupled with intense police activity across Arizona and the detention of a man had raised hopes that authorities were nearing a major break.But then the man was released after questioning, leaving it unclear where the investigation stood into last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.FBI agents carrying water bottles to beat the 80-degree heat Wednesday walked among rocks and desert vegetation at Guthrie’s Tucson-area home. They also fanned out across a neighborhood about a mile away, knocking on doors and searching through cactuses, bushes and boulders.Several hundred detectives and agents are now assigned to the investigation, which is expanding in the area, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.In a nearby neighborhood, two investigators emerged from daughter Annie Guthrie’s home with a paper grocery sack and a white trash bag. One, still wearing blue protective gloves, also took a stack of mail from the roadside mailbox. They drove away without speaking to reporters.The New York Post is reporting investigators have seemingly recovered a black glove in the area near Nancy Guthrie’s home, but it’s not clear if authorities believe it’s the same glove worn by the person seen in doorbell camera footage. Barb Dutrow, who was jogging through a neighborhood where teams were searching, said an FBI agent told her they were looking for anything that might have been tossed from a car. Dutrow, who was visiting from Louisiana for a convention, said she “can’t imagine the feeling of the family of having their mother taken.”A day earlier, authorities said they had stopped a man near the U.S.-Mexico border, just hours after the FBI released videos of a person wearing a gun holster, ski mask and backpack and approaching Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson. The man told media outlets early Wednesday that he was released after several hours and had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance last week.Authorities have not said what led them to stop the man Tuesday but confirmed he was released. The sheriff’s department said its deputies and FBI agents also searched a location in Rio Rico, a city south of Tucson where the man lives.Video above: Person detained for questioning and released as search for Nancy Guthrie continuesIt was the latest twist in an investigation that has gripped the nation since Nancy Guthrie disappeared on Feb. 1. Until Tuesday, it seemed authorities were making little headway in determining what happened to her or finding who was responsible.The black and white images released by the FBI showing a masked person trying to cover a doorbell camera on Guthrie’s porch marked the first significant break in the case. But the images did not show what happened to her or help determine whether she is still alive.FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images.Even though the images do not show the person’s face, investigators are hopeful someone will know who was on the porch. More than 4,000 calls came into the Pima County sheriff’s tip line within the past 24 hours, the department said Wednesday afternoon.Authorities have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. She was last seen at home Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media and said the family believes their mother is still alive.The longtime NBC host and her two siblings have indicated a willingness to pay a ransom.It is not known whether ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, and whether the family has had any contact with whoever took Guthrie.TMZ reported it received a message Wednesday from someone claiming to know the kidnapper’s identity and that they unsuccessfully tried to reach Savannah Guthrie’s brother and sister. The person asked for bitcoin in exchange for the information, TMZ said. The FBI did not immediately respond to a message.Authorities have said Nancy Guthrie takes several medications and there was concern from the start that she could die without them.___Associated Press reporters Hallie Golden in Seattle, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
TUCSON, Ariz. —
Fresh surveillance images from Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing, coupled with intense police activity across Arizona and the detention of a man had raised hopes that authorities were nearing a major break.
But then the man was released after questioning, leaving it unclear where the investigation stood into last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.
FBI agents carrying water bottles to beat the 80-degree heat Wednesday walked among rocks and desert vegetation at Guthrie’s Tucson-area home. They also fanned out across a neighborhood about a mile away, knocking on doors and searching through cactuses, bushes and boulders.
Several hundred detectives and agents are now assigned to the investigation, which is expanding in the area, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.
In a nearby neighborhood, two investigators emerged from daughter Annie Guthrie’s home with a paper grocery sack and a white trash bag. One, still wearing blue protective gloves, also took a stack of mail from the roadside mailbox. They drove away without speaking to reporters.
The New York Post is reporting investigators have seemingly recovered a black glove in the area near Nancy Guthrie’s home, but it’s not clear if authorities believe it’s the same glove worn by the person seen in doorbell camera footage.
Barb Dutrow, who was jogging through a neighborhood where teams were searching, said an FBI agent told her they were looking for anything that might have been tossed from a car. Dutrow, who was visiting from Louisiana for a convention, said she “can’t imagine the feeling of the family of having their mother taken.”
A day earlier, authorities said they had stopped a man near the U.S.-Mexico border, just hours after the FBI released videos of a person wearing a gun holster, ski mask and backpack and approaching Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson. The man told media outlets early Wednesday that he was released after several hours and had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance last week.
Authorities have not said what led them to stop the man Tuesday but confirmed he was released. The sheriff’s department said its deputies and FBI agents also searched a location in Rio Rico, a city south of Tucson where the man lives.
Video above: Person detained for questioning and released as search for Nancy Guthrie continues
It was the latest twist in an investigation that has gripped the nation since Nancy Guthrie disappeared on Feb. 1. Until Tuesday, it seemed authorities were making little headway in determining what happened to her or finding who was responsible.
The black and white images released by the FBI showing a masked person trying to cover a doorbell camera on Guthrie’s porch marked the first significant break in the case. But the images did not show what happened to her or help determine whether she is still alive.
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images.
Even though the images do not show the person’s face, investigators are hopeful someone will know who was on the porch. More than 4,000 calls came into the Pima County sheriff’s tip line within the past 24 hours, the department said Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. She was last seen at home Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.
Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media and said the family believes their mother is still alive.
The longtime NBC host and her two siblings have indicated a willingness to pay a ransom.
It is not known whether ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, and whether the family has had any contact with whoever took Guthrie.
TMZ reported it received a message Wednesday from someone claiming to know the kidnapper’s identity and that they unsuccessfully tried to reach Savannah Guthrie’s brother and sister. The person asked for bitcoin in exchange for the information, TMZ said. The FBI did not immediately respond to a message.
Authorities have said Nancy Guthrie takes several medications and there was concern from the start that she could die without them.
___
Associated Press reporters Hallie Golden in Seattle, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
