The search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of 'Today' show host Savannah Guthrie, enters its third week after she vanished from her Arizona home. Authorities found her blood on the porch, received ransom notes, and identified a masked individual from surveillance video as a suspect. The FBI and local sheriff are intensely investigating, collecting DNA, and sifting through thousands of tips.
The search for Nancy Guthrie, 84-year-old mother of 'Today' show host Savannah Guthrie, is entering its third week after she was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona home on January 31. Her disappearance was reported the following day, with authorities discovering her blood on the front porch. Purported ransom notes demanding payment were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines have passed. Concerns are high due to Guthrie's need for vital daily medication for a pacemaker, high blood pressure, and heart issues. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released surveillance video showing a masked person, now identified as a suspect, wearing a handgun holster outside Guthrie's door the night she vanished. The individual, described as a 5-foot, 9-inch tall man of medium build, was seen with a ski mask, long pants, jacket, gloves, and a 25-liter 'Ozark Trail Hiker Pack' backpack. Digital forensics experts recovered the video despite initial camera subscription issues. Investigators have collected DNA from Guthrie’s property that does not belong to her or close contacts, and are working to identify its owner. Several gloves were also found up to two miles from her home and submitted for lab analysis. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are collaborating closely, sending forensic evidence to an out-of-state lab. The joint investigation has garnered significant public response, with the FBI receiving over 13,000 tips and the sheriff’s department taking at least 18,000 calls. Intensive search efforts have included sealing off roads, towing a Range Rover SUV from a nearby parking lot, detaining and releasing a person for questioning during a traffic stop, and conducting a court-authorized search in Rio Rico. Savannah Guthrie, along with her sister and brother, has made multiple emotional video pleas on social media, initially offering to talk and pay ransom, then shifting to desperate requests for public assistance. Their latest video reiterated a promise to 'never give up on her.' Nancy Guthrie lived alone in an upscale, secluded neighborhood in the Catalina Foothills.
