Federal, state and local investigators continue to probe the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, who was reported missing Sunday. Authorities say evidence recovered at the Tucson home and electronic records are central to the inquiry, but no suspects have been publicly identified.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Thursday that blood found on the porch has been linked to Nancy Guthrie and that her pacemaker disconnected from its monitoring app in the early hours of Sunday. Investigators are treating her as missing and operating on the assumption she is still alive. Nanos said investigators have not determined whether there was forced entry to the home.
The FBI has offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery or to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible. Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix office, said agents are reviewing a ransom note that was sent to media outlets and are taking it seriously. One person has been arrested in connection with an alleged imposter ransom note, Janke said.
The Guthrie family has publicly asked for a way to communicate with whoever took Nancy Guthrie so they can move forward, a plea echoed by Savannah and her siblings in social media videos. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings said they would need proof she is alive before engaging with any captors and stressed Nancy’s precarious health: she is 84, lives with chronic pain and requires medication.
Investigators released a timeline of the nights and hours before Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. On Saturday evening she took an Uber to a family member’s home for dinner; that driver has been questioned. She was dropped off at the family residence around 5:30 p.m. and returned to her own home just before 10 p.m., when surveillance footage showed the garage door closing. Around 1:50 a.m. Sunday, a doorbell camera at her home went offline. Authorities said a security camera from the front of the house is missing. About 30 minutes after the doorbell camera disconnected, the camera’s software registered a person but did not save the recording, Nanos said. He declined to confirm whether cameras were physically damaged.
At about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Nancy Guthrie’s phone disconnected from the pacemaker app. Family members checked on her around noon, found she was not at home and called 911. When asked whether anyone who had been with her the previous evening had been ruled out, Nanos would not say.
Investigators say multiple ransom notes were sent; Janke said the note sent to media and the family contained specific details—one referenced an Apple Watch and another mentioned a floodlight—that made agents treat it as potentially credible. That note reportedly included two deadlines: Thursday at 5 p.m. and the following Monday. Janke said the decision whether to pay a ransom rests with the family.
Former NYPD detective and hostage negotiator Wally Zeins told NPR that a family’s public appeal can help draw attention and tips, which is often crucial in missing-person cases. He also noted that investigators often return to a scene to search again or follow up on new leads. Local reporting said law enforcement returned to the Guthrie home Wednesday evening and moved items from the house, despite earlier statements that the scene had been processed.
Agents are reviewing electronic evidence, including doorbell and security footage from Nancy Guthrie’s home and neighboring properties. Forensic labs are analyzing fingerprints, DNA samples and camera images; Nanos said DNA testing to date has not produced evidence pointing to suspects.
The case has drawn wide public interest because of the family’s profile, the unusual circumstances, and the limited publicly available evidence. Former President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Savannah Guthrie and directed federal law enforcement resources to assist. Community members, with the family’s consent, held a vigil at Saint Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church in Tucson, where attendees offered prayers and lit candles.
Nancy Guthrie is survived by three children: Annie, Charles Cameron and Savannah. Her husband, Charles, died in 1988. Savannah Guthrie had been scheduled to anchor NBC’s coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony from Italy but will not participate as she remains with her family.
Bill Chappell contributed reporting.