As the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie stretches into yet another week, neighbors and the broader community in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Arizona, describe a profound sense of sorrow, concern, and unrest.
Guthrie—the mother of Today Show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie—has been missing since late January, and what authorities believe was an abduction from her home has left residents shaken and struggling to process the unfolding tragedy.
Local neighbors who knew Nancy from church and around town say the atmosphere has shifted dramatically since her disappearance. Many have described the tight-knit community as “very concerned” and unsettled by the sudden vanishing of a familiar, beloved neighbor. Residents have taken extra precautions, including installing their own security cameras, reflecting broader anxiety about safety and the uncertainty of the situation.
“I know that we all feel really sorrowful that [Nancy] and her family have had to go through this without any answers,” Laura Gargano, a neighbor of Nancy, told People. “She was just a really open, warm person. Many of our neighbors have put out yellow ribbons as a sign of solidarity and support for the family. We stand with you, and we are here for you.”
Gargano added that many members of the community feel like there isn’t a lot that they can individually do “at this point.” But their yellow ribbons and the flowers they’ve left for Nancy symbolize standing together. They’re “ready and available to help if there was something they could do,” she adds.
The emotional toll isn’t limited to just those who knew Nancy personally. Community members have expressed empathy for the Guthrie family, particularly Savannah Guthrie, whose public appeals for help have kept the case in the spotlight. Messages of support have poured in via social media, even as authorities ask folks to reserve official channels for actionable tips rather than condolences, so law enforcement resources remain focused on leads.
While the search continues, law enforcement has confirmed there are no suspects in custody, though the investigation remains active and evolving. Authorities are reportedly using tools like genetic genealogy and evidence analysis to follow potential leads, but the search could still take significant time.
Pima County Sheriff Says ‘Mixed’ DNA Found at Nancy Guthrie’s Home Presents Lab ‘Challenges’
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is detailing the latest challenge in the ongoing search for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom, Nancy Guthrie.
“Our lab tells us there’s challenges with it,” Nanos told NBC News correspondent Erin McLaughlin in a new sit-down interview on Friday, February 20, detailing how the DNA found inside Nancy’s home is “mixed.”
According to the law enforcement officer, having “mixed” DNA means the sample contains DNA from more than one person, making it difficult to run through national databases.
“The technology is moving so fast and it’s such a frenzy that they think some of this stuff will resolve itself just in a matter of weeks, months or maybe a year,” Nanos continued.`
Authorities confirmed on February 13 that “DNA other than Nancy Guthrie’s and those in close contact to her” was discovered in her Arizona home.
“Investigators are working to identify who it belongs to,” a statement shared with multiple media outlets read at the time. “We are not disclosing where that DNA was located.”
Nancy was first reported missing on February 1 after the 84-year-old failed to meet up with friends to attend a virtual church service. Authorities have not identified a person of interest or suspect in the matriarch’s ongoing disappearance, though investigators did rule out Savannah, her brother Camron, her sister Annie and their family members as possible suspects.
“Not one single person in the family is a suspect,” Nanos told KOLD 12 News on February 16. “So I am telling everyone, effective today, you guys [media] need to knock it off, quit. People are hurting. They are victims. I am saying they are clear. We have cleared them.”
On February 12, the FBI released an official description of a potential subject in the case after security camera footage showed a masked individual attempting to disable Nancy’s front door camera.
The subject is “a male, approximately 5’9’’ – 5’10’’ tall, with an average build. In [a newly-obtained security] video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack.” Officials confirmed they had received 12,000 tips from the public related to Nancy’s disappearance and were doubling the reward from $50,000 to $100,000 for any information that results in her rescue or recovery.
On Friday, Nanos admitted that the investigation is “not going fast enough.”
“It’s never fast enough for the sheriff,” he said. “I want it like you — come on guys, let’s go, let’s go, let’s find her. But the reality is that I also know that sometimes things take time.”
Despite Nanos admitting that there are “no names” authorities are currently looking into in connection with Nancy’s disappearance, he believes that they’re “getting closer” to finding her and her alleged kidnappers.
“In terms of leads and working and getting out there, I think that [the investigation] is still growing, yeah,” he explained. “I think we’re getting closer to identifying some of the other articles, not just that backpack — like the shoes, the pants, the shirt or jacket.”
When asked if he had a message for Nancy’s family as authorities continue their search, Nanos said: “We’re not quitting. We will find her. Yeah.”
Nancy Guthrie Update: Former FBI Agent Shares New Theory on Disappearance
It has been exactly three weeks since Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. Law enforcement continues to pursue thousands of leads in the search for the 84-year-old Tucson, Arizona resident, who is presumed kidnapped.
Authorities have struggled to come up with a motive for someone abducting Guthrie. Now, a former FBI agent has shared his own possible theory on what motivated the suspected perpetrator.
‘Personal grievance’ a possibility
Jonny Grusing, a 25-year veteran of the FBI’s Denver Division, spoke with Fox News Digital this weekend regarding Guthrie’s case.
Going off public information only, the longtime investigator and published author hypothesized that an unknown “personal grievance” may be the explanation for the kidnapping of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother.
“It’s hard to be an expert in human behavior because it’s so unique to that person,” said Grusing.
“You know, I’m just trying to use the experiences of different cases and trying to apply any sort of logic to this in the hopes that someone from the public who has thought it might be someone they know whether it’s his family or whether now it’s a coworker or friend or associate or whatever, to put that one puzzle piece together that says, ‘Yes, and now I think it could be him.’”
What evidence led Grusing to this theory?
Grusing cited a number of factors, including the actions of the subject in the surveillance video released by the FBI earlier this month.
“The first thing he does is with his glove, and with his glove, it doesn’t look like he’s trying to take [the camera] off,” Grusing said. “It looks like he’s trying to cover it with his right hand.And then he looks down, he looks around, and he gets the branches, and he puts the branches up in front of it.”
“Is there a chance, since we don’t have audio, that he is either knocking on the door loudly or that he has pressed the ring doorbell, [that] he’s trying to get Nancy to answer the door, and he’s shielding himself from being seen as a masked person, so she will, in her confusion, open the door?” Grusing continued.
If this is the case, Grusing said the situation would not fit the home robbery gone wrong theory, since the suspect seemingly wanted to lure Nancy Guthrie onto the porch for a confrontation.
Grusing also said kidnapping for ransom seems unlikely since none of the ransom notes were sent directly to the Guthrie family.
Guthrie latest: DNA testing hits possible snag
On Saturday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos issued an update on DNA found in Nancy’s home, calling it “mixed,” meaning there is material from more than one individual.
This makes DNA testing more difficult when entering the findings through national databases.
