New details about the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance were revealed Thursday during a news conference. Guthrie was last seen Saturday night.
The blood found near the front entry of Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home has been identified as hers, law enforcement confirmed Thursday.
The mother of “TODAY” show host Savannah Guthrie has been missing for four days, and law enforcement believe she was taken from her home late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
New details about the case were revealed Thursday during a joint press conference by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
Sheriff Chris Nanos said forensic analysis determined the blood found near Nancy Guthrie’s entryway was hers, but DNA analysis of other evidence found at her home remains pending.
However, Nanos shared a message of hope for her safe return.
“We believe Nancy is still out there,” Nanos said, but he shared concerns for her health and well-being.
“We know she is in need of daily medication, and we also know that this is day 4 or 5, and we still don’t know that she’s getting her medication. That in itself can prove fatal.”
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Heith Janke shared a similar message.
“To anyone that may be involved: Do the right thing,” Janke said. “This is an 84-year-old grandma that needs vital medication for her well-being. You still have the time to do the right thing before this becomes a much worse scenario for you. Please, return Nancy home.”
Nanos and Janke said local and federal agencies were continuing to pursue any and all additional leads that may be connected to case, including a pair of ransom demands sent to different media organizations.
“As with every lead, we are taking it seriously,” Janke said.
Nanos also said Thursday that the sheriff’s office did not have any set plans for a future press conference, unless there is a major development in the case.
Savannah Guthrie’s plea to kidnappers
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a message the night before on social media in an attempt to contact the person or people responsible for her kidnapping.
During the Thursday press conference, FBI officials said they have been working with the Guthrie family to produce the message after receiving ransom demands that included details not disclosed to the public, indicating they were genuine.
Jon Edwards, the assistant Special Agent for FBI’s Tucson office, said they believed the ransom demands were genuine “because … it had facts associated, and a deadline, and (a monetary component).”
Edwards specified that “one talked about an Apple watch, and one talked about a floodlight.”
TMZ reported Tuesday that it received a purported ransom note demanding payment in cryptocurrency for Guthrie’s release. Separately, a journalist with Tucson television station KOLD said in an X post that the station received what appeared to be a ransom note. Both outlets said they turned over the notes to investigators.
In a nearly four-minute video posted to Instagram on Wednesday evening, the family said they’re “ready to talk” to people holding their mother, but they want proof she is alive.
“We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Guthrie said in the video posted to Instagram. “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. Please, reach out to us.”
During the Thursday press conference, law enforcement officials said they needed something more than a video to determine if Nancy is still alive, because of the prevalence of deepfake videos and other AI tools.
A $50,000 reward with few leads
The FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for any tip that leads to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie or to an arrest and prosecution of anybody involved in her kidnapping.
The reward is being offered as law enforcement officials ask for the public’s help in finding any new leads in the case.
“They’ve run out of way to recover any video” from a camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
He added that law enforcement officials were conducting door-to-door searches in an attempt to find additional video that may have captured anything suspicious.
A person familiar with the investigation, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, said investigators found specific evidence in the home showing there was a nighttime kidnapping. Several of Guthrie’s personal items, including her cellphone, wallet and car, were still there after she disappeared.
Timeline of Nancy’s disappearance
Investigators say they now have a more complete timeline of when Nancy Guthrie disappeared, saying they believe somebody kidnapped her in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 1.
After going to a family member’s house for dinner and games, Nancy returned home via a rideshare driver around 9:45 p.m. local time on Saturday. Her garage door opened and closed a few minutes later, and it’s believed she got inside her home without issue.
Around 1:45 a.m., the doorbell camera attached to Nancy’s home was disconnected, officials said. Doorbell cameras are often hardwired into the home’s electrical supply, and a disconnect could mean the camera began operating on its battery backup.
At 2:12 p.m., the camera’s built-in software detected something in frame, but the device did not save footage. Law enforcement said it could be a person or even an animal that triggered the device.
By 2:28 p.m., the pacemaker app on Nancy’s phone indicated it had disconnected from the device. Most pacemaker apps connect with in-body devices through a wireless connection that requires them to be close to the device.
Sheriff’s officials say that window indicates when Nancy was most likely taken.
“I think those times speak for themselves,” Nanos said.
Now, four days after she was reported missing, the race is on to find Nancy before anything happens to her. Officials say she has to take daily medication, and not taking it could have fatal consequences.
“We know she is in need of medication, daily medication,” Nanos said. “And we know that this is day four or five, and we know she is not getting her medication.”
Imposter ransom demand leads to an arrest
The FBI said that along with what they believe to be genuine ransom demands, they have received at least one demand that is not real.
Edwards said one person has been arrested in connection with what he described as a “fake ransom.”
The FBI did not provide details about the person responsible for the fake ransom.
“There’s no evidence to connect this to Nancy’s case,” Edwards said, calling the person responsible “a total imposter.”
Law enforcement officials have been cagey about the details of the investigation, and Edwards said the lack of information is in part to prevent people from trying to take advantage of the situation.
“We don’t want to put more facts out there that others can use to profit from this,” he said.
What we know about Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping
Nancy Guthrie disappeared over the weekend from her southern Arizona home, with investigators saying they found several concerning things when they began looking at the house Sunday as the search began.
Because Nancy Guthrie is mentally sharp but physically unable to travel long distances, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office has repeatedly said in press conferences this week they believe she was taken against her will.
Search-and-rescue teams, K-9 units and deputies worked throughout the day and overnight but were unable to find her. Investigators still do not have a suspect or person of interest, the sheriff’s department said in a statement Wednesday morning.
The FBI and sheriff said the same thing Thursday, during the press conference, and any lead into a possible motive remains a mystery.
Savannah Guthrie won’t cover the 2026 Olympics
“Today” host Savannah Guthrie will not be covering the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after the disappearance of her mother, NBC confirmed Tuesday.
NBC Sports confirmed that Guthrie will not fulfill her hosting duties as she “focuses on being with her family during this difficult time.”
Guthrie was scheduled to cover the Games and co-host Friday’s Opening Ceremony. In preparation for the Olympics, she underwent surgery to remove a polyp from her vocal cords and was forced to take a multi-week hiatus from the TODAY show to recover.
