Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI special agent, has explained the “good news and the bad news” about the FBI’s billboard campaign related to the search for Nancy Guthrie.
The FBI has previously confirmed that billboards featuring the missing 84-year-old woman and an FBI phone number would be posted in states neighboring Arizona to aid the search. An FBI spokesperson told Fox News last month that the billboards would be posted in cities in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and California.
Coffindaffer said on X that she is glad the FBI is using billboards to “spread awareness” about the case, but she had reservations. The bad news about the campaign is the “shotgun approach” to where they have been posted, she said, adding that it “shows little direction.”
Newsweek has contacted the FBI for comment via email.
Candles and flowers are placed at a Nancy Guthrie memorial in front of the KVOA news station on March 03, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Context
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than six weeks. She was last seen at her home on January 31 in Tucson, Arizona, and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and said drops of her blood were found on the front porch.
Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about her health because she needs vital daily medication.
On February 10, the FBI released video from a doorbell camera showing a man wearing a ski mask, a jacket, long pants, gloves and a handgun holster on Nancy Guthrie’s porch on the night she disappeared. Authorities have not publicly identified the person, whom they called a suspect, but the FBI described the person as a male about 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 with an average build and said he was carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
What To Know
Coffindaffer also questioned why the billboards do not feature the suspect seen on surveillance footage. “Show him; He’s the key,” she wrote.
The billboard campaign, a partnership between the FBI and Clear Channel Outdoor, have been put up in El Paso, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston in Texas, as well as in Phoenix in Arizona, Albuquerque in New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California.
The FBI spokesperson told Fox News that the hope is the campaign “will lead to the crucial piece of information that helps us bring Nancy home.”
It comes after reports that the FBI has recovered additional images from motion-activated cameras at Nancy Guthrie’s home. According to ABC News, the cameras were trained o the swimming pool, backyard and side yard.
“The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Friday that it continues to analyze various forms of evidence in the case, including “material from laboratories as well as images and videos captured by cameras.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in an interview with NBC News on Thursday that investigators believe Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping was targeted, but that the suspect could “absolutely” strike again.
He said investigators believe they know the motive for the crime, but declined to provide details, citing the integrity of the investigation.
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Nanos also said he remained hopeful that DNA evidence found in Nancy Guthrie’s home that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her could lead law enforcement to the suspect.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department previously said investigators would seek to use investigative genetic genealogy in the investigation. But Nanos has said that investigators were facing challenges processing the DNA, which he said was mixed and could contain DNA from several people.
What People Are Saying
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement on Friday: “The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to analyze various forms of evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case, including material from laboratories as well as images and videos captured by cameras. At this time, we will not comment on the details or status of this analysis.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News last week: “We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted. But we can’t—we’re not 100 percent sure of that, so it would be silly to tell people: ‘Yeah, don’t worry about it. You’re not his target.’”
He added: “Don’t think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you’re safe. No, keep your wits about you.”
Savannah Guthrie said on Instagram on March 2: “We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country.…Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home.”
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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