Six Months After Vanishing, What We Know About Savannah Guthrie’s Missing Mother Nancy Guthrie’s Case

TUCSON, Ariz. — Six months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her home outside Tucson, the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie remains missing, with investigators still working through thousands of tips but no arrests and no confirmed suspects in a case authorities are treating as a kidnapping for ransom.

Guthrie disappeared in the early morning hours of Feb. 1 from her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson. Her family has spent the past six months pleading publicly for information, even as the investigation has produced forensic evidence, surveillance footage and ransom notes without leading to her safe return.

How the case began

Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 31, when family members dropped her off at her home after a visit. When she failed to appear for church the next morning, a fellow churchgoer alerted her family, who went to check on her around 11 a.m. and found her missing.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said early in the investigation that Guthrie had limited mobility and could not have left her home unaided, adding to the family’s alarm given her dependence on daily medication. “She’s 84, she needs her meds, her family needs her too,” Nanos said at the time, urging the public to come forward with any information.

Authorities quickly determined that a crime had occurred. Nanos told reporters that Guthrie did not leave her home on her own and described her as being of sound mind, ruling out concerns that her disappearance was related to confusion or a medical episode. Investigators later said they had identified “some very concerning” circumstances at the scene that shifted the case toward an active abduction investigation.

Ransom notes and a nationwide search

Two days after Guthrie went missing, a ransom note was sent to a local CBS affiliate, addressed to Savannah Guthrie and demanding $4 million in bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Feb. 5. The note reportedly warned that the amount would increase to $6 million if payment wasn’t made by that deadline. Arizona officials publicly released the ransom notes at the end of July, six months into the investigation, though authorities have not disclosed whether any payment was made or attempted.

Investigators from the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have pursued numerous leads throughout the case, including a Nest doorbell camera video showing a man of average build, approximately 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10, wearing a face mask, gloves and a black backpack near Guthrie’s home around the time of her disappearance. Despite the footage, DNA testing and forensic evidence gathered from the scene, no suspect has been publicly identified and no arrests have been made.

Fabian Pacheco, chief of detectives for the Pima County Attorney’s Office, who oversees one of the case’s tip lines, said investigators continue to hope a single piece of information could prove decisive. “It only takes one tip, just one, to break the case open,” Pacheco said in an interview that aired on “CBS Mornings,” adding that roughly 10% of the tips received so far have proven to have investigative value.

A family’s public plea continues

Savannah Guthrie, who has taken time away from her co-hosting duties on “Today” amid the investigation, has repeatedly used social media to appeal directly to whoever may be responsible for her mother’s disappearance. In a post marking the six-month anniversary on Aug. 1, Guthrie described the toll the ordeal has taken on her family. “We have lived every moment, every breath and every heartbeat in agony,” Guthrie wrote, alongside an undated photo of her mother.

In the same post, Guthrie appeared to speak directly to those responsible for her mother’s disappearance, writing that they may be afraid or conflicted about coming forward, but that “there is a way out — to tell what you know.”

Guthrie’s brother, Camron Guthrie, made a similar appeal in a video posted to his sister’s Instagram account in the earlier days of the investigation, directly addressing whoever might be holding their mother and asking them to make contact.

Sheriff Nanos has repeatedly described the Guthrie family as cooperative throughout the investigation, telling reporters early on that the family maintained close contact with investigators and had been cleared of any involvement in Nancy’s disappearance.

Where the investigation stands now

Despite the volume of evidence gathered, including video footage, forensic material and now the released ransom notes, the case remains unsolved six months after Nancy Guthrie vanished. Investigators have not publicly detailed why the ransom demand was not paid or what became of the communication after the initial deadline passed, and no updates on a specific suspect have been released.

Authorities continue to urge anyone with information about Guthrie’s whereabouts, or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900, the 88-CRIME tip line at (520) 882-7463, or to submit information through the P3 Tips app or 88crime.org.

With the case now stretching past the half-year mark, investigators say they remain focused on following up on tips as they come in, while the Guthrie family continues to use its public platform to keep attention on the case. Savannah Guthrie has not indicated when, or whether, she plans to return full-time to her role on “Today,” as her family continues to wait for the answers that have eluded investigators since the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home.