Anonymous donation raises reward for help finding Nancy Guthrie to over $200,000

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A private investigator with more than 35 years of experience said he believes Nancy Guthrie was abducted by a cartel, but that the 84-year-old missing woman was not taken across the border to Mexico.

Authorities had already said there was no evidence she had been taken to Mexico and that investigators had been in contact with Mexican officials.

Bill Garcia, a private investigator who had solved previous missing persons’ cases in California, said he has been paying close attention to Guthrie's case and that he has worked many cases in the same area as her home in Tucson, Arizona.

"That particular area of Arizona is a high drug and money transporting area," he told Border Report. "It has deepened my belief that this is in some way related to a money-making venture by people involved with a cartel."

He said the big "giveaway" is the person captured in surveillance footage outside Guthrie's front door.

"The person doesn’t appear to be very sophisticated, he does things a professional would not do. For instance, the way he approaches the camera ... why would he pick up some shrubbery as it didn’t effectively cover up the camera?" Garcia said.

Garcia also noted the suspect's clothing, backpack and a holster that iss typically made in Mexico and too big for the gun he had.

"Just the appearance and mannerisms makes me believe it is a low-level associate. If Nancy did come to the front door and contacted this person, I suspect there may be some type of struggle, most likely after the camera was removed," he said.

Garcia also said he does not believe Guthrie was transported to Mexico because of the amount of surveillance and law enforcement between Tucson and the southern border.

"They would have to choose a location that's safe and where they're less likely to be caught in the act — that's why I suspect she would be somewhat north of Tucson in that hundred-to-130-mile area between Tucson and outside of Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona. To me, that would be a more logical place to look for Nancy," he said.

President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized investigators probing Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, saying he was shocked that authorities told the media they were flying a Pima County Sheriff’s Department helicopter equipped with an FBI Bluetooth "sniffer" to detect the missing woman's pacemaker.

"I didn't like when they talked about going after the pacemaker before they even started going after it," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Georgia.

"If in fact they could do it that way, the person would say, 'Well, I’m not going to let that happen' ... I can’t imagine why they would have done that, just in terms of strategy," he continued.

"We have to start reporting on other subjects also and see what happens. It's a very sad situation," the president added.

Trump has also said he wants Guthrie's kidnapper to face the death penalty if she does not return alive.

Investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie are now turning to an advanced forensic tactic that has helped solve some of the nation’s most high-profile criminal cases.

National correspondent Matt Finn reported from Tucson that authorities recovered DNA and other biological evidence from inside Guthrie’s home and plan to analyze it using forensic genetic genealogy.

The technique, used in cases like the Golden State Killer investigation, allows analysts to search for distant relatives of an unknown DNA profile and build family trees to help identify a suspect.

“One thing we can do is search for distant relatives and use forensic genetic genealogy to figure out who someone is or who their nearest, you know, living relative is,” CEO of Othram, Inc. David Mittelman told Fox News.

Experts say the method can reveal far more than traditional offender databases.

“But there’s a lot of other things we can learn,” Mittelman said. “We can learn about the biogeographical ancestry of someone. We’re going to learn a lot details that can help steer the investigation into a more focused pursuit of the person that left that DNA.”

Authorities are still running the biological evidence through standard law enforcement databases as well.

Meanwhile, investigators say there is still no confirmed link to Mexico, despite speculation due to Tucson’s proximity to the border. Officials say it is standard procedure for the FBI to coordinate with Mexican authorities in cross-border regions.

Sheriff Chris Nanos has also publicly cleared the Guthrie family in the case.

A 911 dispatch official says investigators searching for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie are being inundated with calls, and many of them are not helpful.

Cecilia Ochoa, a 911 dispatch manager, said in an interview with Fox News that call-takers are working to carefully screen information before passing it along to investigators, who are reviewing thousands of tips related to the case.

“When somebody calls in, a tip or a lead, we have call takers that are trying to ask very specific questions, they’re trying to be as detailed as possible,” Ochoa said. “We want to make sure that the tips and the leads that we’re receiving here are credible, that they’re a viable piece of information and it’s something that our investigators might be able to act on.”

She said intelligence personnel and investigators are actively reviewing the massive volume of incoming information.

“We have intel and we have investigators on the other side of these calls, basically, that are combing through the thousands of tips that are being received in this center,” Ochoa said. “So there’s somebody pretty much actively looking at this information, combing through all of the leads and the tips.”

But officials are urging the public to think carefully before calling.

“When somebody feels that they have a tip, a lead, some sort of information, what we’re asking is that you just take a moment before you call and ask yourself, is this tip viable? Is this tip credible? Is this a tip that investigators may be able to act upon?” Ochoa said.

Ochoa stressed heavy call volumes are affecting both local dispatchers and the FBI tip line.

“We’re looking for facts at this point,” Ochoa said. “People have thoughts, people have opinions as to how this investigation should be handled. Those are just not helpful to us because A, you’re tying up a first responder on the phone and B, we have investigators and detectives on the other side of these phone calls that are having to comb through every single one of these tips and leads.”

Authorities have repeatedly urged anyone with credible information about Guthrie’s disappearance to contact law enforcement.

Fox News' Kitty Varnavides contributed to this reporting.

A handwritten “open letter to the kidnappers” was left Thursday at a small Catholic prayer vigil outside Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson home, alongside candles, religious images and handwritten petitions for her safe return.

Photos taken at the scene show a woman kneeling in prayer beside the makeshift memorial, adjusting devotional items placed in the dirt near the roadway. The display includes religious icons that appear to depict the Virgin Mary and St. Anthony embracing or watching over Nancy Guthrie, along with rosary beads and prayer candles.

The message, written on stationery from The Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay, was addressed directly to whoever may be responsible for Guthrie’s disappearance.

The front reads: “AN OPEN LETTER TO THE KIDNAPPERS” with a note inviting the recipient to read and return it to the envelope.

Inside, the handwritten message begins: “A Reminder from a Fellow Sinner.”

It continues in part: “the depictions in these pictures is happening — whether you know it or not. It is also happening whether you like it or not. Do NOT be the reason Our Lady of Guadalupe weeps. You — yes, you are in my rosaries.”

Nearby, one religious card reads: “St. Anthony, please intercede and bring Nancy home.”

It is unclear who placed the letter or when it was left at the site. Authorities have not commented on the message.

The prayer display is one of several public expressions of support that have appeared outside Guthrie’s home as the search for the missing 84-year-old continues.

In its latest update Thursday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said investigators are still analyzing biological evidence recovered from Guthrie’s residence.

Officials stressed the testing involves the same material already collected earlier in the case, not any newly discovered evidence, and said no additional details will be released at this time.

The scale of the public response continues to grow as the search enters its third week. The FBI says it has received more than 20,000 tips so far, while local communications lines have also seen a surge in calls during the period since Guthrie disappeared.

Investigators say the Ozark Trail backpack seen in connection with the case remains the only item that has been positively identified. Authorities are still working to determine where other clothing or objects tied to the investigation may have been purchased.

Officials said there are no press briefings currently scheduled, and Sheriff Chris Nanos will not hold media availability through the weekend unless a significant development occurs.

President Donald Trump responded to a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy about the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, while speaking aboard Air Force One.

Asked what he believes happened to the missing 84-year-old, Trump described the situation as troubling and criticized aspects of the public discussion surrounding the case.

“It’s so bad,” Trump said. “I didn’t like what they were talking about. Going after the pacemaker and the — and, you know, before they even started going after it, they’re coming and reporting it.”

Trump added that the disappearance remains deeply concerning.

“It just in terms of strategies, one little piece, I don’t know,” he said. “But we have to start reporting on other subjects also and see what happens. It’s a very sad situation.”

The investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance remains ongoing.

Investigators have found no evidence that Nancy Guthrie was taken across the U.S.-Mexico border, even as authorities confirm they have coordinated with Mexican officials during the ongoing search.

Reporting from Tucson, Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas said contact with Mexican authorities is standard procedure in cases near the border and reflects the broad scope of the investigation.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators have found no indication Guthrie was taken into Mexico.

“We check all the leads we have,” Nanos said. “We know where Mexico is in relationship to this, and it's a possibility, but, no, we have nothing to indicate that.”

Authorities say hundreds of federal and state investigators are working the case and tens of thousands of tips have been received.

The sheriff emphasized the importance of continued public assistance.

“Let’s face it, you've been around enough to know that when these tips dry up, this case goes cold. We believe somebody out there knows who did this. We need that person to call.”

Authorities say the search remains active and ongoing as tips continue to come in.

Fox News' Bryan Llenas contributed to this reporting.

In one of her books, Savannah Guthrie recalled how her cousin annually staged a childhood "kidnapping" game, with her mother, Nancy Guthrie, playing along.

In her book, "Mostly What God Does," which was released in February 2024, Savannah Guthrie described the tradition where her cousin would stage a "kidnapping" of herself and her sister at their home in Tucson, Arizona. When she was a child, Savannah Guthrie's cousin would take her and her sister to Phoenix, calling their mother along the way.

"About once a year, in the summertime, Cousin Teri orchestrated a ‘kidnapping’ of my sister and me. It went down like this: The cousins would visit for a few days at our house in Tucson, and then, on the morning they were to leave, Teri would wake us up early, shushing us in the predawn darkness as we made our escape," Savannah Guthrie wrote in her book. "We would all pile into her rickety station wagon and head north, the sky streaking with bright oranges and pinks as the sun rose over the colorless desert landscape."

"Somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson, Teri would make a pit stop and let Annie and me call home at a pay phone. ‘Mom! Cousin Teri kidnapped us to take us to her house!’ My mother would feign shock, protest how terribly she would miss us, then assure us she’d drive up to retrieve us in a few days," she added.

There is no indication that the passage has any connection to the ongoing investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. Nancy Guthrie's family members and their spouses have been cleared as suspects in the investigation into her disappearance, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Adam Sabes.

A forensic genetic genealogist says identifying the unknown DNA in the Nancy Guthrie case could take anywhere from hours to years depending on the quality of the sample and whether relatives exist in searchable databases.

Wendy Watson, a volunteer investigative genetic genealogist, said in an interview with Fox News that law enforcement cannot directly search consumer DNA platforms like Ancestry.

“We cannot upload a profile to Ancestry,” Watson said. “We’re not actually even allowed to use their genealogical records.”

Instead, investigators use specialized databases where users voluntarily upload DNA and opt in to law enforcement searches to help build family trees around unknown individuals.

But mixed or contaminated samples can make that process difficult.

“If the mixtures are actually combined… that’s difficult,” Watson said. “That is unlikely to lead to a profile we can use for investigative genetic genealogy.”

Even with a usable profile, timelines vary.

“We are very much at the mercy of whatever the matches are,” she said. “Sometimes it takes a very, very long time. But it can be incredibly quickly.”

Fox News' Redd Asher contributed to this reporting.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Wednesday that investigators are “currently analyzing biological evidence found at Nancy Guthrie’s residence.” 

DNA profiles found at the home and on a glove discovered roughly two miles from Guthrie’s address are currently undergoing genetic genealogy testing after the samples failed to reach a match in law enforcement’s CODIS database. 

However, biological evidence and DNA are not necessarily the same and can be treated differently by investigators. 

“Biological evidence is the raw material collected at a scene, things like blood, hair, saliva and skin cells,” retired FBI agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital. “DNA is what investigators hope to extract from that material after lab processing, and that process is not automatic or guaranteed.” 

Pack added the process can become even more complicated if a singular piece of evidence contains biological material from more than one individual. 

“Investigators then have to work to isolate and separate those individual profiles before any comparison can even be attempted,” Pack said. “That is a painstaking process that adds significant time to the analysis.” 

TUCSON, Ariz. – Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted or kidnapped from her Tucson home, where she was last seen  on Saturday, Jan. 31.

Fox News Digital has created an up-to-date timeline of all the events confirmed surrounding Guthrie's disappearance.

The timeline begins with on Jan. 31, the night before her disappearance, and runs through Feb. 19, when authorities confirmed there is no evidence Guthrie was taken across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Authorities are asking residents near Nancy Guthrie's home to share doorbell camera footage dated to Jan. 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight, a date that aligns with the timeframe of a Google search for Guthrie's name.

Someone searched for Guthrie's address and her famous daughter's salary before the 'Today' host's mother vanished, Google data shows. One of those searches fell within the Jan. 11 window.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department is requesting doorbell video camera footage any time from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2.

“It’s my understanding that the Jan. 11th date was requested by the FBI to neighbors canvassing the area and a neighbor then posted that information on the app," a PCSD spokesman told Fox News Digital. "You would need to reach out to them. Again, PCSD is requesting Jan. 1 - Feb. 2 video."

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

Investigators confirmed Thursday that they have found no evidence to suggest Nancy Guthrie was taken across the border into Mexico after her disappearance.

Authorities communicated with Mexican officials regarding the investigation this week, but that lead has since been ruled out.

Authorities confirmed to both ABC News and NBC News that they do not believe Guthrie was taken across the border.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that an accomplice assisted in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Wednesday.

Nanos made the statement during an interview with BBC, an affiliate of CBS News. He said authorities are waiting on tech companies to recover and analyze additional footage from the night of Guthrie's disappearance.

He also emphasized that the Guthrie family has been fully cooperative with the investigation and none of them are considered suspects.

"We really put them through the wringer," Nanos said. "We not just interview them, we take their cars, we take their houses, we take their phones, all this stuff — and we're not taking it. They're giving it to us voluntarily. They have been 100% cooperative with us through everything we've asked. They are victims. They are not suspects."

Authorities investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie reached out to Mexican officials to regarding a "purchase" thought to be connected to the case this week, according to the New York Times.

Officials told the Times that investigators spoke with officials in the Mexican state of Sonora, which shares a border with Arizona. The officials said the line of investigation has since been ruled out, however.

They did not clarify the nature of the "purchase" or why it was thought to be connected to the case.

Former FBI agent Jonathan Gilliam said authorities are not back at square one after a glove found near Nancy Guthrie's home failed to return a DNA match.

"Eliminating leads is as important as affirming leads or evidence," Gilliam told Fox 10.

"Law enforcement investigators out there have to be diligently covering leads and considering all possibilities," he continued. "We have to remember that there is technology, there’s resources, and there’s investigators that are out there and if the clues are there and they are able to locate those clues, then we will see a solution of this."

The Pima County Sheriff's Department confirmed that the DNA found on Guthrie's property did not match hers or that of anyone close to her, according to the outlet.

The glove was found about two miles from her home and matched the description of the glove the suspect was seen wearing in the missing woman's home surveillance video. However, the glove did not result in a match in CODIS, which is the FBI's DNA index system used to identify criminals.

The DNA on the glove also did not match the DNA found on the property.

Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.