Sheriff Shifts Focus To 'Secondary Market' In Nancy Guthrie Hunt For Masked Abductor

Investigators searching for the missing 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie say they are making progress but still have far to go over a month after her mysterious disappearance from her Tucson, Arizona home.

​On Tuesday, 2 March 2026, investigators and journalists converged outside Nancy Guthrie's Catalina Foothills residence. It marked the 31st day of Guthrie's disappearance, whom authorities have reason to believe was abducted. Crews armed with metal detectors combed the property where Guthrie was last seen.

​Jonathan Lee Riches, a private investigator who has been covering the case developments over the last three weeks, posted on social media photos of the teams of approximately 7-10 people with metal detectors on Tuesday. Parked cars were also noted across the area.

Renewed Attention; Authorities are 'Definitely Closer'

​The renewed attention is believed to have stemmed from doorbell camera footage showing a gloved, armed individual outside the home on the night of her disappearance. Despite substantial rewards offered both by Guthrie's family and the FBI to encourage the public to come forward with leads, the investigators have yet to announce a major breakthrough in the case.

​Over a month after it was released to the public, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC that they are reviewing the surveillance footage and re-examining the evidence, which includes the backpack the individual in the video was wearing, as shared by NBC Los Angeles.

Nanos told NBC that a dedicated team from the Pima County Sheriff's homicide unit has been formed to investigate Guthrie's disappearance, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He also said that they are working through thousands of leads, believing that Nancy Guthrie may still be alive.​

Nanos said, 'I think the investigators are definitely closer.'

​Though initial reports indicated that the backpack the suspect wore in the video was likely bought at Walmart, as the investigation continues, evidence points towards the opposite. Nanos said, 'We've now learned that maybe it wasn't purchased out of Walmart. That backpack is new, is exclusive to Walmart, but who's to say I didn't buy it and put it on eBay? ... That's what we're looking at.'

​He also noted that not all pieces of information have been made public, saying, 'There's so much that everybody wants to know, but I would be very neglectful, irresponsible as a police, law enforcement leader, to share that with everybody.'

He also added that they possess a crucial piece of information that may lead to finding Guthrie. He said, 'We have information on this case that we think is going to hopefully lead us to solving this case. But it takes time.'

No Leads from DNA Evidence

In addition, the PCSD Chief said investigators continue to face difficulties analysing mixed DNA recovered from Guthrie's home. He indicated that the sample may contain genetic material from multiple individuals, which experts say can complicate efforts to isolate a single DNA profile.

​He added that some of the evidence has been entered into the FBI's national database, but officials have not received any matches. Nanos said he still thinks the DNA could be a significant lead, though acknowledging that it will likely require additional time and analysis to identify a profile.

Originally published on IBTimes UK

Tags

Savannah Guthrie, Missing person, Tucson, Investigation, FBI