Authorities in Arizona say they believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken from her Tucson home against her will. Nancy Guthrie is the mother of NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said investigators do not believe she left on her own. The FBI is now reviewing new correspondence that may be connected to the case, as pressure grows to confirm her location and condition.
Why investigators say this was an abduction
Sheriff Nanos has said evidence collected at the home points to a crime. He has described the case as no longer a search-and-rescue mission, but a criminal investigation focused on what happened at the residence.
Officials have also said they are concerned about Nancy Guthrie’s health. The sheriff has noted she has limited mobility and relies on medication.
A new message is under review
On Friday, the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said they were aware of a new message regarding Nancy Guthrie. Investigators said they are working to determine whether the message is authentic.
The announcement came after earlier communications circulating to news outlets included a deadline. Local reporting indicated the newer message did not match the same IP address as the earlier one, while still appearing to use methods designed to hide a sender’s location.
An IP address is a unique numeric label that can help identify the network a message came from. Investigators can compare that data across messages, even when senders try to obscure it.
What officials have shared about the timeline
Authorities have released a timeline that places Nancy Guthrie at her home late Saturday, Jan. 31, after family members dropped her off. Investigators have said key events in the early hours of Feb. 1 included a doorbell camera disconnecting and later motion being detected without a usable recording.
They have also said a pacemaker connection to a phone app was interrupted during the night. A pacemaker is a medical device that helps regulate heart rhythm and can sometimes transmit data to an app.
Family members later went to check on her after she missed a routine commitment the next morning. A 911 call followed, and deputies responded to the home.
The family’s public pleas intensify
Savannah Guthrie has issued public statements asking for her mother’s safe return. In videos posted online, she and her siblings appealed directly to whoever may be holding Nancy Guthrie, asking for proof she is alive and urging her release.
Authorities have not named a suspect or a person of interest. They have urged anyone with information to contact investigators.
For now, the case is centered on two urgent questions: whether the latest message is real, and where Nancy Guthrie is being held. Investigators say they are pursuing multiple leads, while the family continues to plead for her to be brought home safely.