NewsNancy Guthrie

Actions

Search for Nancy Guthrie hits six-month mark as family pleads for answers

Friday marks exactly half a year since Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Arizona home
Search for Nancy Guthrie hits six-month mark as family pleads for answers
Savannah Guthrie pleads for mother's safe return
Latest on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie
Blood found on front porch confirmed to be Nancy Guthrie’s as search continues
Savannah Guthrie announces new $1M reward for recovery of mom Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie with Savannah Guthrie
Posted
and last updated

TUCSON, AZ — Friday marks six months since Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31.

Savannah said in a video released on Monday that her family is living an unending nightmare after her mother’s disappearance and pleaded with her kidnappers: “Tell us where to look for her.”

RELATED: The search for Nancy Guthrie

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.

They found Nancy's blood near the front doorstep of her home just outside Tucson, and the FBI later released surveillance videos showing a masked man on her porch that night.

Nancy Guthrie Surveillance Photo
Suspect in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.

Volunteers and search teams scoured the nearby desert terrain filled with cacti, bushes and boulders in the weeks after she vanished.

A volunteer group has searched for her body near the Arizona-Mexico border.

Watch previous reports by ABC15 on the search for Nancy Guthrie in the video player above.

Authorities have not said how many purported ransom notes were made after Guthrie’s disappearance, though several news organizations reported receiving such notes and turned them over to investigators.

The FBI has discounted some of the ransom notes as nothing more than extortion attempts, but said it’s still evaluating others that might be legitimate. The federal agency hasn’t specified which ransom notes might be genuine.

Nancy Guthrie with Savannah Guthrie
In this image provided by NBCUniversal, Savannah Guthrie, right, her mom Nancy speak, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, in New York.

Savannah has previously made a series of social media postings about her mother after she went missing. In the days after the disappearance, Savannah and her siblings acknowledged they were aware of media reports of a supposed ransom letter and were ready to talk and listen, but wanted proof their mother was alive.

Weeks later, Savannah said her family was offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of her mother. She also acknowledged for the first time that her mother might not be alive, but added that there was still hope.

Savannah Guthrie announces $1M family reward for recovery of Nancy Guthrie

Anyone with information is urged to call 911, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900.

Here's a timeline of the known occurrences in the Guthrie case:

Saturday, January 31

  • 9:45 PM: Nancy's son-in-law drops her off at home after dinner and a family game night with her daughter and her family nearby.

Sunday, February 1

  • Around 1:45 AM: Nancy's doorbell disconnects
  • Around 2:15AM: Someone is detected outside Nancy's door
  • Around 2:30AM: Nancy's pacemaker appears to be offline
  • 11AM: Nancy fails to show up at a friend's house to livestream church services
  • 12:15PM: Pima County deputies arrive on scene at Nancy's home after family members call 911. Investigators find blood on the front patio that would later be confirmed as belonging to Nancy.

Monday, February 2
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos holds his first news conference, confirming investigators believe Nancy's home is a "crime scene."

Later that day, the first of several alleged ransom notes are sent to TMZ and local TV stations, including our Scripps News Group in Tucson, reportedly demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin.

February 4
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings release their first video on social media, pleading for their mom's safe return.

February 7
One week after their mom was last seen, the Guthrie family releases another video on social media

February 10
With the help of Google, the FBI releases images from Nancy's doorbell camera showing a man wearing a mask, trying to pry the doorbell off.

That same night, police detain and question a man near Nogales in connection to the case. ABC15's Ford Hatchett is the first reporter to speak with him, just moments after he's released. He was never arrested or charged.

February 13
Word spreads that tensions are building between the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, specifically over which lab is handling potential evidence, with PCSD opting to send samples to a private lab in Florida instead of using the FBI lab in Quantico.

Investigators reveal unknown DNA was found on Guthrie's property and that more than a dozen gloves - with a potential link to a suspect - had been found in and around the area and were being tested.

That night, the FBI, Pima County deputies, and law enforcement from across Southern Arizona swarm a neighborhood about five minutes away from Nancy's home where they search a property.

About a mile away, police also search a Range Rover and detain the driver for questioning. No arrests are made.

February 16
Sheriff Nanos announces that everyone in the Guthrie Family has been cleared as suspects.

March 21
Pima County deputies announce they're looking for doorbell and cell phone video from January 31, February 1, and now January 11 as well, but don't specify why that earlier date is now being included.

April 6
Savannah Guthrie returns to the Today Show for the first time since her mom's disappearance, more than two months ago.

May 12
100 days since Guthrie's disappearance, Sheriff Nanos says the investigation is moving forward. We also learn a DNA sample is now with the FBI at Quantico being analyzed.

June 11
Reports surface that Nancy's remains may be in an unmarked grave in Mexico. Searchers come up empty.

July 27
Savannah releases a solo video on social media, once again pleading for whoever knows where Nancy is to "do the right thing" and "make the right choice" by letting someone know.