Day 75 in the search for Nancy Guthrie arrived Thursday with a new development: sources familiar with the case said the FBI has received DNA evidence recovered from her Tucson home. Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her Tucson-area home on the night of Jan. 31 and was reported missing Feb. 1 when she did not show up for church.
Authorities believe Guthrie was taken from her home against her will. The DNA has not yet identified a suspect, and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously said the scene evidence had not led police to one. Still, the handoff to federal investigators gives the case a fresh layer of scrutiny as it moves deeper into its third month.
The developments land as Savannah Guthrie has also returned to the public eye. She came back to the “Today” show on April 6 after a two-month absence, telling viewers, “Good morning, welcome to ‘Today’ on this Monday morning. We are so glad you started your week with us, and it is good to be home,” while her mother’s disappearance remained unsolved.
Investigators have already put more than one piece of information before the public. Since Nancy Guthrie vanished, the FBI has released footage of her alleged abductor at her doorstep, and the sheriff’s department has asked anyone within a 2-mile radius of the Catalina Foothills home to turn over any footage from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2 that appears out of the ordinary or important. Pima County deputies are also increasing patrols in the neighborhood after neighbors complained about social media influencers on their property.
That mix of narrowed focus and open questions is what still defines the case. TMZ reported it received another note in which a sender claimed to have seen Guthrie in Mexico, but that tip sits alongside the DNA evidence and the surveillance appeal rather than replacing them. For now, the search is no longer just about where Guthrie went. It is about whether the clues already collected can finally point investigators to the person who took her there.