Sheriff Overseeing Disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's Mom Walks Back a Widely Reported Detail

During an investigation, information is disseminated at warp speed. That information comes from authorities giving on-the-record statements via direct quotes or press briefings. Sometimes information comes from sources who speak to news outlets on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to make those statements public.

Then there's the rare occasion when an official admits to possibly goofing up by giving an inaccurate statement. Such is the case in the missing mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie.

Savannah Guthrie's mother, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, has been missing since Saturday night, when she was last seen at her home in nearby Tucson, Arizona. As the story developed, many sharp turns occurred.

Pima County (AZ) Sheriff Chris Nanos has given numerous press briefings since news of Nancy's disappearance made international headlines. But in a sign of how quickly things can move during the course of an investigation, Nanos on Tuesday morning had to clarify his statement that Nancy was taken from her bed, telling NBC News that he meant that "figuratively," not literally.

Police believe, however, that she was abducted and taken from the home against her will.

Nanos Walks Back Another Claim

Nanos sat down for an interview with NewsNation Live's Marni Hughes and was asked to confirm a key detail that sent the missing persons story into overdrive.

Related: Police Reveal DNA Problem in Search for Savannah Guthrie's Mom

It had previously been reported that blood was found at Nancy's home. But when asked to confirm that detail, Nanos confessed he may have slipped if he erroneously said that.

"No, I'm not sure where that came from. Maybe I said something, and trust me, I’ve said a lot, talked to a lot of people. And some of those comments — on my fault, not the media — may have been distorted or taken out of context," Nanos told NewsNation Live on Tuesday morning. "We’re not confirming whether there was blood in the home or any of that. What we’re saying is we do have evidence that we submitted to DNA labs, actually, through other sources that we use, and they have confirmed that the DNA that we found was in fact, belonged to Nancy, Savannah’s mom, which we were hopeful that it would give us a different profile than just hers, but that’s where we’re at with the DNA."

The detail was reported by CBS News, The Los Angeles Times, and more, although it was attributed to an unnamed source rather than Nanos directly.

Nanos went on to say that authorities have found other items they submitted for DNA research."

"It's evident to us that she was moved from that house against her will": Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says law enforcement is treating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie as a crime. Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, went missing over the… pic.twitter.com/FoYpxOw3I9

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) February 3, 2026

Here's What Else Nanos Said About the Investigation

On any potential suspects, Nanos told NewNation Live that authorities just don't know.

"Yeah, no, it could be one, could be [a] dozen," he said.

It's also unclear if Nancy had an alarm system in her home, though Nanos said there were cameras.

“You know, I don’t really know that. I’ve not heard that. I know there were cameras. Those cameras are in our possession, and we’re downloading them and working with a lot of the makers of those cameras," he said, "because some of them are server-based, but not cloud-based, and so those things are actively being pursued."

Savannah Guthrie Asks for Prayers

The distraught Today host, who is no longer part of the NBC crew covering the Olympics in Milan in the wake of her mother's disappearance, took to social media on Monday night to ask for prayers.

"We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him," she wrote in her caption. “Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment."