Nancy Guthrie disappeared from an Arizona neighborhood that is dark at night, quiet and spread out
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Nancy Guthrie’s upscale Arizona neighborhood is quiet and mostly dark at night, lit mainly by car headlights and homes spaced far apart. Long driveways, front gates and desert plants provide a buffer from the winding streets and curious eyes.
Saguaro cacti tower above the roofline of Guthrie’s Tucson-area home, and wispy trees partially block the view of the front door.
Those are the conditions that investigators are faced with as they try to piece together the moments before and immediately after the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. Authorities offered no detailed update Wednesday.
“Is there somebody out there who’s kidnapping elderly people in the middle of the night, every night?” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Tuesday. “We don’t believe that’s the case. We believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will.”
The sheriff suggested there was video from some cameras, though he didn’t elaborate, adding: “That’s all been submitted and we’re doing our best with the companies that own those cameras or built those cameras.”
Nanos’ office said Wednesday that detectives still were speaking with anyone who had contact with Nancy Guthrie last weekend but that no suspect or person of interest had been identified.
There were signs of forced entry at the home in the upscale Catalina Foothills neighborhood. Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher talking to deputies during a search Sunday indicated that she has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
Jim Mason, longtime commander of a search-and-rescue posse in Maricopa County, isn’t involved in the search for Guthrie but said desert terrain can make looking for missing people difficult. He said it can be hard to peer into areas that are dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and other desert brush.
“Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,” Mason said.
Multiple media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes Tuesday that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department has said it’s taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.
Guthrie was last seen Saturday around 9:30 p.m. at her home where she lived alone, and she was reported missing midday Sunday after she didn’t appear at a church.
On the other side of the country, Victory Church in Albany, New York, said it’s offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to finding Nancy Guthrie.
“Me and my wife, we watch Savannah every single morning. We’ve heard of her faith. We’ve heard of her mom’s faith. And she’s got such a sweet spirit,” Pastor Charlie Muller said.
The White House said President Donald Trump called and spoke with Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday.
For a third day, “Today” opened with Guthrie’s disappearance, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. NBC Sports said Tuesday that she will not be covering the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics “as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time.”
The “Today” host grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at Tucson television station KVOA. Her parents settled in Tucson in the 1970s when she was a young child. The youngest of three siblings, she credits her mom with holding their family together after her father died of a heart attack at 49, when Savannah was just 16.
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Billeaud reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Michael Hill in Albany, New York, Darlene Superville in Washington and Julie Walker in New York City contributed.