Nearly 72 hours after Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, was first reported missing, investigators say they are still operating on a single guiding belief: that the 84-year-old is alive and can be brought home safely.
“We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC’s Liz Kreutz in an interview that aired on the Today show on Wednesday, Feb. 4. “She’s present. She’s alive, and we want to save her.”
At the same time, authorities have acknowledged how limited their information remains. They have not identified any suspects as the search continues, and Sheriff Nanos stressed the importance of incoming tips.
“The leads we’ve got coming in are critical to us,” he said. “They’re valuable and we’re sharing those with the FBI and others.”
The FBI is now assisting in the investigation and is asking anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office tip line is 520-351-4900.
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Timeline investigators are working from
Authorities believe Nancy was taken from her home overnight sometime between when she was last seen by her daughter Annie on Saturday, Jan. 31, around 9:30 p.m., and when a friend from church contacted the family the next day after Nancy didn’t attend services.
While investigators say the working theory is abduction, they’ve also admitted they don’t yet have a clear picture of what happened—or how many people might have been involved.
“No clue,” Sheriff Nanos said during a press conference on Tuesday when asked about possible kidnappers. “It could have been one. It could have been more.”
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What investigators found at the home
Earlier reporting noted signs at Nancy’s Tucson, Ariz., home that raised serious concerns, including what appeared to be drops of blood on the front steps and the remains of a Ring camera that looked to have been removed from the front door area.
It remains unclear whose blood was found. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office has not provided further details about the apparent blood trail.
Health concerns heighten urgency
Police have said Nancy has “no cognitive issues” and is “very alert,” but she is not in good physical health. She has mobility issues and takes daily medication that is critical to her survival—medication she has now reportedly been without for days.
The 911 call reporting her missing indicated she has high blood pressure, a pacemaker, and cardiac issues.
Nancy is the mother of three: Savannah, 54, Annie, and son Camron.
Savannah steps back from public duties
As the search continues, Savannah has been absent from Today and has withdrawn from covering the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony for NBC on Feb. 6.
