As Savannah Guthrie prepares to return to the studios of NBC’s “Today” show on Monday, the spotlight is on her mother, whose disappearance in the quiet foothills outside Tucson has baffled Americans and the FBI for the past three months.
Investigators believe it was a kidnapping, but there are still no suspects, a clue, or even a clear direction.
Savannah Guthrie has been one of the most recognizable faces on morning television for more than a decade, but now she doesn’t think she’s the same person anymore. “I can’t come back and try to be someone I’m not.”
As the Iran war and the Epstein dossier kept the 84-year-old’s alleged kidnapping out of the headlines for nearly a month, here’s a timeline of what happened over the past three months.
- February 1: Surveillance captured a masked man at Nancy Guthrie’s door; she was later reported missing.
- February 5: Blood stains at the scene were confirmed to be hers.
- February 10: Video of the suspect was released; one man was briefly detained and released.
- February 15-17: There was no DNA match to the gloves associated with the suspect.
- March 4: The glove leads were completely collapsed.
Evidence trail is cooling
At least a dozen videos later, even her daughter’s calls for clues and breakthroughs seem to have dimmed. An initial high-intensity investigation has slowed to a near standstill. The most important piece of evidence remains doorbell camera footage.
The doorbell camera shows a man wearing a ski mask, gloves, a backpack and holding a holstered gun operating the doorbell before disappearing into thin air. Investigators believe he removed the recording equipment entirely when it suddenly darkened.
Over the next few weeks, search teams combed the rugged desert terrain around Tucson — an unforgiving landscape filled with cacti, rocks and dense brush. But Nancy Guthrie was nowhere to be seen.
DNA from a glove found near the scene initially looked promising, but turned out to belong to a local restaurant employee who was not a suspect. Blackmail messages are circulating, but many are believed to be fake. Instead of bringing clarity, each development deepens the mystery.
The night Nancy Guthrie disappeared
From the day Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her Tucson home under extremely suspicious circumstances, the case was quickly upgraded from a missing persons case to a suspected kidnapping.
Savannah Guthrie later revealed that the back door of her mother’s home was found open and her phone and wallet were left behind – a detail that immediately raised eyebrows.
Given the mother’s health, the family ruled out the possibility that she was lost. “So we said, ‘This isn’t going to work,'” Guthrie recalled in an interview with NBC. “Something is very wrong here.”
Investigators quickly confirmed their concerns. Blood found near the doorstep was identified as that of Nancy Guthrie, and surveillance video showed a masked man outside the home in the early morning hours.
Authorities believe she was “kidnapped, abducted or otherwise held against her will.”
For Savannah Guthrie, the case has also been deeply personal — and sometimes painfully reflective. She recalled an unforgettable time with her brother.
“I said, ‘What?'” she recalled, agonizing over how her public image might have played a role. “Do you think it’s because of me?” she asked him. His response was difficult to process. “I’m sorry, honey, but, yes, maybe.”
The idea that her celebrity status might make her mother a target remains, in her own words, “overwhelming.”
Ransom letters, public appeals and attention waned
Early in the investigation, the family received multiple extortion messages. Guthrie said she and her siblings responded to two calls they believed to be real. The experience itself felt surreal.
“How could we possibly have to make a video of a conversation with a kidnapper who abducted an 84-year-old woman in her pajamas, no shoes, and no medication in the middle of the night?” she asked.
The family has since offered a $1 million reward for information leading to her recovery.
Still, progress on the case has slowed. Authorities, including the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, said they had no new updates. The amount of tips has also been reduced.
Rare and unusual cases
Experts say the case is notable not only because of its high profile but also because of its rarity. NPR News cited data from the U.S. Department of Justice showing that more than 500,000 people went missing last year.
Between 2020 and 2025, female victims accounted for more than 75% of approximately 240,000 kidnapping cases. But cases involving women in their 80s are extremely rare – just 646, or less than 0.2%.
Forensic anthropologist Jesse Goliath noted the unusual nature of the case. “Normally you hear about smaller children, teenagers going missing,” he said, adding that the combination of an elderly victim and a well-known public figure as a family member made this case extraordinary.
Hope is weak, but it still exists
Despite the lack of progress, investigators and experts insist the case is not over.
Retired FBI agent Jason Parker offered a cautious but hopeful perspective in an interview with news outlet Parade.
“A phone call. A person who decides a bonus is more important than their silence,” he said. “That’s all it takes to bring law enforcement directly to their doorstep.”
“In these cases, the walls slowly close. But they always close.”
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