TUCSON, Ariz. — As the desperate hunt for Nancy Guthrie stretches into its seventeenth day, local authorities have moved to dismantle a growing tide of online suspicion.
In a pointed statement released Monday, February 16, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos formally cleared every member of the Guthrie family—including siblings, spouses, and children—as possible suspects in the 84-year-old’s disappearance. The move aims to protect the family of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie from what Nanos described as “cruel” and “wrong” speculation that has metastasized across social media.
“To be clear… the Guthrie family, to include all siblings and spouses, has been cleared as possible suspects,” Sheriff Nanos said. “The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case. To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel.”
The Shadow of the Masked Intruder
The investigation into the February 1 abduction has shifted focus away from the family and toward a forensic profile of a lone, masked suspect.
On Tuesday, February 17, the FBI confirmed a significant, yet frustrating, lead: DNA found on a discarded glove discovered two miles from Nancy’s Catalina Foothills home does not match any profile in the national CODIS database. While the DNA profile belongs to an unknown male, it provides a “genetic fingerprint” for the individual seen on Nancy’s doorbell camera at 1:47 a.m. the morning she vanished.
Suspect Profile & Evidence:
- The Look: A male, approximately 5’9″–5’10”, average build, wearing a balaclava and gloves.
- The Gear: A 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack (sold exclusively at Walmart) and an armed handgun in a front-facing holster.
- The Tactic: The intruder was captured on grainy 44-second footage using greenery from the yard to attempt to obstruct the doorbell camera lens before dismantling the device.
A High-Tech ‘Signal’ Hunt
With no match in the DNA database and no recent contact from credible kidnappers, the FBI and Pima County deputies have turned to the sky.
Sources indicate that investigators have deployed a helicopter-mounted “signal sniffer”—a high-tech device capable of detecting the unique electronic signature emitted by Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker. Though the pacemaker app disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m. on the night of the abduction, authorities are hoping the device itself is still emitting a detectable frequency.
The Family’s Hour of Desperation
For Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, Annie and Camron, the third week of the search has been marked by a transition from shock to a harrowing, public-facing resolve. Savannah, who has taken a leave of absence from NBC, posted a new plea to Instagram on Sunday night.
“It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say we still have hope, and we still believe,” she said. “To whoever has her… it’s never too late to do the right thing.”
The family has reaffirmed their willingness to meet any ransom demands—including Bitcoin—though the FBI warned today that most “notes” received by media outlets thus far have been vetted as hoaxes or opportunists seeking the $100,000 reward.
The Desert Canvas
The search area has expanded into the rugged washes and winding roads between the Foothills and the major arteries leading out of Tucson. While “concerning signs” of forced entry and DNA-confirmed blood on the porch suggest a violent struggle, the lack of a body or a “proof of life” communication has left the case in a volatile state of limbo.
As the sun sets over the Arizona desert on this seventeenth day, the neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie lived remains a fortress of police tape and white evidence tents. For the Sheriff, the message to the public is clear: stop looking at the family and start looking at the footage. Somewhere out there, a man with a Walmart backpack holds the key to the “Creek” that hasn’t run dry of hope quite yet.