Nancy Guthrie disappearance timeline: Key developments in the investigation as search nears 1 month
Authorities have made no arrests, nor have they publicly identified a motive in a baffling case that has captured the nation's attention.
It’s been nearly a month since Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her home near Tucson, Ariz., where police believe the 84-year-old mother of Today show cohost Savannah Guthrie was abducted.
Hundreds of local and federal investigators have spent weeks scouring her Catalina Foothills neighborhood and thousands of hours of surveillance footage and evaluating tens of thousands of tips that have poured in since her disappearance.
“This remains an active investigation and will continue until Nancy Guthrie is located or all leads have been exhausted,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Friday.
But authorities have made no arrests, nor have they publicly identified a motive in a baffling case that has captured the nation’s attention.
Savannah Guthrie has issued multiple video pleas on Instagram throughout the search, and the family is now offering $1 million for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s “recovery.”
“We still believe in a miracle. We still believe that she can come home," she said in a video on Feb. 24. “We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone.”
Below is a timeline of key developments in the investigation.
Jan. 31
Nancy Guthrie is last seen around 9:45 p.m. when she is dropped off by her family at her home in the Catalina Foothills north of Tucson, Ariz., after having dinner with her daughter Annie Guthrie, who lives nearby.
Feb. 1
Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker stops syncing with her Apple devices at 2:28 a.m., according to police.
She is reported missing around noon after she did not show up at a friend’s house to watch an online church service.
Feb. 2
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says police believe Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped and didn’t leave her home on her own.
Savannah Guthrie posts an Instagram message asking for people’s prayers.
Feb. 3
TMZ and a pair of Tucson television news stations receive what appears to be a ransom note, demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin. The FBI is not able to immediately verify its authenticity.
Feb. 4
Nancy Guthrie’s adult children post an Instagram video addressing a possible kidnapper, saying that the family is ready to talk, but they need proof that their mother is alive.
President Trump says in a Truth Social post that he spoke to Savannah Guthrie and is directing “ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY."
Feb. 5
Investigators reveal that the blood found on the front porch belongs to Nancy Guthrie.
Police release a detailed timeline of the hours leading up to Guthrie’s disappearance.
The FBI offers a $50,000 reward for information that leads to her return.
Feb. 9
Savannah Guthrie releases another Instagram video pleading for the public’s help, saying, “We are at an hour of desperation.”
Feb. 10
Authorities detain and later release a delivery driver after carrying out a “court-authorized search” of his Rio Rico, Ariz., home. He tells reporters: “I hope they get the suspect, because I'm not it.”
Feb. 11
Investigators widen their search outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills. FBI agents recover a pair of black gloves about 2 miles away and submit them for DNA testing.
Feb. 12
The FBI releases a new description of the suspect seen in the doorbell camera footage, who is described as “approximately 5’9”-5’10” tall, with an average build.” The agency shares specific details of the bag the person is believed to have been carrying, a black, 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.” The FBI also doubles its reward to $100,000.
Feb. 13
Law enforcement, SWAT and forensics teams swarm two locations, including one on the edge of Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood. But no arrests are made.
Feb. 15
Savannah Guthrie posts a new video addressed “to whoever has her or knows where she is,” saying, “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Feb. 16
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos releases a statement saying all members of Nancy Guthrie’s family, including siblings and spouses, have been cleared as possible suspects. “To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel,” Nanos said.
Feb. 17
Police say DNA from gloves found about 2 miles away from Nancy Guthrie’s house turned up no matches in the FBI’s national database.
The focus of the investigation now turns to her pacemaker and the suspect's backpack, as well as the person’s unique gun holster.
Feb. 20
Authorities, who say they have been inundated with calls about the case, ask people with well-wishes or case theories to stop calling their tip lines.
Feb. 24
Savannah Guthrie posts a new video announcing the family’s $1 million reward for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie's “recovery.” The Today host says that while the family still believes “in a miracle,” they “also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone.”
Savannah also announces a $500,000 donation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Feb. 26
Multiple news outlets report that the FBI is reducing the number of personnel investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance in Tucson and relocating its command post to Phoenix.
Feb. 27
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says it is “refocusing resources” in the Nancy Guthrie case but not giving up the search. “This remains an active investigation and will continue until Nancy Guthrie is located or all leads have been exhausted,” the sheriff’s department said.
