In the nearly two weeks since an 84-year-old Arizona woman vanished from her home in a case that has captured national attention, authorities have been methodically piecing together fragments of evidence in what law enforcement officials describe as a likely abduction. Now, as investigators continue their intensive search across the Tucson-area landscape, a critical discovery has reignited hopes that crucial clues may finally be materializing.
A Case That Stopped the Nation
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of acclaimed NBC “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, disappeared on February 1, 2026, from her residence in the Catalina Foothills, an exclusive residential community outside Tucson. She was last seen at approximately 9:45 p.m. on January 31 when family members dropped her off after an evening of dinner and games at her daughter Annie’s home.
What should have been an ordinary Sunday morning turned into a nightmare for the Guthrie family. When Annie called to check on her mother around noon—expecting her to be preparing for a regular video church service with close friends—there was no answer. A welfare check revealed the unthinkable: Nancy was gone.
The discovery triggered an immediate response from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Within hours, investigators noted conditions inside the home that were “deeply concerning,” according to Sheriff Chris Nanos. Evidence recovered at the scene led authorities to conclude that the disappearance was not voluntary. Blood found on the porch outside her home tested positive for her DNA, a chilling confirmation that something violent had occurred.
The Turning Point: Video Evidence
For nearly ten days, the investigation seemed stalled. Investigators had thousands of leads but limited concrete evidence of what had transpired inside the home or where Nancy might be. Then, on February 10, FBI Director Kash Patel released something that would change everything: surveillance footage from Nancy’s Google Nest doorbell camera.
The black-and-white video footage captured an image that immediately stunned the nation. An armed individual, wearing a black ski mask and latex gloves, approached Nancy’s front door in the early morning hours. The person appeared to deliberately tamper with the doorbell camera itself, suggesting a level of deliberation and planning. In later frames, the suspect is seen holding what appears to be a pistol in a holster.
The forensic analysis that followed provided authorities with critical details. The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9″ to 5’10” tall with an average build. He was wearing a distinctive black Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack—a $11 item available exclusively at Walmart, which led former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer to publicly speculate that the operation appeared “low budget” and “not professional.”
The Search for Physical Evidence
Following the release of the doorbell footage, the FBI launched what authorities describe as an “extensive search” along multiple roadways throughout the Catalina Foothills area. Agents and investigators fanned out across the neighborhood, examining every conceivable location where evidence might have been abandoned or discarded.
It was during this intensive ground search that authorities made another discovery. A set of black gloves was located approximately one and a half miles southeast of Nancy’s home. The gloves are being subjected to forensic analysis, with authorities hopeful they may contain DNA evidence or other trace materials that could identify the perpetrator.
While this physical evidence represents a tangible development, it also underscores a harsh reality: Nancy remains missing, and investigators still have not located her.
Ransom Notes and Cryptic Messages
The investigation took an even more mysterious turn when multiple media outlets reported receiving alleged ransom notes demanding payment for Nancy’s safe return. According to reports, one note demanded $6 million in cryptocurrency, with specific deadlines that came and passed with no contact from Nancy or proof that she was alive.
The authenticity of these notes remains unconfirmed. Some appear to contain specific details about Nancy’s home and what she was wearing the night she disappeared—details that only someone present during the abduction would know. Yet law enforcement has refused to officially validate whether they originated from the person or persons responsible for her disappearance.
In a heartbreaking series of videos posted to Instagram, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings directly addressed whoever might be holding their mother. “We received your message and we understand,” Savannah said in one video, her voice breaking. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
The family’s willingness to negotiate—and their openness about payment—represents a desperate gambit to save Nancy’s life. Yet as days have turned into weeks, hope has become increasingly tempered by grim reality.
The Medical Emergency
Perhaps the most poignant aspect of this case is the constant reminder that Nancy Guthrie is 84 years old and relies on daily medication to manage chronic pain and other health conditions. As Savannah explained in another video, their mother “lives in constant pain” and “is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, and she needs it not to suffer.”
This medical vulnerability has added an urgency to the investigation that goes beyond typical criminal cases. Every hour that passes brings Nancy closer to a medical crisis. If she is alive, her condition is almost certainly deteriorating.
A Nation Watching and Waiting
The disappearance has transcended typical crime coverage. President Donald Trump personally called Savannah to offer federal resources and support. The White House issued public statements urging anyone with information to come forward. The FBI has assigned hundreds of investigators to the case and increased the reward for information to $100,000.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has fielded thousands of tips since the doorbell footage was released—over 13,000 leads are currently being analyzed by law enforcement and digital forensics experts. Each potential clue is being examined with the urgency of a nation that has become invested in Nancy’s safe return.
What Happens Next
As investigators continue their systematic search of the Catalina Foothills landscape, the focus remains on identifying the masked figure from the doorbell footage. Law enforcement remains confident that someone, somewhere, recognizes this person or the distinctive items captured in the video: the backpack, the mask, the gloves, or the manner in which the individual carried themselves.
The discovery of the black gloves represents the kind of physical evidence that could potentially unlock the case. If DNA analysis yields a match in criminal databases, it could provide law enforcement with a critical breakthrough. Yet even as hope persists, investigators continue to brace for the possibility that this case may not have the ending the Guthrie family desperately hopes for.
For now, a family waits. A nation watches. And law enforcement continues to work around the clock in a race against time that has become about far more than solving a crime—it’s about bringing a beloved mother home.