Nancy Guthrie case update: Trump warns of ‘most severe’ penalties as search for Nancy Guthrie intensifies

The search for Nancy Guthrie has entered its third week, and the case is drawing national attention. President Donald Trump says those responsible for her abduction will face the harshest possible federal consequences. Meanwhile, investigators continue combing through evidence near her Tucson-area home.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1. Authorities believe she may still be alive.

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What did Trump say about federal penalties?

In a brief phone interview Monday, President Trump told The New York Post that anyone responsible must release Nancy Guthrie unharmed or face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal consequences if she is found dead.

Asked directly whether that meant the Justice Department would seek capital punishment, Trump replied: “The most, yeah — that’s true.”

The president also revealed that he called Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 4 to offer federal assistance. The FBI later recovered surveillance images and video showing a masked man standing at the front door of the suburban home.

Federal charges are often pursued in high-profile kidnappings, especially when interstate elements or federal statutes are involved. While Arizona has the death penalty, many of the 109 inmates on death row have remained there for decades. The state has carried out only two executions since 2022, partly due to a nearly two-year pause that was lifted in late 2024, as per a report by The New York Post.

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What evidence have investigators found?

As the search continues in Arizona’s desert terrain, authorities recently launched aircraft equipped with a high-tech Bluetooth device, hoping to detect a signal from Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker.

On Feb. 15, the FBI said in a statement to USA Today that “approximately 16 gloves” were collected near the Guthrie residence. Most were discarded by searchers, but some appear to “match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video.” Those gloves were found “in a field near the side of the road” and sent to a private lab. The FBI said it has preliminary results and is “awaiting quality control and official confirmation today before putting unknown male profile into” its database, as per a report by USA Today.

Investigators previously confirmed that DNA collected inside the home did not belong to Guthrie or anyone close to her. Authorities are working to identify whose DNA it is, as per a report by The New York Post and People.

Surveillance footage from the home’s doorbell camera shows an armed, masked person approaching the front door and tampering with the camera. Since the footage was released, law enforcement activity has increased, with searches conducted at homes in the area and several people detained.



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How is the sheriff responding to online speculation?

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has been leading the investigation, revealed that his own brother died the day after Nancy was reported missing. He said the personal loss added to his frustration with online rumors.

“People out there can get pretty ugly and mean and nasty and not have the facts,” Nanos said. “I tell my journalists, you guys need to be a little more responsible… because that's just really nasty stuff.”

FAQs

What did President Trump say about the case?
Trump said the abductors must release Nancy Guthrie unharmed or face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal consequences, confirming that could include the death penalty.

What new evidence has been found?
The FBI recovered gloves that may match those worn by the masked suspect and is testing them for DNA, while also analyzing unidentified DNA collected from the home.