Nancy Guthrie case update: What did volunteers find, and what's next in the investigation?

The search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” show cohost Savannah Guthrie, has stretched into its 22nd day, with volunteers and law enforcement continuing to comb areas around her Tucson home.

Over the weekend, civilian searchers gathered before sunrise in a Hobby Lobby parking lot in Tucson, Arizona, preparing to fan out in hopes of finding any sign of the missing woman. By the end of the morning, they had recovered a backpack, later turned over to sheriff’s deputies.

Despite the activity on the ground, authorities say the investigation remains complex, with critical forensic evidence still under review.


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What did volunteers find near Nancy Guthrie’s home?

On Feb. 22, volunteers searched along Orange Grove Road in the Catalina Foothills, not far from Nancy Guthrie’s residence. During that effort, they located a backpack and handed it to deputies with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, as per a report by Newsweek and USA Today.

Angelica Carrillo, a department spokesperson, said there were no investigative updates as of that morning.

Outside Guthrie’s one-story brick home, Tucson resident Lupita Tello methodically probed the ground with a sharpened metal rod attached to a handle — a tool she regularly uses when searching for missing persons in Mexico.

"If it smells bad like something decomposed, that's where we start," Tello said, demonstrating how she checks disturbed soil.

Tello leads Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, a nonprofit group from Mexico dedicated to finding missing people. Many of its members joined while searching for their own sons or brothers. This marks the group’s first search in the United States.

According to Tello, a journalist friend of Savannah Guthrie contacted the group about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance and asked them to help create flyers and assist in the search, as per a report by Newsweek and USA Today.

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How are authorities handling volunteer involvement?

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department told Tello that permission from homeowners would be required to search private property, though a formal permit was not necessary. Carrillo said volunteer groups have expressed interest in helping but were asked to allow investigators the space they need and to coordinate through official channels.

Madres Buscadoras de Sonora plans to conduct an official search later in the week. As word of the case spread, visitors from outside Tucson began arriving at the Catalina Foothills neighborhood. Some travelled from as far as Phoenix to see the home of the missing woman whose disappearance has drawn national attention, as per a report by Newsweek and USA Today.

Volunteer efforts intensified after Savannah Guthrie posted a message on social media Feb. 15, urging anyone with information to come forward and saying it was “never too late to do the right thing.”

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What evidence are investigators reviewing?

Nancy Guthrie has been missing since Jan. 31. Investigators are examining several pieces of evidence, including mixed DNA found on her property. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the DNA came from more than one person, complicating efforts to run it through national databases, as per a report by Newsweek and USA Today.

The FBI is also analyzing DNA recovered from a glove found about two miles from Guthrie’s home. Results have not yet been released.

A major development came Feb. 10, when detectives obtained doorbell camera footage showing a masked individual on the night Guthrie disappeared. The person appeared to be wearing gloves.

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Investigators are working to identify clothing seen in the footage, including pants, shoes and a shirt or jacket. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that more than one person could be involved.

Surveillance footage is also being reviewed in connection with a backpack that may have been purchased from Walmart. The Sheriff’s Department said it is working with the retailer to identify the purchaser. Legal experts note that stores routinely share transaction records and video during active investigations, as per a report by Newsweek and USA Today.

Carrillo said several hundred law enforcement personnel remain assigned to the case, with staffing levels shifting as leads develop. The investigation will continue until Guthrie is located or all avenues have been exhausted.

As days pass, the search for Nancy Guthrie continues with urgency. Volunteers and law enforcement remain focused on uncovering answers, while forensic evidence and surveillance footage undergo detailed analysis in hopes of bringing clarity to a case that has gripped the public.

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FAQs

What did volunteers recover during the search?
They found a backpack near Nancy Guthrie’s home and turned it over to sheriff’s deputies.

Is there a suspect in the case?
No suspect has been named. Investigators are reviewing DNA evidence and surveillance footage.