The hunt for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of US television anchor Savannah Guthrie, has entered its third week with no confirmed sightings — but with new forensic leads and a reward now exceeding $200,000, according to the New York Post.
The 84-year-old vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of 1 February. Police believe she was abducted while asleep, after a masked and armed figure was captured on surveillance footage at her front door the previous night.
Authorities say thousands of tips have poured in, yet no suspect has been publicly identified.
REWARD DOUBLES AS COMMUNITY RALLIES
Efforts to generate information have intensified with an increase in reward money. The total rose to $202,500 after an anonymous donor matched an initial $100,000 pledge made through the local crime-stoppers tip line 88-CRIME. That contribution transformed what had been a modest $2,500 offer from local officials into a six-figure incentive.
Separately, the FBI had already raised its own reward to $100,000 for “information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.” The combined total now represents one of the largest rewards in a missing-person case in the region.
Forensic teams examining Guthrie’s residence in the Catalina Foothills have identified previously undisclosed biological material that does not belong to her. They confirmed DNA profiles are undergoing laboratory analysis, though details about the substance, timing of discovery and whether federal databases have produced matches remain unclear.
Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators remain determined. He told media he was confident they would locate Guthrie, even if it took “10 days, 10 months, or worse,” and suggested she was likely being held somewhere near her home region.
SEARCH TURNS TOWARDS MEXICO BORDER
With Tucson located roughly an hour’s drive from Mexico, investigators have explored cross-border angles. US federal authorities have reportedly notified Mexican counterparts of Guthrie’s disappearance, standard procedure in cases near the frontier, though officials say there is no confirmed evidence she was taken across the border.
A potential lead in Mexico’s Sonora state — reportedly linked to an alleged purchase — was examined but did not progress. However, there is no indication the case involves drug cartels or organised trafficking networks. Family members have also been ruled out as suspects.
The Guthrie family has repeatedly said it believes Nancy is alive and has offered to pay ransom if demanded. Unverified emails claiming to be ransom notes have circulated, including one seeking millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. Media outlets that received such messages said they were passed to the FBI for analysis.
