The Nancy Guthrie Case: A Timeline

The search for Nancy Guthrie continues, more than four months after she was taken from her Tuscon, Ariz., home. 

The 84-year-old mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, 2026, after she didn't show up at a friend’s home to watch a church service, and both the family and the country are still waiting for answers. Local police have clashed with the FBI, false ransom notes have popped up and some civilians have even taken it upon themselves to join the search, complicating an already heart-wrenching investigation. 

Guthrie, while reported to be "sharp as a tack," suffers from some physical ailments that require daily medication and leave her unable to walk very far without assistance. No proof of life has been given by her abductors, and no motive has been shared. Authorities have named no suspects, but they promise the investigation is still ongoing. 

As law enforcement continues to sift through video footage, tips and DNA evidence, here's every development in Guthrie's case so far. 

5:32 p.m.: Guthrie takes an Uber to visit her daughter, Annie, who lives nearby. 

9:48 p.m.: Guthrie is dropped off at home by Annie's husband, Tommaso Cioni, and the garage door opens. 

9:50 p.m.: The garage door closes and Cioni drives away. 

1:47 a.m.: Guthrie's doorbell camera is disconnected. 

2:12 a.m.: A person is detected tampering with security equipment. 

2:28 a.m.: Guthrie's pacemaker is disconnected from her phone app, indicating that she might have been taken out of the device's range. 

11:00 a.m.: Guthrie fails to show up to a friend's home to watch a virtual church service, so they alert her family. 

11:56 a.m.: Family members come to check on her and discover she's missing, but her phone, watch and wallet are all still in the house. 

12:03 p.m.: A 911 call is made to the Pima County Sheriff's Department. 

12:15 p.m.: Officers arrive and discover a "concerning" scene, including a small trail of blood on the porch. 

In a press conference, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos declares the home a crime scene and warns that Guthrie will die without vital medications for her heart condition.

"This is an 84-year-old lady who suffers from some physical ailments, has some physical challenges, is in need of medication—medication that, if she doesn't have in 24 hours, it could be fatal," he said. 

A ransom note is received via email by a local Arizona news station, and it contains information that causes authorities to take it seriously. It demands $4 million in Bitcoin by February 5, or $6 million by February 9. It says Guthrie is "safe but scared" and threatens her life if the demands are not met. 

Guthrie's family posts an emotional Instagram video and begs abductors for proof of life. 

"As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated," Savannah said. "We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us."

Camron Guthrie, Savannah and Annie's brother, speaks in an Instagram video directly to the abductors: 

"Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so that we can move forward, but first we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact."  

The FBI announces that they are offering $50,000 for information that leads to Guthrie's return. 

Sheriff Nanos confirms that the blood found on the porch matches Guthrie's DNA. 

Savannah Guthrie, who paused working on the Today show and pulled out of covering the 2026 Winter Olympics to focus on her mother’s case, releases a video stating: "We received your message, and we understand. 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." 

According to what retired FBI agent and hostage negotiator Lance Leising told People, the video's cryptic language may mean that "Nancy is no longer with us." 

Authorities are seen at Annie's home, primarily searching the garage.  

The second ransom deadline passes at 5 p.m. Savannah posts a new video saying, "We believe our mom is still out there. We need your help." 

Authorities release images from Guthrie's security cameras that show a masked, gloved person with a backpack tampering with the equipment outside Guthrie's door. FBI Director Kash Patel also posts a video of the suspect. 

After the release of the video, a man reported to be 36-year-old DoorDash delivery driver Carlos Palazuelos is detained during a traffic stop in Rio Rico, Ariz., in connection to Guthrie's case. He was identified by law enforcement with "electronic investigative tools," according to local station ABC15.

TMZ reports that a transaction has taken place in the Bitcoin wallet associated with the ransom notes around 5 p.m.

Palazuelos is released and says not only is he innocent, he doesn't know who Guthrie is or why he would be connected to her disappearance. Authorities also search the Rio Rico home where he lives with his wife and mother-in-law. 

The FBI increases its reward to $100,000 for information leading to Guthrie's return or an arrest, and releases a description of the suspect: A 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 tall male, average build, wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack in the video—a model of backpack that is sold exclusively at Walmart. Authorities explore a theory that the suspect's entire outfit is from Walmart. 

As investigators search a second nearby residence, officials reveal that there was DNA found on Guthrie's property that doesn't belong to her or anyone close to her. That DNA is being tested, along with the DNA found in approximately 16 gloves discovered around Guthrie's house. Some of those gloves were discarded by people searching for Guthrie, and after testing, none of the gloves appear to have been worn by the suspect. 

Local police and the FBI are reportedly clashing over the case and custody of evidence, like DNA. Police sent the DNA to be tested at a Florida lab before it went to the FBI's labs at Quantico, arguing that they always send their samples to the Florida lab. 

Sheriff Nanos confirms that the Guthrie family members have all been cleared as suspects. 

Authorities deploy a device called a "signal sniffer" via helicopter, hoping to detect signals from Guthrie's pacemaker. 

CBS reports that the masked suspect could be seen in security footage that was potentially recorded before February 1. In this footage, the suspect is seen without the backpack. 

Savannah announces that the Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to her mother's location. 

Sheriff Nanos tells NBC News that authorities have a theory about the abductor's motive. 

“We believe we know why [the kidnapper] did this, and we believe that it was targeted, but we’re not 100% sure of that,” he said. “So it’d be silly to tell people, ‘Don’t worry about it. You’re not his target.’ You could be."

KVOA News 4 Tucson airs the special Bring Her Home: The Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, which includes a message from the family asking locals to come forward with information about both January 11 and January 31. While Guthrie was last season on January 31, it's unclear at this time why authorities are interested in January 11. 

Sheriff Nanos confirms that the investigation is focusing on what might have occurred on January 11, based on an initial report from Google that footage of the suspect without a backpack was from that date. Google then clarified that they could not confirm the date of the footage, but the date is still being investigated. 

In her first interview since the abduction, Savannah tells former co-host Hoda Kotb that the family is "in agony" and encourages anyone with information to share it. 

Savannah returns to Today after telling Kotb she "will not hide" her face.  

"It's hard to imagine [coming back] because it's such a place of joy and lightness, and I can't come back and try to be something that I'm not," she says. "But I can't not come back, because it's my family. I think it's part of my purpose right now."

A Youtuber finds human bone miles from Nancy's house, but the bones are found to be unrelated and more than 1,000 years old. 

Savannah posts a Mother's Day tribute to her mother and reminds followers that "the reward remains available." 

The Pima County Sheriff's Department releases a statement to mark 100 days since Guthrie's disappearance and says "scientific evidence processing and digital media analysis remains ongoing." 

Sheriff Nanos tells People that he's no longer directly communicating with the family, but he is focused on going through "thousands and thousands" of videos and tips, as well as DNA evidence, and he is certain the case will be solved. 

An anonymous tip claims an unmarked grave near the Mexican border belongs to Guthrie, prompting a search. The search did not yield any answers.