The disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie — the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie — is still an active, high-priority investigation in southern Arizona, and the sheriff leading the case says talk of it “going cold” is way off base.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos flatly rejected the idea investigators are stuck, saying the case is still moving forward — even if the public isn’t seeing every step. “The case will get us there. We let the evidence show us the way,” Nanos said in a radio interview, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
Still, he admitted what everyone is thinking: there’s no publicly named suspect and no confirmed motive — yet. “Right now, everything is speculative,” he said, stressing investigators don’t have something definitive that points to a specific person and a specific reason.
Nanos revealed one key detail that’s keeping hope alive: investigators have DNA they believe can still be worked. “We have some DNA that we think is still workable, and we have to work that,” he said, adding that labs around the country are “working diligently” to help push the science forward.
That statement is a big deal in a case where rumors have been flying and patience is wearing thin. Nanos also emphasized what law enforcement often leans on in long investigations: someone out there knows something — and one tip could crack it.
Investigators are still grinding through “thousands” of hours of surveillance footage as they try to reconstruct Nancy’s last movements and identify anything suspicious near her home, Nanos said.
Nancy vanished from her Catalina Foothills area home and was reported missing on February 1, 2026, after she didn’t show up as expected — a case that has drawn national attention because of her daughter’s high profile.
Recent reporting has also described investigators recovering additional images from cameras at or near the property, though gaps remain in the footage from the exact day she disappeared.
Adding another layer, polygraph expert Lisa Ribacoff-Mooney suggested investigators should look beyond the crime scene and digital footage and dig into pharmaceutical records, arguing that medication needs can create a trail if someone tried to obtain or refill prescriptions tied to Nancy’s conditions.
As the search drags on, the sheriff’s office has faced criticism over its handling of the investigation, with some outside voices claiming the case could become a cautionary tale in investigative training. Those are allegations, not official conclusions — but they reflect the mounting frustration as days turn into weeks.
For now, the sheriff’s message is blunt: this is not a cold case, the forensics are still in play, and the department believes the right piece of evidence — or the right person finally speaking up — can still change everything.
Never let it become a dead case until it is solved
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