Backpack discovery and new forensic details emerge as investigators continue search for Nancy Guthrie
“Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie is renewing her public plea for help as the search for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, stretches into a fourth week, and new developments intensify the investigation.
In an emotional video shared on Instagram, Guthrie described the ordeal as “an hour of desperation,” saying her family believes her 84-year-old mother is still alive and needs help.
“We believe our mom is still out there,” Guthrie said. “We need your help.”
‘An Hour of Desperation’
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1 from her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills after spending the previous night with family. Authorities have said they believe she was taken against her will, and blood believed to be hers was found on the porch of her home.
Guthrie opened her recent appeal by thanking the public for its support.
“I just want to say first of all, thank you so much for all of the prayers and the love that we have felt,” she said, speaking on behalf of her siblings, Camron and Annie Guthrie.
She added that the family believes those prayers are reaching their mother.
“We believe that somehow, some way she is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place,” Guthrie said.
Authorities have also expressed concern for Nancy Guthrie’s health, noting she requires daily medication.
Backpack Found Near Home
The latest development came Sunday, when a group of volunteers searching near Orange Grove Road, not far from Nancy Guthrie’s home, discovered a backpack and turned it over to sheriff’s deputies.
Photos shared by true crime reporter Jonathan Lee Riches, who posts under the name JLR Investigates, showed the backpack being removed from brush and bagged by a deputy.
The discovery comes after surveillance footage released earlier this month showed a masked man outside Nancy Guthrie’s front door on the night she disappeared. The FBI described the individual as a man approximately 5 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall with an average build, wearing a ski mask, long pants, a jacket, gloves and a handgun holster.
Investigators said the man was carrying a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the backpack recovered Sunday matches that description, and the item is now in law enforcement custody for examination.
DNA Evidence and Expanding Investigation
Investigators have continued collecting and analyzing forensic evidence from the area surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s home.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said detectives have recovered multiple gloves during searches. The FBI previously stated that gloves found a few miles from the home appear similar to those worn by the masked individual captured on video.
Last week, authorities said DNA collected from some of the gloves did not match any profiles in CODIS, the FBI’s national database.
Additionally, investigators said DNA recovered from Nancy Guthrie’s property does not belong to her or to anyone in close contact with her.
Officials confirmed they are now turning to investigative genetic genealogy in an effort to identify a suspect.
The sheriff’s department has also emphasized that while investigators are seeking information about the person seen on surveillance footage, they are “not ruling out the possibility that more than one person may be involved.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said the Guthrie family, including “all siblings and spouses”, has been cleared as possible suspects.
Volunteer Search Efforts Addressed
As public concern grows, so have independent volunteer search efforts.
On Saturday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department addressed unsanctioned search parties operating near the investigation area.
“Volunteer search groups have inquired about being in the area,” the department said in a statement. “Per the Sheriff, they were asked to please give investigators the space they need to do their work. We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals.”
Officials also reminded the public that private property laws apply and that permission is required before entering private land.
Ransom Messages Under Review
The FBI previously confirmed it is reviewing two emails connected to the case, including one that appeared to demand payment in bitcoin. Authorities said earlier deadlines mentioned in the messages have passed.
Investigators have not confirmed whether the messages are credible and have said there has been no continued communication between the Guthrie family and anyone claiming responsibility for Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
An FBI spokesperson previously stated the agency is “not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers.”
Family’s Earlier Plea
In an earlier video directed at whoever may have taken their mother, Savannah Guthrie said: “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.”
An FBI spokesman later clarified that Guthrie was referring to a message sent to local Tucson television station KOLD that contained a payment demand.
Despite weeks of investigation, officials continue to describe the case as active and evolving.
How to Help
Anyone with information related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is urged to contact:
- FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- Pima County Sheriff’s Department: 520-351-4900
- 88-CRIME tip line
- Online at tips.fbi.gov
As the search enters its fourth week, Guthrie and her family say they are holding on to hope, and urging anyone with even the smallest detail to come forward.
Featured image screenshot from Youtube: NewsNation