AZ Nancy Guthrie, 84, (mother of TODAY Show host Savannah Guthrie) missing - last seen in the Catalina foothills area on Jan 31, 2026

[Aquabot13]

I was really hoping to wake up to a huge break in this case! It seemed like things were moving really fast last night.

The family must be exhausted. Even in the best case scenario, they'll be harmed by this for the rest of their lives. I hope they have the support and information they need as they navigate this.

MOO

 

[AZLocal]

I really think the plant debris by the front door matches the purple flowers seen along the walkway (likely ruellia / Mexican petunia). If that’s true, it raises the possibility that someone approached from that direction and unintentionally tracked plant material right up to the entry, either on shoes/clothing, or possibly by staying low/crawling to reduce visibility to the doorbell camera.
What also stands out is the green smudge/marking near the doorbell area, which looks consistent with plant transfer (like brushing against a stem or leaves). And since doorbells are typically mounted around 48–54 inches, contact in that area may be more naturally explained by someone taller than Nancy (5’5”). A person around 5’10” would be more likely to brush that height with their shoulder/upper arm. That said, Nancy could still have made contact if she stumbled, raised an arm, leaned into the frame, or was being pulled.
The presence of this debris near the entry feels like a detail that could matter.

We have plant litter like this that gathers by walls etc. Dropped foliage dries out very quickly and collects where the wind blows it.

 

[Lamima]

I fear looking at WS a year from now and finding this in the Cold Cases forum.
This whole thing doesn't make any sense.
I hope I'm totally wrong and she's found safe within a few days.

Giving Bob Harrod vibes, sadly.

 

[birdbox]

What info/access to a patient is required to hack their pacemaker?

Only to be in range of the device, which is 6 or 7 meters. And from a cyber security standpoint that we studied in cyber warfare, you could download a virus on your computer or phone that could send a remote command to the device that could cause it to stop. We studied this in regards to covering all devices that could be hacked in our cyber kinetic portion of class. I don't think it pertains to her at all, just giving info on how it works. If a bad actor of an enemy governement wanted to they could hack it if within range or by a remote virus. Its a national security issue we study because we look at all sorts of ways our government leaders could be targeted in cyber realm. Hacking and malfunctioning a pacemaker was studied in lab settings and thry are vulnerable devices due to design on zero real security built in. Why? Because many manufacturers aren't thinking about it, because why would they. Thats what we do. We think about ways bad guys could be bad guys in the cyber realm and we write reports on it. You're welcome for that rabbit hole. Haha

 

[MarciB]

I live in this neighborhood. We can and do have floodlights and lights on motion detectors. I also noticed NG’s pristine roof coating and would guess it’s been done very recently.

Thanks for the info. I'm glad we have someone from the neighborhood here to clarify.

 

[SRWCF]

people chose to live there for that reason. Probably why most of the neighbors have some type of cameras and alarm systems

Not necessarily. We now have that same rule in our subdivision. We built our house and moved in in Oct. 2019. We actually paid extra to have addition outdoor lighting installed during the build for security due to our home not having a fence and we had no intention of ever adding one. Well, fast forward a few years and our HOA switched from a property mgmt company to 100% homeowners. It was those homeowners who came up with the "dark sky" rule and implemented it. I went back to our original CC&Rs and there was never a mention of lighting rules, etc. Yes, the HOA is allowed to change the rules. We have not complied because our argument is that, during building, we never would have paid for extra lighting if we knew we would have to shut it off at 10pm every night! Our HOA hasn't bothered to contact us about it because they consider us to be grandfathered in since we were one of the first homes built here.

 

[turaj]

Three different family members going through the worst experience of their lives, and you'd expect each of them to be handling this very differently. No one is the same, each has unique personalities and stressors, etc.

agree. I read nothing into any of the statements or lack thereof. I don't know if I could speak myself.

 

[CSIDreamer]

If your home is paid for, you have little to no debt, it is worth 1.2 million. You have $500k in CDs, you have a life insurance policy for $1 million, you are worth over 2 million.

Is that your opinion or do you know she has 500K in CDs and and a 1 million life insurance policy?

I'm fairly middle class and financially secure. But wow. I'm sitting here thinking about things like property taxes, homeowners insurance, utilities, groundskeepers, etc. Thats an outlay. JMO

 

[diggndeeperstill]

I really think the plant debris by the front door matches the purple flowers seen along the walkway (likely ruellia / Mexican petunia). If that’s true, it raises the possibility that someone approached from that direction and unintentionally tracked plant material right up to the entry, either on shoes/clothing, or possibly by staying low/crawling to reduce visibility to the doorbell camera.
What also stands out is the green smudge/marking near the doorbell area, which looks consistent with plant transfer (like brushing against a stem or leaves). And since doorbells are typically mounted around 48–54 inches, contact in that area may be more naturally explained by someone taller than Nancy (5’5”). A person around 5’10” would be more likely to brush that height with their shoulder/upper arm. That said, Nancy could still have made contact if she stumbled, raised an arm, leaned into the frame, or was being pulled.
The presence of this debris near the entry feels like a detail that could matter.

Thanks for the response. To me it’s hard to tell what is behind the remnants of the camera. Now that I think about it, what would normal procedure be for testing those remnants of the cameras for fingerprints? Dusting or removal?

Linking this post that mentioned winds were high that morning. I believe landscaping debris. I know how tunnel like areas can really whip the wind. But that’s what’s great about WS we all have ideas and opinions.

@Absoluterubbish.... bbm above. You have brought up a really, really great point. It has been reported the slider/French door
to the backyard was wide open. Wouldn't it be crazy (or just another Fargo-like mishap) if a note was left on the kitchen table and it blew off in the morning. I did some checking and guess what? The wind was 3 times stronger that morning than the normal 5MPH. I know some of my ideas are "far-fetched" but haven't we seen some incredible happenings before in some of these cases?
On the morning of Saturday, January 31, 2026, Tucson experienced breezy to gusty easterly winds, with speeds ranging between 10 to 15 mph, according to reports updated on that morning.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Most recently the sheriff said he thinks Nancy is alive and then he said he hopes she is

He has to. It keeps the public engaged and looking for her. I think we all know that the possibility of her being alive is almost impossible at this point, but we have to hang on to the tiniest possibility that she is still with us. I can't fathom the depth of pain that SG must be experiencing.

And that leads me to ponder whether that is exactly what this is all about - creating pain and punishing SG? Did she become the object of some demented mind that wants to punish her for "rejecting" them by not responding to fan letters or something? There are some very unbalanced minds out there. Hopefully LE is looking at this angle.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Most recently the sheriff said he thinks Nancy is alive and then he said he hopes she is

Link please. I don’t believe he says that.

 

[Starkville]

On the things people like to think are flowers- if they were truly flowers, don’t you think LE would have taken them into evidence? Although as I say that the Amazon package was there.

I think as others have said it’s sagebrush.

Sagebrush - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Well, we are using an old photo that was taken ~four days ago. It was taken after LE released the home as a crime scene back to the family. (This earlier photo does not show a package on the porch.) As to why police didn’t take them into evidence… we don’t know they didn’t. Are the still on the porch? I’m guessing the uprooted plants were at least photographed, as the blood droplets were tested and did receive attention from investigators.

I beg to respectfully differ that they are sagebrush. Other Websleuths have identified the plant as lantana. There are live lantana plants just a couple of feet away from the doormat, edging the walkway. The plant pieces on the doormat are dried up, but you can still see the flowers on the stems.

 

[turaj]

Is that your opinion or do you know she has 500K in CDs and and a 1 million life insurance policy?

I'm fairly middle class and financially secure. But wow. I'm sitting here thinking about things like property taxes, homeowners insurance, utilities, groundskeepers, etc. Thats an outlay. JMO

no one here knows her financial status but a safe assumption she is very comfortable.

 

[moonbeams]

She's going to have to pin that at the top of every page, imo. I sure hope the thread doesn't get shut down for clean up!

it would help me get caught up though! (but seriously.... i don't want it shut down, either!)

 

[TechGirl]

As per Brian Entin, nothing new to report so no press conference today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2020192274060308511

 

[watson1]

i'd love your opinions on which of these scenarios, A or B is more likely:

A: LE was completely incompetent in releasing the house as a crime scene so quickly, neglecting flood light/camera/vehicle evidence and g-d knows what else

B: LE purposely lifted the crime scene tape early on to see who would taint with possible evidence, take item(s) from the home that had evidential meaning beneath the surface, or replace/leave items with potential importance

b, without question.

 

[MarciB]

Not necessarily. We now have that same rule in our subdivision. We built our house and moved in in Oct. 2019. We actually paid extra to have addition outdoor lighting installed during the build for security due to our home not having a fence and we had no intention of ever adding one. Well, fast forward a few years and our HOA switched from a property mgmt company to 100% homeowners. It was those homeowners who came up with the "dark sky" rule and implemented it. I went back to our original CC&Rs and there was never a mention of lighting rules, etc. Yes, the HOA is allowed to change the rules. We have not complied because our argument is that, during building, we never would have paid for extra lighting if we knew we would have to shut it off at 10pm every night! Our HOA hasn't bothered to contact us about it because they consider us to be grandfathered in since we were one of the first homes built here.

I've never lived in a place with an HOA, but know people who do. They can be helpful, but sometimes not. It's one thing to make sure your yard looks nice or you aren't parking cars all over the street, but these days people want security and safety

 

[turaj]

Link please. I don’t believe he says that.

would like to hear the sheriff say she is alive. That seems odd as he is always careful to just say she will be found.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Well, we are using an old photo that was taken ~four days ago. It was taken after LE released the home as a crime scene back to the family. (This earlier photo does not show a package on the porch.) As to why police didn’t take them into evidence… we don’t know they didn’t. Are the still on the porch? I’m guessing the uprooted plants were at least photographed, as the blood droplets were tested and did receive attention from investigators.

I beg to respectfully differ that they are sagebrush. Other Websleuths have identified the plant as lantana. There are live lantana plants just a couple of feet away from the doormat, edging the walkway. The plant pieces on the doormat are dried up, but you can still see the flowers on the stems.

I’d agree on the species! I don’t think flowers were handed to her at the door is all I’m trying to say. And thank you for the correction, truly. I like facts.

 

[Sarahlou]

Link please. I don’t believe he says that.

As Friday saw the investigation intensify, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said he believes Nancy is 'still alive.'
Nanos said his investigators and the FBI are holding hope that Nancy is being held alive, and said interviews with staff at her home proved 'helpful' to the investigation.

'What I believe is that Nancy was removed from her home against her will, and that we need to find her. That’s what I believe. She’s still alive,' Nanos said Friday.

'I believe that I have no choice until something shows me, a piece of physical evidence shows me that that’s different.'

Major developments in search for Nancy Guthrie as cops raid her home

Forensic teams were seen scouring the roof of Nancy's home in Tucson, Arizona, reportedly finding a camera mounted to the property that had been missed in previous searches.

www.dailymail.co.uk