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

[snoopy100]

I don't live in AZ, but I work with Medicaid in my state. Based on what I've read, she would have qualified in my state for home health services. Part of the home health aide's job is to help the person access the community. That could include driving them to church if they are someone who normally goes to church. If the aide received a text from her saying, "I'm not feeling well, don't come pick me up," they wouldn't necessarily think anything was amiss. Of course, that relies on someone knowing her routine well enough to know to cancel the aide. Or points to the aide themself.

Or, maybe she ordered a Uber or a Lyft, and the just didn't yesterday morning. Or maybe the church has a bus that picks people up and she just didn't come out so they left.

why are so many people assuming she doesn't drive? my grandmother has mobility issues, she probably can't even walk 50 yards like nancy reportedly can, but she still drives.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Sheriff won’t release the evidence that led to him believing she was abducted. Says integrity must be protected. And certain things at the scene only the intruder knows, only he knows.

Followed up with question on gender but didn’t answer. Included an answer about getting video in the cloud- thinks it’s a server.

Cellphone- they have the phone. More work to do on the data gathering evidence.

Some dna- hoping for a profile. Are currently testing with rapid testing. Tucson system was down, took to phoenix. Still a few days off on results.

Won’t discuss forced entry or struggle or where the entry point was although they believe they know where, based on condition of home.

Looking for Nancy alive? Choked up, answered hope it’s a recovery mission. (But was clearly upset)

What is in plans for tomorrow (press conference, etc) He wants media support to get info out. If something of substance happens, yes, but not having one just to have one.

 

[steff13]

why are so many people assuming she doesn't drive? my grandmother has mobility issues, she probably can't even walk 50 yards like nancy reportedly can, but she still drives.

I didn't assume anything, I was just making suggestions as to how she might have gotten to church.

Just because she owns a car doesn't mean she does drive, either.

 

[Ghostwheel]

Kidnapping a disabled elderly lady? The only purposes I can think of are for money (ransom or bank account and this includes anyone known to her) or as a warning or attempt to instill fear into someone in the family. Otherwise, why take her? The standard deviant would attack, take what they want and leave, imo.

I'd bet she drives short distances just fine. If she can get a Disabled Parking place, it's a pretty short walk into church or various other places, especially if she has friends looking for her to help her in.

 

[Oiseaux]

It could be she is uncomfortable driving at night (like to have dinner with her son Saturday night) but is okay driving during the day (like to church on Sunday morning).

That happened to my mom - she was mentally and physically healthy, but stopped driving at night.

jmopinion

Same situation with my mom; she says that night makes a huge difference in her vision.

I'm very familiar with this area; Tucson is a Dark Sky city, keeping the region darker due to the planetariums in the area. A lot of the outer neighborhoods like this one have very few (if any) lights beyond those on houses. To comply with Dark Sky guidelines, even house lights are supposed to point down instead of up or out, be on motion sensors instead of always on, etc, which leads to very dark streets. With the extra-bright LEDs headlights on a lot of cars these days, the contrast can be really jarring even for those with "normal" vision. After cataract or other eye surgery, which wouldn't be unusual at her age, it could be very difficult or intimidating to try to drive at night.

jmo

 

[katydid23]

How? She's much less likely to need help while she's sleeping in bed.

Not necessarily. The elderly often tend to get up and walk around in the middle of the night. My mom put something to heat up in the oven then went back to bed---it could have ended badly. The neighbour heard the smoke alarm luckily.

Another time she went outside about 8 pm to check her mailbox---in the winter, in Lake Tahoe area---she fell and could not get up---she was outside on the ground in her bathrobe for hours---luckily my brother called her neighbour because he couldn't reach her.

So even when they should be sleeping peacefully in bed, things can go sideways.

 

[Magic8Ball]

They said 50 yards instead of feet. Still some
Mobility limitation for sure but much further than feet.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2026/02/02/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-tucson/88470747007/

I heard the Sheriff say both 50 feet and 50 yards when talking about how far the family said she could walk.
He said 50 feet in the press conference this morning and then 50 yards during the CNN interview with EB.

As you say, regardless of which is accurate, it's limited mobility, which means she most certainly could not have independently ambulated beyond the area around the home that LE has searched.

When LE says with such certainty that she did not leave that house of her own free will, you can take it to the bank that they know she did not leave of her own free will.

They're normally careful not to rule out any potential scenarios until the evidence firmly and conclusively takes something off the table.

They either have blood evidence or camera footage of her being removed.

JMO.

 

[MassGuy]

Did anyone see the new Dateline type show this week called Harlan Cobens final twist or something like that? This case reminds me so much of that. An elderly lady went missing. Turned out to be her painter that she was so kind to. He was married but had a "thing" (as the cops called it) for older ladies. He SA her, punched her, threw her in the back of his truck and dumped her. They only found her bc he took them there. I think there are reasons people would move a person, even if it wasn't for money. He said he killed her bc she could identify him.

I hate even writing that because I want this sweet lady to be ok. But the signs are not looking good.

Funny enough, I'm watching that episode right now.

Wealthy older woman, suddenly missing from her house in the dead of night. Bloody scene, although we don't know if that's the case here.

I think her killer moved her to hide forensic evidence of the rape, and so they couldn't prove she was even murdered.

Interestingly, it was a geofence that nailed him. They developed a specific time period when the murder must have occurred, and there were only two phones near the house at the time. One of them was hers, and one of them wound up being the killer.

Then the DNA nailed him.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

“We have a start point,” Nanos said. “The family took her home from dinner at about 9:30 to 9:45 [p.m.]” on Saturday, January 31.

“So we would back that up to even say 9 or 8:30 p.m. to start looking.”

Nanos confirmed that Annie, Savannah’s older sister, was the last person to see Nancy, 84, prior to her reported disappearance. (Nancy shared daughters Annie and Savannah, 54, and son Camron Guthrie with late husband Charles Guthrie, who died after a heart attack at the age of 49.)

The sheriff noted that Annie didn’t raise any “red flags” about her mother’s behavior during their last interaction.

More at Savannah Guthrie’s Sister Was Last Person to See Missing Mom (Excl)

 

[desert-blue]

If it's true she has a pacemaker then I assume they (her doctors and subsequently the police) can possibly see her heart activity. I'm not sure how it's transmitted, but my dad has one and if he has any irregularities during the night, he gets a call from the doctor's office the next day. If something happened to her, it's possible that they know the timing of it from her pacemaker transmissions during the night. Not sure if all pacemakers do this, but I do wonder how they are coming up with the time in the middle of the night.

 

[Beans]

And it just occurred to me that it's entirely possible that the forced entry could have been staged, as could any 'abduction' scenario. Perhaps to cover up something else entirely. An argument perhaps. My own speculation only etc.

My little mind is whirring away tonight.

 

[CandyKiss]

I've seen that comment as well; and the variation "Have you all forgotten her daughter was a lawyer. This was definitely a grudge crime." A couple posters called them out and they disappeared.

EDIT to add: in response to moxiemom (tired/forgot to quote yours)

 

[Kemug]

If there is no way she left on her own then who the hell took her to Church that didn't show up to take her?

Maybe they had an arrangement that if she didn't feel like coming that day, she would do something with a light or a window blind. But surely the church people would know about it, or would have soon been able to find out. If she had some sort of medical transport, people would know. You can't expect a taxi or uber driver to help you out of the house. Anyway, it seems she had a car? Maybe she could walk as far as the car, and the church or a shop at the end of a drive? But "there is no way she left on her own" doesn't make sense if she had a car. Unless sbe employed a driver.

 

[Izzylizzy]

They said 50 yards instead of feet. Still some
Mobility limitation for sure but much further than feet.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2026/02/02/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-tucson/88470747007/

@ 5:35 the sheriff says " we know she didn't walk out of there she's very limited in her mobility"

Walking 150 ft would easily get a person out of their house so I find this confusing because he sounded adamant about her mobility limits.
???

 

[Magic8Ball]

If it's true she has a pacemaker then I assume they (her doctors and subsequently the police) can possibly see her heart activity. I'm not sure how it's transmitted, but my dad has one and if he has any irregularities during the night, he gets a call from the doctor's office the next day. If something happened to her, it's possible that they know the timing of it from her pacemaker transmissions during the night. Not sure if all pacemakers do this, but I do wonder how they are coming up with the time in the middle of the night.

I haven't seen it reported anywhere that NG has a pacemaker, but if she does, the company could check her heart rhythm/data using her phone app.

LE has said they have her phone.

 

[katydid23]

this is no doubt someone who knew the home. She probably has a cleaner...lawn crew....pool maintenance.....general handiman and no doubt many more regular workers at that home.

Yes, that worries me. Often it ends up that senior citizens end up being targeted by caretakers, gardeners, handymen, neighbours, etc.


Or sadly, younger family members who are junkies, etc. OR are awaiting an inheritance?

 

[Ghostwheel]

If it's true she has a pacemaker then I assume they (her doctors and subsequently the police) can possibly see her heart activity. I'm not sure how it's transmitted, but my dad has one and if he has any irregularities during the night, he gets a call from the doctor's office the next day. If something happened to her, it's possible that they know the timing of it from her pacemaker transmissions during the night. Not sure if all pacemakers do this, but I do wonder how they are coming up with the time in the middle of the night.

So many ways they could get this. Some of us still have clocks that can get broken in an altercation. If she had any kind of wearable. If she accessed something on her phone (I have been known to surf the web at 2 AM). But I am also guessing that there is evidence of something happening in or near her bed which might indicate she was sleeping when something happened. If she got home around 9:45, it could be after 10:30 ish even if she went straight to bed (use the bathroom, change clothes, brush teeth, etc.).

After watching the Sheriff, it is my opinion that finding her alive is very slim, but we can hope.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I've seen that comment as well; and the variation "Have you all forgotten her daughter was a lawyer. This was definitely a grudge crime." A couple posters called them out and they disappeared.

EDIT to add: in response to moxiemom (tired/forgot to quote yours)

It's difficult to imagine someone developing a grudge of this magnitude against SG then inflict so much harm to her mother.
imo

 

[Arkay]

IMO, for the elderly to live alone, or to have a caretaker, or to live in a facility depends on SO many factors.

The person’s wishes. The reality of their health and ability status. The cost of a care home or caretaker. Whether the family lives nearby.

In our case, when my parents were Nancy’s age, they were still snow gliding on a glacier in Greenland, and also went on a cruise to Antarctica (they’ve been everywhere else).

Then my dad had a stroke at 88 and my mom began her slow and then precipitous slide into deep dementia. My dad took care of her until she broke her hip, but she screamed when in rehab they tried to get her to walk, and once wheelchair bound she had to go to memory care.

It also costs a king’s ransom every month at her facility.

None of the adults in our family live in Florida or anywhere near Florida, so we travel constantly to be with our parents.

If Nancy were not capable of caring for herself, I am sure Savannah could have/would have paid for her mother’s care.

That does not seem to have been necessary.

I can only think of tragedy here, based on what Tucson LE is saying. I have family in Tucson and I agree, some places are very isolated and dark. Some are not.

I will pray as Savannah requested, and I know the family is holding out hope. I hope for them as well.

Realistically, I can’t think of a joyous outcome unless she is found very soon. Found well and unharmed and not in danger due to lack of medication.

JMO and experience

 

[Izzylizzy]

Yes, that worries me. Often it ends up that senior citizens end up being targeted by caretakers, gardeners, handymen, neighbours, etc.


Or sadly, younger family members who are junkies, etc. OR are awaiting an inheritance?

You filled up my Bingo card.