A significant development has emerged in the high-profile disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC ‘Today’ show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Law enforcement authorities have confirmed the detention of a suspect in Arizona following a traffic stop south of Tucson on Tuesday, exactly nine days after the elderly woman was reported missing.
The apparent breakthrough occurred hours after the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department released compelling visual evidence showing an armed individual in a ski mask tampering with the door camera at Guthrie’s residence. The timestamped footage, captured by a Google Nest camera in the early hours of February 1, depicts a gloved figure carrying a backpack and what appears to be a holstered firearm approaching the home.
According to Sheriff Chris Nanos, the home’s surveillance system was disabled during the presumed abduction timeframe. Approximately thirty minutes later, Guthrie’s pacemaker disconnected from her phone, suggesting she was forcibly removed from the property. DNA analysis subsequently confirmed blood traces found on the front porch belonged to the missing octogenarian.
The investigation had previously stalled, with authorities acknowledging no identified suspects or persons of interest as recently as Monday. The case gained national attention following the emergence of at least two purported ransom notes delivered to media outlets, though no proof of life has been verified since Guthrie’s disappearance.
Family members have described Nancy Guthrie as having limited mobility, frail health, and requiring daily medication for survival. Her children, including Savannah Guthrie, have made multiple public appeals through social media, pleading for their mother’s safe return and offering to pay ransom. The White House has also acknowledged the case, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming that President Trump had reviewed the newly released evidence.