TUCSON, Ariz. — On Feb. 16, 2026, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators had cleared the family of Nancy Guthrie — including her children and their spouses — as possible suspects in her disappearance, a statement meant to cut through weeks of online speculation as the search for the 84-year-old entered a new phase.
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on the night of Jan. 31 after dinner at the Tucson home of her older daughter, Annie Guthrie, and son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni. Cioni dropped her off at her Catalina Foothills residence about 9:50 p.m. She missed a planned church livestream the next morning. Relatives found her gone around noon on Feb. 1 and called 911. Her phone, wallet, hearing aid, medication and car were still at the house.
Authorities quickly said they believed she had been taken against her will. Blood on the front porch was later matched to her. A doorbell camera had been disconnected in the early hours of Feb. 1. The FBI later released footage of a masked person — described as a man about 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10, average build, wearing gloves, a backpack and what appeared to be a holstered gun — tampering with the camera. Gloves found about two miles away were tied to that figure; DNA from them produced no match in national databases.
Ransom notes followed. At least one demand for millions in bitcoin was treated seriously; other messages were dismissed as hoaxes. One later note claimed she had died of a medical emergency after being taken. The FBI said it was not aware of ongoing contact between the family and any captors. No proof of life has been made public.
Annie Guthrie was the last family member to spend the evening with her mother. Her home was searched as part of the early investigation. Nanos has said repeatedly that Annie and Cioni are not suspects and that the family has been cooperative. The Feb. 16 clarification was an explicit effort to separate that cooperation from rumor. Officials briefed relatives privately before speaking publicly and asked the public not to circulate unverified theories that could hinder the case.
Savannah Guthrie, Annie and their brother, Camron, have issued video appeals for their mother’s return, citing her need for daily medication and describing the wait as agony. The family offered a $1 million reward; the FBI and local tip lines posted additional rewards.
By late winter the investigation had shifted from an urgent search-and-rescue posture to a slower criminal inquiry. Tens of thousands of tips came in. No one has been charged in the abduction. As of later official updates, Nancy Guthrie remains missing.
Authorities continue to ask anyone with information to contact the FBI, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department or 88-CRIME. The question that opened the case has not changed: where is Nancy Guthrie?
