It has been 12 days since Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared, and key questions about what happened — and why — remain unanswered.
Authorities believe 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, who has limited mobility, a pacemaker, and relies on daily medication for a heart condition, was abducted from her Arizona home in the middle of the night.
Photos and videos recovered from her missing Nest doorbell camera show a fully masked person, who authorities say was armed, appearing to tamper with the doorbell device the night she vanished.
Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance has drawn national attention, amid reports of purported ransom notes and gut-wrenching video pleas by Savannah Guthrie and her siblings.
Below is a timeline of developments, from the last time Nancy Guthrie was seen to the latest updates in the case, based on information released by the FBI and local law enforcement.
The night Nancy Guthrie was last seen
On January 31, at around 5:30 p.m. MST, Nancy Guthrie went to her family’s local home for dinner.
She was dropped off by family members at her ranch-style home just outside Tucson, in the Catalina Foothills, just before 10 p.m. that night.
“We know that because we have the garage door open at approximately 9:48 p.m.,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously said. “At 9:50 p.m., that garage door closes.”
“It’s at that time we assume that Nancy’s home and probably going to bed,” he added.
The doorbell camera goes dark
At 1:47 a.m. on February 1, Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera disconnected, according to police.
At 2:12 a.m., the doorbell software detected a person on the camera.
Investigators initially could not retrieve that footage because Nancy Guthrie did not have a subscription to store her doorbell feed, Nanos said.
A break in the case came when authorities, with help from “private sector partners,” recovered some doorbell footage from “residual data located in backend systems,” said a statement on FBI director Kash Patel’s X account.
Sixteen minutes after the doorbell camera detected a person, police said that Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker app disconnected from her phone.
Family calls 911
Nanos, the Pima County sheriff, said that Nancy Guthrie’s family went to her home to check on her at 11:56 a.m. on February 1 after learning that she had not shown up to church.
A sheriff’s department spokeswoman later clarified, telling news outlets that Nancy Guthrie was supposed to go to a friend’s house to watch a livestream of a church service, but never arrived.
After a frantic search of Nancy Guthrie’s home, family members called 911 to report her missing at 12:03 p.m. on February 1.
Authorities arrived minutes later, at 12:15 p.m. They found Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera removed and drops of blood on the front porch that later matched back to her.
Purported ransom notes surface
In the days following Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, purported ransom notes were sent to local and national media outlets.
One note included a monetary demand with two deadlines, FBI Phoenix’s special agent in charge, Heith Janke, said at a February 5 press conference. The deadlines have since passed.
Authorities have not publicly verified the authenticity of the ransom notes, but they said they were taking them “seriously” as with all leads.
A California man was arrested on February 5 and charged with sending a fake ransom demand to the Guthrie family.
Savannah Guthrie urges abductors to make contact
Savannah Guthrie released her first video message on February 5, begging for her mother’s safe return.
In a video released on Instagram, the famed NBC anchor sat alongside her siblings, Annie Guthrie and Camron Guthrie, and spoke directly to those who may have her mother.
“We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” Savannah Guthrie said. “As a family, we are doing everything that we can.”
She continued, “We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.”
A second plea for contact
In a short video released on Savannah Guthrie’s Instagram account on February 6, Camron Guthrie urged “whoever is out there holding our mother” to contact the family.
“We want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said. “We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact.”
Another Guthrie family message — and a promise to pay
In a somber Instagram video with her siblings on February 7, Savannah Guthrie told her mother’s abductors: “We received your message and we understand.”
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” the “Today” show host said. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
Savannah Guthrie begs the public for help
On February 9, as the search entered its ninth day with no major developments, Savannah Guthrie posted a fourth Instagram video, this time urging the public for help.
“We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help,” she said, adding, “We believe our mom is still out there.”
“Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where,” Savannah Guthrie said.
The morning show host asked the public, wherever they are, to report to law enforcement if they “see” or “hear” anything “strange.”
A break in the case
On day 10 of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released videos and images of a person of interest in the case.
The black-and-white footage retrieved from the Nest doorbell camera mounted outside the woman’s home showed a masked person, who authorities say was armed, at the front door the night she was taken.
The person, wearing a backpack and gloves, appears to hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempts to block the camera lens with plants.
It was not clear what time the footage was recorded.
Earlier, on February 10, an FBI spokesperson told Business Insider that the agency was “not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest in this case at this time.”
Savannah Guthrie: ‘We believe she is still alive’
Savannah Guthrie shared those images and videos on Instagram, saying, “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.”
“Someone out there recognizes this person,” she said in another post.
Police briefly detain a man for questioning
Arizona authorities briefly detained a man for questioning hours after they released the doorbell camera footage.
The man, later identified as a local delivery driver, told reporters that he did not know who Nancy Guthrie was or anything about the case.
“I don’t know anything,” the man, identified as Carlos Palazuelos, told reporters, according to video posted on X. “I hope they get the suspect because I’m not it.”
‘Persons of interest’ and thousands of tips
Patel, the FBI director, told Fox News in an interview on February 10 that law enforcement had made “substantial progress” in the case over the last 36 to 48 hours.
“I do believe we are looking at people who, as we say, are persons of interest,” Patel said. “But as you know, with any investigation, you are a person of interest until you are either eliminated or you are actually found to be the culprit or the culprits involved, and that’s the stage we’re at right now. “
Just days into the investigation, the FBI offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
By February 11, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it had received nearly 18,000 tip calls in connection with the case. More than 4,000 of those calls came within 24 hours after authorities released the doorbell footage.
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