Nancy Guthrie Timeline: Biggest Developments as Search Reaches 100 Days
It has been 100 days since local and national law enforcement started investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, and work still continues to ascertain her whereabouts.
Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing in Pima County, Arizona, on February 1, having been seen last at her Tucson home on January 31. Law enforcement declared the home a “crime scene” and said they did not believe she left the home on her own.
Questions about her disappearance remain 100 days later. Below, Newsweek has outlined the key developments in the case as the search to find her continues.
February 1
A doorbell camera at Guthrie’s home was disconnected in the early hours of the morning, and data from her pacemaker app showed the app was disconnected from her phone.
Local police were called to her home after friends expressed concerns that she hadn’t attended church. Upon arriving at her home, police officials realized she was missing, prompting an urgent search.
February 2
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos called a press conference, declaring that Guthrie’s home was a “crime scene” and asking the community to help with their investigation. He said that he believed Guthrie was abducted and did not leave her home willingly.
Nanos also said Guthrie needs daily medication, and it could be fatal if she did not take this every 24 hours.
February 3
Tucson news station KOLD and TMZ said they received alleged ransom notes about Guthrie. Investigators investigated their veracity, and more ransom notes were reported in the days that followed, with the deadlines to respond passing.
February 5
Nanos said at a press conference that blood was found on the porch of Guthrie’s home. He confirmed it belonged to Guthrie and said investigators were awaiting results from further samples.
February 6
FBI officials removed a camera from the roof of Guthrie’s home and towed a car from her garage as part of their continued investigation, according to multiple reports.
February 7
Having previously called for support and help from the public, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings posted a video on Instagram, directly addressing those believed to be holding her mother amid the reports of unverified ransom notes. She indicated she would pay a ransom to secure the safe release of her mother.
“We received your message and we understand,” she said. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
February 10
The FBI released video and still images recovered from a camera outside Guthrie’s front door in the early morning hours on the day of her disappearance in a bid to help the investigation.
February 11
Local police searched the house of a man who was detained in connection with Guthrie’s disappearance and released images from this search operation. He was later released and was not charged.
The man, Carlos Palazuelos, identified himself while speaking to reporters outside his home in Rio Rico. Palazuelos told Fox News that he was a local delivery driver who works in Tucson and that he was innocent.
Investigators recovered a black glove on a dirt or walking path near Guthrie's home.
Meanwhile, TMZ reported that it had received another note in connection with the case demanding one Bitcoin (estimated value: $67,000) be paid for information on the possible abductor.
February 12
Nanos blocked the FBI from accessing key evidence in the case, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the case. But Nanos hit back, saying this claim was “not even close to the truth.”
Later, the FBI released new details about the potential suspect in the case, including identifying details, and said it was doubling the reward to $100,000 for information leading to Guthrie’s location.
“The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5'9" – 5'10" tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack' backpack,” the FBI said in a post on X.
February 13
A man called Luke Daley, 37, was detained outside a Culver’s restaurant on February 13, and his Range Rover was searched and towed. His mother, Mary Chapman Daley, was also detained at their home while agents searched the property. Neither were arrested nor charged. Authorities have not named any suspects in connection with the case.
February 14
On February 14, a federal court-ordered search warrant was executed at a residence near E. Orange Grove Rd. and N. First Ave. in connection with the Guthrie case.
"The warrant was based on a lead we received. No arrests were made. A traffic stop was also conducted, and a person was questioned but no arrests resulted from that incident," the sheriff's department said.
February 15
The FBI said on February 15 that gloves found approximately 2 miles from Guthrie’s home in a field near the side of the road were packaged up by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and sent overnight on February 12. The gloves arrived at a private lab in Florida the next day, the FBI said.
The sheriff’s department said the DNA evidence was submitted to the national DNA database CODIS, but it yielded no hits.
February 16
Nanos released a statement on February 16 saying the Guthrie family, including all siblings and spouses, had been cleared as possible suspects in this case.
February 18
Authorities doubled the reward available for information on Guthrie’s disappearance to $200,000. Attorney Michael Hupy, the president of Milwaukee Crime Stoppers, said he is offering an additional $100,000 reward in the case. The FBI had previously said it was offering a $100,000 reward.
March 3
Savannah Guthrie issued a message saying she felt supported as the search for her mother entered its second month.
“We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday, alongside a picture of a memorial outside her mother’s home near Tucson.
“Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home,” she said.
March 4
Nanos revealed that genetic material found on a glove near Guthrie’s home matched that of a nearby restaurant employee.
The glove has “nothing to do with the case,” the sheriff confirmed.
March 17
As the search continued, investigators said they were looking to obtain camera footage from Guthrie’s neighbors from the week leading up to her disappearance, according to reports. This expanded their search.
March 18
As Guthrie remained missing, Nanos faced calls to be recalled over his handling of the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance.
Critics questioned Nanos’ handling of the investigation, including his decision to release the crime scene within days, only for investigators to return later to collect additional evidence after reporters and others had been able to approach the home. Critics also said the sheriff waited too long to get security camera footage from Guthrie's home and from neighbors.
Daniel Butierez, a Republican congressional candidate, said on his campaign Facebook page that he had begun collecting signatures to remove Nanos from his position.
“We're aware of the recall, and it's the right of the people,” Nanos said in a statement provided to Newsweek at the time. “We'll always honor the will of the people, and that's what makes democracy.”
Nanos has previously acknowledged missteps, saying in a press conference in early February that he would have preserved the crime scene longer if he had the chance for a do-over, and that he would have called for the assistance of the FBI sooner.
March 24
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning to the public about potential fundraising scams connected to the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance.
In an X post, the sheriff’s department said, “Important notice regarding fundraising scams in the Guthrie investigation.” The attached infographic read in part, “Please be advised there is no official GoFundMe or any fundraising effort associated with the Guthrie investigation.”
The post later added, “The public is urged to remain vigilant and not send money to anyone claiming to raise funds related to this case.”
Meanwhile, the Pima County Deputies Organization (PCDO), which represents more than 300 sheriff’s department members, unanimously passed a no-confidence vote against Nanos on March 24, calling for his immediate resignation. Nanos continued defending his department’s handling of the case.
March 25
Savannah Guthrie said her family is “in agony” and urged someone to “do the right thing” in the first interview she had appeared in since the disappearance of her mother.
She added, “To think of what she went through. I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night. And in the darkness, I imagine her terror, and it is unthinkable-but those thoughts demand to be thought, and I will not hide my face. But she needs to come home now.”
April 6
Savannah Guthrie returned to Today for the first time in more than two months. She wore a yellow outfit for her return, an apparent nod to the ribbons and flowers left outside her mother’s home as a symbol of hope after her disappearance.
On the same day, TMZ said it had received a new ransom note from an individual claiming to have information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. TMZ said it had forwarded the email, which demanded cryptocurrency in exchange for details about the abduction, to federal investigators.
May 8
Nanos told Fox News Digital that authorities are "definitely closer" to solving the case, though no arrests or publicly identified suspects have been announced.
The sheriff described recent developments in the investigation as "really great," but declined to provide additional details on the task force’s progress.
May 11
The search continues. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department told Newsweek on Monday, “As we reach the 100-day mark in this investigation, scientific evidence processing and digital media analysis remain ongoing. PCSD and FBI personnel continue to review evidence using established forensic protocols.”
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 9:30 AM.