Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos revealed that investigators possess DNA evidence they believe is "still workable" in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who has been missing for more than a month.
Nanos shared the update with journalist Bill Buckmaster on Friday, offering the most substantive glimpse yet into where the investigation stands. He was measured but direct:
"I just can't share everything I know, but I will tell you this: We have some DNA that we think is still workable, and we have to work that."
Guthrie was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on January 31. At a news conference last month, Nanos said clues at the crime scene indicated she "did not leave on her own." He also noted that Guthrie requires daily medication and that going without it for more than 24 hours could prove fatal, Newsweek reported.
The stakes could not be higher. And the clock has been running for weeks.
A Sprawling, Multi-Agency Effort
The investigation now involves local law enforcement and the FBI, with forensic work being farmed out to multiple laboratories across the country. Nanos described the scope in a February 6 interview with The Associated Press:
"We're working with the FBI. We're working with several labs around the country on this. We're working with forensics, examinators, examiners of digital video, media. There's just a lot going on."
Beyond the DNA, investigators are sitting on thousands of hours of video footage that still need to be sorted through. That's a massive haystack, but it's also the kind of evidence that can break a case wide open if the right frame comes to light.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department issued a formal statement this month confirming the broad strokes without tipping its hand:
"The Pima County Sheriff's Department continues to analyze various forms of evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case, including material from laboratories as well as images and videos captured by cameras. At this time, we will not comment on the details or status of this analysis."
Nanos was emphatic on one point: this case is "not even close" to going cold.
The Family's Plea
The Guthrie family has not waited quietly. Savannah Guthrie announced on Instagram that the family is offering a reward of up to $1 million, payable only if her mother recovers. That's on top of the FBI's reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved, and a separate $102,500 reward offered through 88-CRIME.
The family posted a statement on Instagram that carried the weight of desperation refined into purpose:
"We desperately ask this community for renewed attention to our mom's case—please consult camera footage, journal notes, text messages, observations, or conversations that in retrospect may hold significance. No detail is too small. It may be the key."
That appeal matters. In cases like this, the break often comes not from a dramatic forensic revelation but from an ordinary person remembering something they didn't realize was important.
Tips Flooding In, But Signal Matters
Nanos said tips have poured in from as far away as Australia. He welcomed the public's engagement, even when it gets overwhelming.
"They continue to call, and that's a good thing. We don't want to discourage people, but sometimes, it gets a little bit much, but it's OK. I want them to call us."
The FBI Phoenix office, however, had to draw a line. It asked the public to submit "only serious and detailed fact-based information" and noted that the tip line is "not for personal messages to the Guthrie family." That's a necessary triage. When a tip line gets flooded with well-wishes and armchair theories, it buries the leads that actually matter.
Alleged ransom notes have also been sent to multiple news outlets, though details remain scarce and unverified.
A Sheriff Under Scrutiny
Nanos acknowledged the criticism directed at him and his department over the pace of the investigation. He didn't dodge it:
"I wish there was something I could do different that would have produced better results."
He also made clear he'd rather absorb the public's frustration himself than let it fall on the investigators doing the work. "I'm glad they throw rocks at me, not my team," he said. He noted that he is not the lead investigator but oversees the department handling the case and is regularly briefed.
Public impatience in a case involving a high-profile family is inevitable. But impatience and incompetence are not the same thing. Nanos expressed "full faith" in his team, and the multi-agency coordination, the lab work across multiple states, and the systematic review of thousands of video files suggest an investigation that is grinding forward methodically rather than stalling.
Whether that pace is fast enough is a question only the outcome can answer. For the Guthrie family, every day without answers is another day their mother needs medication she may not be receiving.
The evidence exists. The resources are deployed. Now the science and the footage have to speak.
