It has now been three months since Savannah Guthrie’s mother, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home, and no trace of her has been found.
The emotional search continues while new expert analysis points to a troubling possibility that Nancy may have been taken to Mexico.
Dave Smith, a retired Arizona Department of Public Safety lieutenant and law enforcement consultant, has become one of the few experts publicly offering insight into the case. He told Fox News that he believes the clues point across the border.
Smith explained that the suspect caught on surveillance cameras outside Nancy’s home appeared to carry a pistol using what he described as the “Mexican carry” style. That detail immediately set off alarms for him about a potential international connection.
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“My first thought is always Mexico in a major crime, because it’s a great haven, and it’s hard for us to follow up on,” Smith said. “But in this case, obviously there was somebody was taken with intent. And I think that that’s why we need to wonder, perhaps, was she taken to Mexico?”
According to Smith, the potential Mexico link may not have been emphasized earlier because doing so would have elevated the case to a federal level. He suggested that this could explain some friction between local authorities and the FBI.
WOW: Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News Digital on Friday that the multi-agency task force is making real progress in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie.
When asked if investigators are closer to solving… pic.twitter.com/6wIfomRCi4
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) May 9, 2026
“My personal theory is, if Mexico was suspected, that would make it a federal investigation,” he added. “There seemed to be a great deal of effort to keep the feds out of this case. And the best way to do it was to deny any possibility of interstate or international transport of the person’s body or kidnapped.”
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At the same time, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News Digital that progress is being made by the multi-agency task force working on the disappearance, though he did not offer specific details.
Smith also pointed to the geography around Nancy’s Tucson neighborhood as another obstacle for investigators. He described a nearby desert “wash,” or dry drainage ditch, that could easily hide both evidence and a suspect’s tracks.
“The whole Tucson Valley is literally built around these arroyos, these ephemeral rivers,” Smith said. “This is literally your green belt here, only instead of parks and things like the rest of the nation has, we have this wonderful desert area. But again, it works between houses. It’s like a giant alley through the neighborhoods.”
“The problem is still identifying things.”
Former Arizona Police Lt. Dave Smith analyzed the latest developments in the Nancy Guthrie story regarding Bitcoin requests on Wednesday’s “Bianca Across The Nation.” @BiancaDLGarza pic.twitter.com/oHHQr40WrV
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) February 11, 2026
That landscape complicates the search effort. “The evidence is transitory,” Smith noted. “Once it rains, your footprints go away, the sun is hard on other forms of evidence and frankly this is a tough place to investigate crimes.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Saturday, January 31, after having dinner with her daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni. They dropped her off at her home around 9:45 p.m., and she has not been seen since.
Doorbell camera footage from the early hours of February 1 showed a masked intruder covering the camera with plants before carrying out the kidnapping. Additional surveillance revealed that the same masked man had been seen previously near her home, indicating he may have been watching the house before the abduction.
Video has been released of the abductor of Nancy Guthrie wearing a ski mask and backpack.
He grabs a plant from the front yard to cover the camera. pic.twitter.com/3h9e9NP91A— RebelwithoutaReason (@RebelwoaReason) February 10, 2026
Authorities later released the footage showing the perpetrator wearing a ski mask and backpack as he obscured the camera view. The video added urgency to an already expanding investigation.
While the search has continued, Savannah Guthrie returned to her job at *TODAY* last month after spending two months in Tucson coordinating efforts to locate her mother. Balancing grief and determination, the host shared her emotional resolve in a conversation with Hoda Kotb before resuming work.
“I will not fall apart,” Savannah said firmly. “I will not let whoever did this take my children’s mother from them, I will not let them take my joy.”
“They will not take my sister’s joy, they will not take my brother’s joy,” she continued. “They will not take our love, they will not take our faith. But our anguish is real. We need help. We need someone to tell the truth.”
Savannah Guthrie sits down for a heartbreaking interview with Hoda Kotb regarding her mom’s kidnapping.
— MR. POP (@MrPopOfficial) March 25, 2026
Her plea highlighted the depth of the family’s pain as well as their unwavering hope for answers. Savannah and her family have continued to ask the public for information that could help bring Nancy home.
As law enforcement agencies continue to pursue leads across state and possibly international lines, the Guthrie family remains caught between hope and heartbreak. For Savannah, what began as a personal tragedy has also become a profoundly public test of faith and endurance.
Authorities say the investigation remains active and that every possible lead is being explored. Meanwhile, Savannah Guthrie’s emotional strength and public appeals have kept her mother’s case in the national spotlight, as the search moves forward with renewed urgency and fragile hope.
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