Missing persons family warns of turning point in Nancy Guthrie case

As the search for Nancy Guthrie stretches past 50 days with no answers, one woman who has spent more than two decades searching for her own missing sister says this is the moment families fear most – when urgency begins to fade and the fight for answers becomes even harder.

Julie Murray, whose sister Maura Murray vanished in New Hampshire in 2004, said what the Guthrie family is experiencing right now is something she recognizes immediately.

“What they’re going through is something you never forget,” Murray said. “You can see it on their faces. You can hear the desperation in their voices.”

Murray said cases often begin with an intense surge of attention, resources, media coverage and public engagement, but that momentum can fade, leaving families to carry the burden.

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“Most families… have to fight to be heard and beg for that level of attention,” she said. “And some families don’t get any at all.”

That attention, she emphasized, can be lifesaving.

“Media pressure saves lives.”

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Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Feb. 1 after being dropped off at her Tucson, Arizona home. Authorities believe she was taken against her will in the early morning hours.

Surveillance video captured a masked man, described as average height and build, approaching her home carrying a black backpack and what appeared to be a handgun. Investigators say Guthrie’s phone and watch were later recovered inside the home, while her pacemaker last synced with her Apple devices around 2:30 a.m., helping establish a possible timeline.

Despite weeks of investigation, authorities have not announced a suspect. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said Guthrie was likely targeted.

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The case has drawn national attention, driven in part by emotional public appeals from Guthrie’s daughter, NBC “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie.

“Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony,” Guthrie said in a preview of her first formal interview since her mother’s disappearance.

In the same interview, she described the toll the uncertainty has taken.

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“I wake up every night in the middle of the night… and in the darkness, I imagine her terror,” she said. “She needs to come home now.”

Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the FBI tip line.

Murray said the level of attention surrounding the Guthrie case can generate a surge of tips, but not all are actionable.

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“You’re begging the public for information, but at the same time you’re getting speculation and hearsay,” she said. “Some of those tips you just can’t chase down.”

Her family, she said, still receives tips more than 20 years after her sister vanished, none of which have led to answers.

Each one, however, carries emotional weight.

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“I call it the hope roller coaster,” Murray said. “You want it to be the one that breaks the case open… and then it doesn’t.”

Retired LAPD Detective Moses Castillo said that emotional toll is already visible in the Guthrie family’s public appeals.

“You can feel every ounce of her pain, her strength, and her desperation,” Castillo said. “That kind of resolve matters. It moves people. It forces attention.”

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He described Savannah Guthrie’s interview as “a call to action” that could help generate new leads.

Murray warned that one of the most difficult turning points in a case comes when investigators exhaust immediate leads.

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For Murray’s family, that moment came just weeks after Maura disappeared.

“The worst day wasn’t the day she went missing,” she said. “It was the day we were told they had done all they could.”

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From that point forward, she said, the responsibility shifted to the family to keep pushing for answers—through media coverage, public pressure and independent efforts.

“You can’t let up on the pressure,” she said.

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Investigators have said the Guthrie case remains active, but have also warned the public not to assume there is no ongoing threat.

Families also face growing challenges as cases gain visibility, including online speculation and bad actors.

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“Trust becomes a casualty,” Murray said, warning that some individuals attempt to exploit high-profile cases or spread misinformation.

More than two decades later, Murray said her family has come to terms with the likelihood that her sister is no longer alive—but they are still searching for answers.

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“There’s no such thing as closure,” she said. “It’s resolution.”

For families like the Guthries, that means continuing to push for answers, while hoping the right tip finally comes in.

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Authorities are asking anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance to contact the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI. A combined reward of more than $1 million is being offered for information leading to her return.

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood, Hanna Panreck and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.  

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to [email protected].