Nancy Guthrie: Search Enters Sixth Day Amid Ransom Notes and Federal Investigation
Nancy Guthrie was Kidnapped.
The Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie: Search Enters Sixth Day Amid Ransom Notes and Federal Investigation
Tucson, Arizona — The disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, has entered its sixth day with investigators scrambling to verify the authenticity of multiple ransom messages while President Donald Trump promises federal resources are closing in on answers.
The Disappearance
Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Sunday, February 1, 2026. The last known activity came at approximately 2:00 a.m., when her pacemaker transmitted its final signal to her phone. A security camera at the residence detected motion around the same time, though investigators have not confirmed what triggered the alert.
When authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered blood on Guthrie’s front porch, which DNA testing confirmed belonged to the elderly woman. Compounding the mystery, a front door camera was found missing from the property, suggesting a deliberate effort to obscure evidence of what transpired.
Ransom Demands and Imposters
The case took a bizarre turn when multiple media outlets received purported ransom notes demanding payment in Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy’s safe return. TMZ, CNN affiliate KOLD, and KGUN were all sent communications from individuals claiming responsibility for the abduction.
TMZ founder Harvey Levin revealed disturbing details from the original ransom note: “You will have no way of contacting me,” the message reportedly stated, indicating the kidnappers had no intention of negotiating.
A second message surfaced Friday via KOLD’s email tip line, prompting the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department to announce they were investigating the “authenticity” of this new communication. Levin noted that TMZ had not yet received this second note, though he acknowledged the pattern from the first ransom demand—where TMZ received the message approximately 12 hours after KOLD—suggested they might still be targeted.
Amid the genuine fear and confusion, authorities have already arrested one man attempting to profit from the tragedy. Derrick Callella, 42, was charged with sending an illegitimate ransom threat to Guthrie’s daughter and son-in-law shortly after the family posted a plea for help on Instagram. Callella admitted to investigators that he found the family’s information on a “cyber website” and sent two threatening texts. He was released on $20,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with victims or witnesses.
FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke emphasized that Callella was “a total imposter” with “no evidence to connect” him to Nancy’s actual disappearance.
Federal Response
The case has drawn unprecedented federal attention. President Trump announced Friday aboard Air Force One that he was “deploying all resources” to locate Nancy Guthrie, posting earlier on Truth Social about the administration’s commitment to finding the missing 84-year-old.
“We have some things, I think that will maybe come out reasonably soon, from DOJ or FBI, or whoever, that could be, could be definitive,” Trump told reporters. “A lot has taken place in the last couple of hours. A lot of things have happened with regard to that horrible situation in the last couple of hours.”
The President declined to elaborate on specific developments but expressed confidence that investigators had “some clues, I think that are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up.”
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s location.
Ongoing Investigation
As the search enters its sixth day, investigators returned to Guthrie’s home Friday afternoon to scour the surrounding foothills. No suspects have been publicly named in connection with the actual abduction.
The case presents a troubling profile: an elderly woman taken from her home in the middle of the night, evidence of violence at the scene, sophisticated attempts to disable surveillance, and ransom demands that may or may not be genuine. The multiple ransom notes—some definitively fake, others still under investigation—have complicated the search for Nancy while raising fears about copycat extortionists exploiting high-profile disappearances.
For Savannah Guthrie and her family, the wait continues as federal and local authorities work to separate legitimate leads from cruel hoaxes in their desperate search for answers.
Anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI or Pima County Sheriff’s Department. A $50,000 reward remains available for information leading to her recovery.