Six months after Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Catalina Foothills home, the sheriff overseeing the investigation expressed optimism that the case will be solved. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos stated that investigators are reviewing "tens of thousands" of video clips for any clues related to the suspected abduction of the 84-year-old mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Saturday marks six months since Guthrie was taken on Feb. 1. Savannah Guthrie posted an emotional message on Instagram marking the anniversary, expressing the family's ongoing "agony and despair" and pleading for anyone with information to come forward. "We will never stop looking for answers," she wrote.
While no arrests have been made and no suspects publicly identified, Sheriff Nanos indicated that leads are far from drying up. "We're not even close to these leads being dried up," he told Fox News Digital. "We'll continue to work them, and even if they all dried up and we had nothing else to go on, we have a cold case unit."
Investigators are meticulously sifting through a vast amount of video footage. Nanos explained that the team is compartmentalizing videos based on details like vehicle colors or other identifying features. This method allows them to quickly reassess footage if new information or context emerges. "We take them and, hey — here's a red car. Give me all the red cars; let's compartmentalize them," Nanos said. "Now we can go back to those videos and say, 'Aha — this is the same red car.'"
The investigation has seen collaboration beyond local law enforcement. Following the FBI's work with Google to recover Nest doorbell video that provided the only known images of a suspect, other major companies have offered assistance. "It may be Google today, it could be, I don't know, pick another large company that says, 'Hey, sheriff, you know, we work at this and I think we might have something that can help there,'" Nanos said. He noted that these companies are providing specialized technology and expertise.
Sheriff Nanos also pushed back against any suggestions of friction between his office and the FBI, emphasizing a close working relationship. He pointed to joint press conferences early in the investigation and stated that local FBI task force members have been involved since day one, with daily coordination meetings.
Regarding physical evidence, Nanos confirmed that investigators could not obtain a DNA profile from a hair sample found in Guthrie's home. However, he noted that advances in technology could still yield results from other genetic evidence being tested. "It came back … there's no DNA," Nanos said. "But does that mean the hair isn't that of the suspect? We won't know that till we have the suspect's hair. You don't just destroy it."
The sheriff reiterated that no one is permanently ruled out as a suspect. "From what we have in front of us, the evidence, the DNA, the whatever, the videos. Yeah, I think you can eliminate them," Nanos said. "And so that elimination happens. But it's like any [criminal case], because you're eliminated doesn't mean you didn't do it. It doesn't mean that we can't get more information."
Authorities have also released two notes that may have been sent by one of the abductors. While not yet confirmed as legitimate, investigators have not ruled them out. Savannah Guthrie believes they may be authentic. The notes share a "unique linguistic style," and investigators are seeking public assistance to identify the writer. "A friend, family member, coworker, classmate, or acquaintance may recognize these patterns of expression and possess information that could help identify the individual responsible," the sheriff's department stated.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or call 520-88-CRIME anonymously. The total reward money in the case exceeds $1.2 million, none of which has been claimed.