Police share major update on Nancy Guthrie kidnapping suspect
In a bid to quell rampant public speculation and social media rumors, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has formally cleared all family members in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
Nancy, the mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since January 31, 2026. The case, which is being treated as an abduction, saw a major procedural update on Monday when Sheriff Chris Nanos issued a definitive statement exonerating the Guthrie family and their spouses of any criminal involvement.
Clearing the Family
For weeks, the investigation had been clouded by online theories targeting Nancy’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, the husband of Savannah’s sister, Annie. As the last person to see the 84-year-old alive when he dropped her off at her home on the night of January 31, Cioni had become the subject of intense, unverified scrutiny.
Sheriff Nanos moved decisively to end the conjecture, stating:
“The Guthrie family – to include all siblings and spouses – has been cleared as possible suspects in this case. The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case. To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel.”
Law enforcement sources had previously indicated to NBC News that investigators were “leaning away” from the family as they pursued more concrete leads involving an external intruder.
A Burglary Gone Wrong?
The focus of the FBI and local deputies has shifted toward a potential home invasion. Surveillance footage from the night of the disappearance shows a masked figure at Guthrie’s door, and forensic teams have since analyzed a glove recovered approximately two miles from the home. FBI analysis suggests the glove matches those worn by the suspect seen on the doorbell camera.
The current investigative theory, according to sources close to the case, is that Nancy may have been taken during a botched burglary. While a handful of individuals have been detained for questioning over the last two weeks, no formal charges have been filed, and Nancy’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The Search Intensifies
As the search enters its third week, federal authorities have significantly increased the stakes. The FBI has doubled the reward for information leading to Nancy’s location or the arrest of those responsible, moving the figure from $50,000 to $100,000.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to urge residents in the Tucson area to review their own security footage from the night of January 31. Nancy Guthrie is described as being in fragile health, requiring daily medication for a heart condition and a pacemaker—factors that have added a desperate urgency to the recovery efforts.
Savannah Guthrie remains off-air as she and her siblings, Annie and Camron, assist authorities and plead for their mother’s safe return.