A woman in Tucson leaned over a patch of earth, pushed a metal rod into the ground, pulled it back out, and sniffed the tip like it might tell her what the police can't. 'If it has a foul odor suggesting decomposition, that's where we begin,' Lupita Tello told reporters near the home of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie.
For starters, Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in the Tucson area between the night of Jan. 31 and the morning of Feb. 1. US authorities have said they believe she was kidnapped, and investigators have released images of a masked 'subject' on her property.
Nancy Guthrie Search Gets Crowdsourced
The latest jolt in the case is not a tidy law enforcement update. It is the arrival of volunteer searchers, including Tello's group, Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, a Mexico-based nonprofit known for searching for missing people in the Mexican state of Sonora. USA Today described it as the first time the group would conduct a search on U.S. soil, and noted that some members are searching for their own missing sons or brothers.
On the ground, the volunteers' work is painfully literal, probing soil, watching for disturbed patches, and following smell when nothing else is obvious. A torn black backpack was recovered by volunteers and handed to authorities, although the same USA Today report said it was not immediately treated as a 'viable lead.' Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Angelica Carrillo told the publication there were no new updates as of that morning, even as volunteer groups showed interest in searching and were advised to give investigators space.
Nancy Guthrie DNA Trail Has a Problem
Meanwhile, Sheriff Chris Nanos has publicly acknowledged one reason the case is moving slowly. In an interview with WHMI, Nanos said the DNA samples are mixed, meaning they contain DNA from more than one person, which makes database identification harder and can take time to resolve. He also said investigators were not looking into any new names at that moment.
In a separate interview clip posted by FOX 10 Phoenix, Nanos pushed back on claims of a rift with the FBI and defended decisions around evidence handling, saying 'To suggest the sheriff blocked evidence is just crazy,' while stressing that biological evidence at the home remained the top priority.
For those who are unaware, 'mixed DNA' means the sample is not a clean single profile, so even a strong lab can spend weeks separating, interpreting, and deciding what is usable. It is the kind of technical drag that feels infuriating when a person is missing, and it is also the kind of detail that explains why officials keep urging patience while refusing to promise timelines.
Nancy Guthrie Theory Shifts Toward Motive
Into that uncertainty steps Jonny Grusing, a former FBI agent, who has argued the abductor may have had a personal grievance. In comments to Fox News Digital, Grusing suggested the masked suspect may have been trying to get Guthrie to answer the door while shielding the camera, noting that without audio, investigators cannot know whether the person knocked loudly or pressed the doorbell. 'So, if the gun's a prop, if he's shielding himself from being seen, if he's actually ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door, getting her to come, he wants to confront her about something in my opinion,' Grusing said.
He also pointed to reported blood spatter on the porch and driveway as support for the idea that Guthrie was lured outside, though authorities have not publicly confirmed every detail discussed in commentary around the footage.
There have also been reports of multiple ransom notes, but public reporting has stressed that police have been unable to verify them. With that much still unconfirmed, every new object found, every smell in the soil, and every theory offered by a former agent should be held lightly until investigators put facts behind it.
