Sheriff clears Guthrie family; Trump warns of severe penalties for those responsible
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Monday that all members of Nancy Guthrie’s family have been cleared as suspects in her disappearance. The case also drew a new response from President Donald Trump who said those responsible would face the “most severe” federal penalties if she is not returned safely.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing since Feb. 1, when investigators believe she was abducted from her Tucson home overnight.
Sheriff: Family are victims, not suspects
Nanos said in a statement posted on X that Guthrie’s children and their spouses have been fully cleared.
“The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case,” Nanos said. “To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel.”
The statement follows weeks of online speculation targeting family members. Authorities have said relatives have cooperated throughout the investigation.
Savannah Guthrie, co-host of NBC’s “Today,” and her siblings have posted repeated public appeals for their mother’s safe return. In a video shared Sunday night, Savannah Guthrie urged whoever is holding her mother to “do the right thing.”
“It’s never too late,” she said.
Forensic leads under review
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The FBI is using advanced “signal sniffer” technology, drones and aerial searches, surveillance footage and more in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
Investigators continue to analyze physical evidence.
The FBI said a black glove found roughly two miles from Guthrie’s home appears to match gloves worn by a masked suspect captured on doorbell camera footage. Preliminary testing produced a DNA profile from the glove, and federal authorities are awaiting final confirmation before entering the profile into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS.
The glove was one of about 16 recovered during searches of the area. Most belonged to search teams, according to the FBI.
Authorities have also collected DNA from Guthrie’s property that doesn’t match her or those in close contact with her. That material remains under analysis.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that investigators have deployed a “signal sniffer” mounted on a helicopter to detect possible transmissions from Guthrie’s pacemaker. Officials said her pacemaker app disconnected from her cellphone at 2:28 a.m. on Feb. 1.
The FBI has described the suspect seen in surveillance footage as a male approximately 5-feet-9-inches to 5-feet-10-inches tall with an average build, wearing a face mask, gloves and a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
The bureau has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie’s location or the arrest and conviction of those involved.
Trump raises potential federal charges
In a phone interview with the New York Post on Monday, Trump said those responsible would face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal consequences if Guthrie is found dead.
When asked whether that could include the Justice Department seeking the death penalty, Trump responded, “The most, yeah — that’s true.”
The White House has not publicly detailed what federal charges could apply in the case. Authorities have not announced a motive and have not named a suspect.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to lead the investigation with assistance from the FBI.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
