Nancy Guthrie Update Today: DNA Snag, Possible Resource Drawdown Mark Day 22 of Search
Three weeks have passed and the search for Nancy Guthrie — the 84-year-old mother of NBC's Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie — has entered a critical and uncertain new phase. As of Sunday, February 22, 2026 ET, investigators have yet to name a suspect, have been unable to link a vehicle to the abduction, and are confronting a significant forensic setback: mixed DNA samples recovered from the home are caught in a processing snag at a private lab in Florida.
What Happened to Nancy Guthrie: A Timeline of the Abduction
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the evening of January 31 when she was dropped off at home shortly before 10 p.m. ET. Her doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on February 1. Her pacemaker disconnected from her phone less than an hour later. Her family reported her missing later that day.
| Time (ET) | Event |
|---|---|
| ~9:45 p.m., Jan. 31 | Dropped off at her Tucson, AZ home by family |
| 1:47 a.m., Feb. 1 | Doorbell camera disconnects |
| 2:12 a.m., Feb. 1 | Camera software detects person; no video available |
| 11:56 a.m., Feb. 1 | Family arrives, discovers her missing |
| 12:03 p.m., Feb. 1 | Family calls 911 |
| Feb. 10 | FBI releases doorbell camera footage of masked suspect |
| Feb. 13 | Convicted felon Luke Daley, 37, briefly detained; later released |
| Feb. 16 | Guthrie family officially cleared as suspects |
| Feb. 18 | Reward surpasses $202,500 |
| Feb. 22 | Day 22; investigation ongoing with potential resource shift looming |
Nancy Guthrie Update Today: DNA Lab Snag and Forensic Challenges
The most significant Nancy Guthrie update today centers on the forensic investigation. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos revealed that investigators are not looking into any new names, amid challenges with mixed DNA found at the 84-year-old's Arizona home at the lab his agency is using.
There has been a snag at the private lab in Florida testing mixed DNA samples found at Nancy Guthrie's home. Meanwhile, partial DNA recovered at the home is, for the moment, unidentified; technology companies and the FBI have recovered no additional video from her home security system; and investigators have been unable to associate a vehicle with her abduction.
DNA from a glove discovered two miles from her home yielded no matches in the FBI's national database, and that glove's DNA did not match biological material found at the residence.
Investigators Turn to Genetic Genealogy to Identify Suspect
With the conventional DNA database search hitting dead ends, investigators have pivoted to a more advanced forensic method. Authorities say that they are pursuing genealogical leads based on partial DNA recovered from the 84-year-old's home in the Catalina Foothills north of Tucson after DNA from gloves found about two miles away turned up no matches in the FBI's national database.
Investigators are using different tactics to locate Nancy Guthrie, canvassing local gun stores and using her pacemaker to try to track her down. DNA expert CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist at Parabon, told the Today show that the kidnapper "will be identified" through investigative genetic genealogy — the same technique that helped crack the Golden State Killer case and identify University of Idaho murderer Brian Kohberger.
The law prevents police from searching private genealogy databases such as Ancestry.com or 23andMe. Instead, investigative genetic genealogy relies on publicly available databases, such as GEDmatch.
Nancy Guthrie Search: 400 Investigators, Possible Scale-Back Ahead
The sheer size of the operation has been unprecedented, but that may be about to change. Right now, there are 400 investigators assigned to the case operating 24/7. Given the seemingly sluggish progress, investigators believe the case would soon have to move into a new phase with fewer dedicated resources but a small task force focused on it long term.
The Guthrie family is aware that the investigation might need to be transitioned and has been briefed on the fact that certain leads have not been panning out.
Investigators are also not ruling out the possibility that more than one person carried out the abduction. In the surveillance video taken in front of Nancy Guthrie's front door, the masked suspect can be seen wearing a unique-looking gun holster in an unusual position between his legs. Authorities have been showing a picture of the holster to local gun shop owners to see if anyone recognizes the suspect or remembers selling it.
Ransom Demands, Mexico, and International Reach
The investigation has taken on an international dimension. The FBI has reached out to Mexican authorities as part of their ongoing inquiry. Separately, a highly sophisticated ransom demand involving cryptocurrency described a dollar amount similar to a $6 million demand received days after the kidnapping, and graphically described consequences if the ransom is not paid. The demand was forwarded to the FBI.
President Donald Trump also publicly addressed the case on February 19, ET.
What Investigators and the Family Are Saying Now
Sheriff Nanos has remained publicly committed to hope and urgency. "If I was the kidnapper, I would be extremely concerned right now," DNA expert CeCe Moore told the Today show. Sheriff Nanos echoed that resolve: "My team, 400 people out there in the field today, woke up this morning and went out there with the hope and the belief that they're going to find Nancy, and she's gonna be okay."
The Pima County Sheriff's Department has cleared all of Guthrie's family members, including Savannah Guthrie's siblings and their spouses, of suspicion. The reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie's safe return now stands at over $202,500. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department tip line at 520-351-4900 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
