Nancy Guthrie Update Day 40: Megyn Kelly Raises 2013 Bedroom Video Theory; Hearing Aids May Hold Location Data
Day 40 of the Nancy Guthrie investigation arrived Thursday with no arrest, no confirmed sighting, and a fresh wave of outside scrutiny — this time focused on a 13-year-old Today show segment that may have given the abductor an interior blueprint of the 84-year-old's bedroom before he ever set foot inside.
Megyn Kelly's 2013 Footage Theory
The sharpest new angle came from Megyn Kelly. In a YouTube video published Wednesday, she highlighted a 2013 Today segment in which Nancy appeared inside her Tucson home, with her bedroom visible on camera. Kelly pointed out that viewers could see exactly where Nancy slept — and suggested that little would have changed in the room over 13 years.
Her concern was specific. Kelly argued she could write a convincing ransom note based on those details alone — describing the interior of the bedroom without ever having been inside — and raised the question of whether authorities were even aware the footage had aired publicly. She laid out two possible uses: a bad actor could have used it to map the home in advance, or someone could have used it to craft a ransom note that falsely appeared to confirm they had access to Nancy.
Investigators have not publicly addressed the footage or confirmed whether it factors into their analysis of the ransom notes.
Hearing Aids May Be Key to Last Known Location
A separate forensic thread emerged this week around Nancy's hearing aids. Digital forensics expert Heather Barnhart of the SANS Technology Institute told Crime Stories With Nancy Grace that if Nancy was wearing a second pair of hearing aids at the time of the abduction — separate from the pair left behind — investigators may be able to determine their last known location before the batteries died, if the devices had a "Find My"-type feature linked to her smartphone.
Nancy's phone was left at the home. Barnhart noted that the phone would have been "the key to everything" had it been taken — but said a database on the device may still allow examiners to pinpoint her last known location, provided the phone and hearing aids were paired at the time. Whether investigators have already pursued this lead is unconfirmed.
Where the Investigation Stands
Cadaver dogs are no longer being actively deployed in the search. The Pima County Sheriff's Department confirmed Monday they have been placed on hold, available if needed. The shift signals a move from wide-area physical searches toward detective-led intelligence work.
Investigators are examining a damaged utility box near Nancy's Catalina Foothills home, believed to be possibly connected to a reported internet outage that disrupted neighborhood surveillance cameras around the time of the abduction on the early morning of Feb. 1. Neighbors have told reporters their security footage from that night is missing or marked unavailable.
Luke Daley, detained and questioned by the FBI in February, has since been cleared and is publicly denying any involvement. He told Arizona's Family he does not recognize himself in the doorbell camera footage released by the FBI. Mixed DNA found at the home remains under analysis — experts note it can be difficult to isolate a single profile from a mixture involving multiple contributors.
Retired FBI Agent: A Kidnapper Is Still Out There
Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer kept up public pressure on the case Thursday. "Finding Nancy alive was objective 1. Objective 2 was getting an abductor — and likely murderer — off the streets. Will this person strike again? This is a big issue. Not trying to raise hysteria, just saying that protecting the community seems to be lost in the hubbub," she wrote on X.
Sheriff Chris Nanos told the Today show last week that investigators are "definitely closer" to solving the case, adding: "We've got a lot of intel, a lot of leads, but now it's time to just go to work."
The family's $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy's recovery remains active. Anyone with information is asked to call the Pima County Sheriff's Department tip line at 520-351-4900 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
