Law enforcement officials in Arizona have definitively cleared the family of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie from suspicion in her kidnapping case, according to Sheriff Chris Nanos.
The family members, encompassing “all siblings and spouses,” have demonstrated full cooperation and kindness throughout the investigation into the abduction, Nanos stated.
“To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel,” he said in a statement. “The Guthrie family are victims, plain and simple.”
On Sunday, investigators revealed they had secured a DNA sample from a glove discovered near Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona residence, which appears to correspond with the pair worn by a masked intruder captured on doorbell camera video prior to her disappearance two weeks ago.
The elderly woman was last observed on January 31 when family members brought her home near Tucson following dinner together, with relatives filing a missing person report the next day, according to officials.
Sheriff Nanos explained that the senior Guthrie faced severe mobility restrictions and was unable to leave her residence without assistance, prompting investigators to determine early in the case that she had been forcibly taken.
Since her disappearance, at least two alleged ransom demands have emerged, both initially sent to media organizations. No direct communication has occurred between suspected perpetrators and either Guthrie’s relatives or law enforcement.
Blood evidence discovered on her front porch was verified through DNA analysis to belong to Guthrie, officials confirmed last week. Both authorities and family have characterized her as having fragile health and requiring daily medications for survival. She also relies on a pacemaker.
Savannah Guthrie, the 54-year-old co-host of NBC’s popular morning program “Today,” has shared multiple video appeals alongside her siblings Camron Guthrie and Annie Guthrie, begging for their mother’s safe return and requesting public assistance in resolving the case.
Sheriff Nanos told Reuters that no evidence confirming Nancy Guthrie remains alive has emerged since the kidnapping, though he noted that “there’s not been any proof of death either,” stating his operational assumption is that she survives.
During a Sunday interview with the New York Post, President Donald Trump called for the immediate and safe release of Guthrie’s abductors, indicating he would support the Justice Department pursuing capital punishment if she is discovered deceased.
Officials would need to locate and secure convictions against suspects before any sentencing considerations could proceed.
