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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is launching a billboard campaign in Houston to encourage the public’s assistance in locating Nancy Guthrie, who has been missing since January 31. The initiative aims to gather any information that may help in her disappearance case.
Nancy Guthrie is the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. Authorities suspect she was abducted from her home, and her family, along with law enforcement, is deeply concerned for her safety.
Billboards displaying Nancy Guthrie’s image and an FBI contact number will soon be visible in neighboring states. This strategy, as announced by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, has proven effective in solving past cases and is now being employed to help find the 84-year-old grandmother.
The campaign will expand beyond Houston, with billboards set to appear in major Texas cities such as El Paso, San Antonio, and Dallas. Furthermore, they will be seen in Albuquerque, San Diego, and Los Angeles. FBI Phoenix Public Affairs Officer Brooke A. Brennan confirmed these plans as part of the widespread effort to gather crucial leads.
The billboards will be posted in other Texas cities, including El Paso, San Antonio, and Dallas, as well as in Albuquerque, San Diego, and Los Angeles, FBI Phoenix Public Affairs Officer Brooke A. Brennan said.
The FBI created the digital billboard program in 2007 after a citizen academy participant offered outdoor advertising as a public service, according to the FBI’s program page.
The program has grown to include 7,300 billboards in 46 states and has “directly led to 57 fugitive captures” and assisted with “numerous other investigations,” according to a 2017 program update from the FBI.
“Because digital billboards can be quickly changed and updated, information about a kidnapped child, a bank robbery, or a matter of public safety can immediately be displayed,” the FBI says on its website. “And messages can be targeted to specific geographic locations, which is important when time is of the essence.”
CNN writers Taylor Romine and Josh Campbell and ABC News’ Nadine El-Bawab and Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.