Share and Follow
A retired FBI agent has indicated that the Guthrie family’s recent decision to offer a $1 million reward could exert significant “psychological pressure” on any individuals who might be withholding crucial information regarding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. This strategic move aims to encourage potential accomplices or witnesses to come forward.
On Tuesday morning, Savannah Guthrie took to Instagram to announce the family’s substantial offer. In addition to the reward, they are contributing $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This dual effort reflects their determination to bring her mother home and aid broader efforts to protect vulnerable individuals.
“It has been 24 days since our mother vanished in the dead of night from her bed,” Savannah Guthrie expressed in the video. “Every passing moment has been sheer agony for us. Yet, we persist in our belief in a miracle, in the hope that she will return. As my sister wisely puts it, we are nurturing the flickers of hope.”
While Savannah remains hopeful, she also faced the difficult reality that her mother might not survive the ordeal, a possibility she acknowledged in her heartfelt message.
Meanwhile, FBI agents have been actively canvassing neighborhoods near Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson residence, as the investigation into her disappearance intensifies. The last sighting of Nancy was on a Saturday night, and efforts continue to gather any leads that could unravel this mystery. A poignant image of Nancy alongside her daughter Savannah, provided by NBC, underscores the personal nature of this public plea for assistance.
“We also know she may be lost,” Savannah Guthrie said. “She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she lives, and is dancing in heaven, with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother Pierce — and with our daddy.”
Sources with knowledge of the family’s thinking told Fox News Digital that the Guthries initially brought up the idea of an increased reward funded by the family, but were advised by law enforcement to hold off as “doing so earlier might overwhelm the infrastructure set up to field leads, tens of thousands of which have been coming in organically.”
Retired FBI Agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital the new reward by the Guthries has the potential to make a massive impact on the investigation.
A member of the Pima County sheriffs office remains outside of Nancy Guthrie’s home, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
“It applies psychological pressure on any accomplices. Ransom schemes involving multiple people are inherently unstable. The more time passes, the more the financial disparity between holding out and collecting $1 million starts eating at the weakest link,” he said. “The message is: your partners are not going to protect you. We will. It preserves moral offramps.”
Pack added that the increased reward could pit suspects’ family inner circle against each other, potentially leading to a break in the case.
“The $1 million announcement is also a direct market disruption. The FBI has a $100,000 reward. 88-Crime is at $102,500. By introducing a private family reward at $1 million, the Guthries just changed the calculus for anyone sitting on information: a driver who saw something, an accomplice having second thoughts, a family member of the suspect weighing loyalty against a million dollars. That is a number that can fracture criminal conspiracies,” Pack said.
Photos released on Feb. 10, 2025, show a “subject” on Nancy Guthrie’s property. (Provided by FBI)
“A million-dollar announcement generates a new news cycle and sends people back to their phones scrolling through memories of anything unusual they saw in the Catalina Foothills in January,” he added.
Investigators haven’t yet publicly identified a person of interest or suspect in Nancy Guthrie’s abduction. Since releasing doorbell video of a masked individual at Nancy Guthrie’s door before she was believed to have been taken, investigators have been trying to identify clothing that the person was wearing, as well as other items.
An undated photo of Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie provided by NBC in repsonse to the disappearance of the 84 year-old mother of the Today Show host. (Courtesy of NBC)
Sources told Fox News Digital that one of the Nest doorbell cameras released by the FBI was taken on a different day than the others.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos pushed back, saying reporting on the dates of the images are “speculation.”
Related Article
