TUCSON, Ariz. — In a recent development, a neighbor of Nancy Guthrie reported seeing FBI agents searching the brush behind the home of the missing 84-year-old. This sighting comes just as the case is about to hit its six-month anniversary without resolution.
Despite statements from a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department denying any recent investigative activities by the task force in the area, the neighbor insists on recognizing agents from previous law enforcement operations linked to this case. As of now, the FBI has not provided any comments regarding their reported presence.
Residing merely a few houses away, the neighbor observed the officials methodically searching through the rugged desert terrain.
Authorities believe that Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, was forcibly taken from her home during the early morning hours of February 1.
Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie on Thursday, June 15, 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Bob Krygier, a retired Pima County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant and former SWAT commander, said there are a few reasons why investigators would return to the area, ranging from new leads to the chance that evidence has been shifted around by recent weather.
“There’s a couple of different reasons that go through my mind first is going to be they got some leads, they got some new tips that are viable, and they’re out there looking for something specific or in an area specific to that, because I’m certain that they’ve searched those areas already,” he told News Media.
A Pima County sheriff’s official stays outside of Nancy Guthrie‘s home on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
It could also be that, six months into the investigation, authorities are putting a fresh set of eyes on the case, he said.
And heavy rains may also have altered the landscape, potentially exposing or moving evidence investigators hadn’t previously seen, he said.
“About a month ago, monsoon season started here in Tucson and a lot of water has come down — a lot of water at once, and it pushes things,” he said. “So it’s moved the environment. Rocks have been pushed away.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos gives an update on the investigation after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of U.S. journalist and television host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her in Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 5, 2026. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)
Depending on the area, floodwaters can rise from just a few inches to as much as 12 feet, Krygier said, with enough force to sweep away vehicles, trees, rocks and even people.
“I’m not sure if they found him yet, but there was a report of a man in the wash floating down, being pushed downstream by the water — and the Santa Cruz is what that feeds into, which is, you’re looking at 20, 30 feet deep when it’s at its peak and 50, 60 feet across,” he said. “All that water, it’s rushing fast, and it’s taken not only the people, but it’s taken cars, it’s taken trees, branches, rocks, all of this stuff, and basically turned into a big blender.”
A general view of a wash near the home of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Ariz., on May 5, 2026. (Matthew Symons for News Media)
Authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told News Media last week that investigators are still following up on active leads, reviewing “tens of thousands” of videos and do not consider the case cold.
On Friday, his office also released a pair of purported ransom notes in the case, in the hope that someone in the public can help identify the sender’s “unique linguistic style.”
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling 520-88-CRIME.
The combined sum of rewards in the case is over $1.2 million and remains unclaimed.