The United Cajun Navy, a prominent volunteer organization known for its search and rescue operations across the nation, is extending an olive branch to local authorities by offering to adjust its search plan for Nancy Guthrie. The group is eager to align their efforts with the expectations and requirements of the local law enforcement agencies.
In a bid to garner support for the cause, an independent journalist has initiated a petition urging Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos to endorse the group’s initiative. This move underscores the wider community’s desire for action and resolution.
“We seek the endorsement of the lead agency,” remarked Josh Gill, an incident commander with the United Cajun Navy, who was stationed in Tucson, Arizona, back in February. His team was prepared but unable to launch their search efforts. “Granting permission could do no harm and might bring us one step closer to providing closure not just for the family, but for the community and the nation at large,” he added.
Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson residence on Sunday, February 1, 2026, following a dinner at her daughter’s nearby home. Her sudden disappearance has left ripples of concern among those who knew her, including her other daughter, Savannah Guthrie, co-host of “Today.”
Following the suspected abduction in the pre-dawn hours of that fateful day, Gill promptly submitted a search plan to the sheriff’s department, hoping to mobilize their efforts swiftly. The group’s commitment to aiding the search reflects their dedication to helping bring some solace to the affected family and community.
According to the 41-page document, the UCN would have no independent authority and operate under the sheriff’s command.
Read the plan:
“We have not been contacted on the plan that we provided,” Gill told Fox News Digital. “I’m open to developing a new plan with law enforcement.”
Fragments of surveillance video show a masked man at her front door, where blood drops were found the following morning. Her back door had been propped open. No valuables were taken. Although the family offered to pay a ransom demand in the early days of the investigation, Guthrie has not been returned.
Investigators stand in the entrance to the home of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, February 25, 2026. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
Last week, authorities revealed that a hair sample was found inside the home and has been sent from a private DNA lab in Florida to the FBI for more advanced testing.
The initial plan called for the use of certified cadaver dogs over land in around local bodies of water, a tracking dog trained to find specific scents, heat-detecting drones and GPS-tracked volunteers for a grid search from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
People conduct an unofficial search flr clues in the Nancy Guthrie case, Tucson, Arizona, Sunday, February 22, 2026. Guthrie was last seen alive at the end of January. (Kat Ramirez/Fox News Digital)
The plan even included volunteer EMTs on standby in case any searchers suffered injuries from the terrain or sun and heat.
Gill said the group had also proposed deferring all media inquiries to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
“We’ve got some of the best and brightest, and our network is huge,” he told Fox News Digital. “Let us work [with the sheriff’s department] to do what’s best.”
Savannah Guthrie visits the Today show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
He proposed searching the desert outside town, many drainage ditches known as “washes” in the area, a series of “remote access areas” and abandoned structures. Searchers were preparing for harsh conditions including extreme heat, wildlife hazards, uneven terrain and dark nights due to local ordinances designed at limiting light pollution.
According to the plan, if volunteer searchers find any evidence they would not handle it and report it to the sheriff’s department.
Australian-born presenter, Savannah Guthrie poses alongside her mother Nancy Guthrie during a production break whilst hosting NBC’s “Today Show” live from Australia at Sydney Opera House on May 4, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Don Arnold/WireImage)
UCN has submitted similar plans for other searches to law enforcement agencies around the country.
Cherise “Pebbles” Wilson, an independent journalist who focuses on missing persons and human trafficking cases, is behind a Change.org petition calling on PCSD to accept Gill’s plan.
“I lost my vulnerable grandmother a couple of years ago, and Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance pulled at my heartstrings,” she told Fox News Digital. “Knowing that somebody took advantage of a loving lady, an elderly lady like that, is really disturbing.”
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