Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, has been missing since February 1, but the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have yet to provide any major updates
A Fox News reported joined the search for Nancy Guthrie(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
A Fox News journalist made a striking find after participating in the hunt for Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie.
On Sunday, February 22, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI reached their 22nd day searching for the mother of the Today Show anchor, 54. Whilst authorities have yet to identify a suspect, reports indicate the search effort may be reduced after multiple leads have come up empty.
Now, Michael Ruiz, a Fox News Digital correspondent, has joined the effort and is documenting his and others’ work on X. In his initial post, Ruiz stated, “Good morning. It’s now been more than three weeks since Nancy Guthrie’s suspected abduction in Tucson. DNA results remain pending.” It comes after Savannah issued a haunting prediction as the FBI released bone-chilling video of the suspect.
READ MORE: Images show true extent of Nancy Guthrie’s isolation as experts fear abductors will never be foundREAD MORE: Disturbing new body theory emerges amid Savannah Guthrie’s ‘emotional’ plea to kidnappers
The correspondent continued, “Investigators have received additional home surveillance video from the surrounding area, but no details about what it shows have been made public. There’s at least one suspect, described as a man of average height and build, carrying a black Ozark Trail backpack.
“A volunteer search team is expected to hit the ground this morning. The combined reward for information that cracks the case exceeds $200K. More as we get it.”
As Sheriff Chris Nanos keeps giving updates, Fox News’ Michael Ruiz joined the search(Image: X)
Approximately an hour afterward, along with a photo of searchers, Ruiz stated, “Down here at the Oracle Rd Hobby Lobby – looks to be MSM and streamers outnumbering a couple of volunteers.
“The search hasn’t kicked off yet. Participants are being told not to touch anything, but rather to photograph potential clues and send them to a Gmail account. Searchers were also instructed NOT to bring black gloves.”
An hour later, Ruiz posted, “The search is now underway,” accompanied by an image of volunteers combing through a rocky terrain. The Fox News reporter noted in another update, “I’m told the searchers are looking for evidence like the suspected kidnapper’s gloves, mask, discarded clothing, or backpack.
“They’ve been instructed not to touch anything, take photos, and send them in to a central Gmail address set up for this purpose by an unidentified organizer.”
At approximately 11 a.m., Ruiz provided another update on the group’s search activities. Next to a photo of a searcher displaying a backpack, he stated, “They picked up a Swissgear brand backpack in a drainage ditch.”
Ruiz explained that the bag has been “reported to authorities,” and that the team discovered it “inside a drainage tunnel under Orange Grove Rd.” He continued, “The search group split into 3-4 teams. They declined to share specific locations.” Soon afterward, the reporter confirmed that deputies had arrived to retrieve the backpack.
A Fox News journalist made a striking find after participating in the hunt for Nancy Guthrie(Image: Getty Images)
Ruiz subsequently reported that volunteers were attempting to clear tunnels beneath highways that contained “small debris like pebbles and trash.” He posted in another update, “Searchers just picked up a hooded jacket. One I just walked through smelled like urine.” Another post simply read, “Dirty socks. Jacket. Red shirt. Navy blue beanie.”
In a separate post, the reporter noted, “Almost all of the local volunteers are women. Except for one of their dads and one of their sons,” and in another, “As the search gets closer to Nancy’s home, the brush gets tighter. Terrain also has more ups and downs.”
At the corner of 1st Ave and E Camino Alberca, searchers discovered another black glove, which Ruiz said the searchers “plan to email it in and expect it to be reported later. They didn’t touch it.”
One social media user remarked on the backpack the group discovered, stating, “It’s sad because this is probably a homeless person’s backpack and they’ve just taken it to ring the police.”
However, Ruiz responded, “Passed what appeared to be a homeless encampment on the way here. Also, two men are hiking in the area, including a dog walker. They said they had not seen the backpack or Nancy Guthrie before. The suspect in Nancy’s abduction was wearing an Ozark Trail brand backpack. This is about 3 miles from her house.”
Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy Guthrie, has been missing since February 1(Image: WireImage)
Investigators have been working around the clock on the case since Savannah’s mother disappeared from her home on February 1. However, the investigation may soon transition to a smaller, long-term task force after key leads have failed to produce results, ABC News reported, citing “sources with knowledge of the case.”
Whilst partial DNA evidence was collected from Nancy’s Tucson, Arizona, home, it remains unidentified. Investigators have been unable to link any vehicle to her disappearance, and no additional footage has been retrieved from her home security system, which lacked an active subscription when she went missing.
Additionally, images of the person of interest in the case have not yet helped authorities identify her abductor. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, however, told the New York Post that it maintains between 300 and 400 personnel on the case and that staffing numbers have remained consistent since the investigation launched.
Officials also stated that there are currently no plans to scale back resources devoted to finding Nancy, and that any changes would be communicated to the media. Sheriff Chris Nanos has publicly pledged to locate Nancy.