Nine Months On, DNA Tests Still Drive Search for Nancy Guthrie

Investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of American television host Savannah Guthrie, are still pursuing DNA evidence nine months after she vanished from her home in Arizona. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos issued a rare public update on Friday, October 30, confirming that the Nancy Guthrie Task Force continues to work with laboratories in the hope of advancing DNA analysis in the case.

Investigators travelled to Florida earlier in October to meet laboratory scientists and discuss what further testing might be possible, the sheriff said. A number of ideas were explored during those meetings, and the task force continues to work with all of its partners to solve the case. The update announced no breakthrough, named no suspect, and gave no timeline for additional test results.

FAKTA

• Who: Nancy Guthrie, 84, mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie
• Missing since: February 1, 2026, from her Catalina Foothills home near Tucson, Arizona
• Latest update: October 30, 2026, from Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos
• Key development: Investigators visited a Florida laboratory earlier in October to explore further DNA testing
• Other laboratories: Labs in Kansas, San Francisco, Washington and Phoenix are also contributing
• Case status: Active investigation; no suspect named and no arrest announced
• Public appeal: Anyone with information is urged to call 88-CRIME or 1-800-CALL-FBI

A rare update after months of silence

The statement, shared on social media, was the first substantive update in weeks in a case that has drawn sustained national attention in the United States. Sheriff Nanos stressed that the investigation is not a cold case, noting that detectives still hold evidence they are actively working through.

Officials have not disclosed which specific testing methods were discussed or what findings, if any, emerged from the laboratory meetings. The department said only that discussions with its partners remain ongoing and that investigators hope the additional work will bring progress.

What happened in February

She was last seen at home on the evening of January 31 and reported missing the next day. The case became one of America’s most closely followed missing-person investigations, with the FBI joining local investigators and ransom notes reportedly sent to the family early on. In April, the FBI confirmed that a hair sample from the scene had been transferred from a private Florida laboratory to the bureau for testing.

Months on, authorities have never publicly identified a suspect or announced an arrest, and the circumstances remain unresolved.

Appeal to the public

Alongside the DNA update, the department renewed its appeal for public help, saying even the smallest piece of information could prove critical, and urged anyone who knows something to contact investigators.

The task force says it continues to pursue every lead, and the sheriff hopes the laboratory work will eventually bring answers for the family. For now, the search for Nancy Guthrie goes on, driven by science, tip-offs and the investigators assigned to the case.

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