TUCSON, Ariz. — Over five weeks have passed since the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie. Despite the ongoing investigation, Arizona authorities have decided not to use cadaver dogs at this juncture, though they were employed earlier in the case.
The troubling incident took place in the early hours of Feb. 1, when Nancy Guthrie was reportedly abducted from her home in the Catalina Foothills, a serene region in northern Tucson. Despite extensive efforts, neither suspects nor tangible leads have surfaced, and Guthrie remains missing.
According to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, cadaver dogs had been actively involved in the initial stages of the search. However, their presence has not been required in recent weeks, though they remain on standby should they be needed again.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sheriff Nanos assured the public, “They are available if needed in the future,” indicating that the search strategy may evolve as new information comes to light.
Retired police sergeant and National Police Association spokeswoman Betsy Brantner Smith explained that there are valid strategic reasons for the current absence of cadaver dogs, suggesting a shift in the investigation’s focus or methodology might be underway.
A vigilant presence remains outside Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson residence, as authorities continue their efforts to resolve this distressing case. The community and Guthrie’s family hold onto hope as the investigation unfolds.
Savannah Guthrie visits the Today show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
One would be if there’s credible information that Guthrie is still alive.
“Anything is possible,” Nanos told Fox News Digital last week, adding that he would not discuss specific leads or evidence in the case.
Brantner Smith, who is not involved in the case, said departments may hold back K-9 resources for several reasons. Those could be that authorities don’t have a good idea of where to search, they think she might be concealed in a place where dogs would have a hard time detecting her, or they believe she’s been taken to Mexico, according to Brantner Smith.
Law enforcement agents walk around the neighborhood where Annie Guthrie, whose mother Nancy Guthrie has been missing for more than a week, lives just outside Tucson, Ariz. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
“I do believe that the sheriff’s department has much more information that they are not releasing to the public,” she told Fox News Digital. “And I’m not sure at this point why that would be, unless they have a solid suspect and don’t want to tip them off.”
Most departments, including the Pima County Sheriff’s, don’t have their own cadaver dogs and borrow them from state and federal authorities or neighboring jurisdictions.
An investigator looks inside a culvert in the neighborhood where Annie Guthrie, whose mother Nancy Guthrie has been missing for more than a week, lives just outside Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
In Guthrie’s case, the sheriff’s department sought K-9 assistance from the local Border Patrol office earlier in the investigation.
PCSD deferred further comment on the K-9s to Customs and Border Protection, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A member of the Pima county sheriff’s office walks around Nancy Guthrie’s home on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 in Tucson, Ariz. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)
The biggest lead so far has been Nest camera video showing a masked intruder on Guthrie’s doorstep the morning of her abduction.
He is described as about 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall of medium build.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing from her Arizona home since Jan. 31, 2026. (Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images)
He was wearing a black Ozark Trail backpack.
Authorities have said they won’t consider the case cold until they run out of viable leads to follow up on — and tens of thousands have come in so far.
Savannah Guthrie has asked anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
There’s a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that leads to her mother’s recovery.
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