More than 6 months after a kidnaping that stirred the nation, little progress seems to have been made.
The Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year old retired university administrator and mother of the former Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing at 12:03 p.m. on Sunday, February 1, 2026.1 A family friend had called Nancy’s middle child, Annie, that Nancy had been absent for a routine church service that morning. Annie went to the home and found the back door open along with personal items that Nancy always keeps close. At 2 p.m., the sherrif’s department lead supervisor on the scene reported this as a missing person case. Minutes later, he called the homicide department.
Questions Surrounding the Investigation
Evidently, the homicide department of Pine County, Sgt. David Stivers, has been the center of local controversy. He was previously blamed for delays in securing crime-scene evidence, and accused of poor judgment. Homicide arrived at the scene, but neglected the blood on the porch for hours. The blood was suspected to have originated from an unrelated incidental injury. After analysis, the department began to believe it was related to the kidnapping. The department’s $1.7 million surveillance aircraft remained unused for several hours; only one pilot was trained for its use, and he or she was recently demoted following a workplace complaint. The plane began flying at around 6:30 p.m., but by then it was too dark to be of effective use.
Ransom Notes Issued
Two ransom notes, allegedly from the kidnappers, were issued. The first demanded an exchange of $4 million in Bitcoin by February 5 at 5 p.m. for Nancy’s release. That price was never paid. Unfortunately, the second ransom note, released the following Friday, hinted that Nancy was already dead. The FBI, who quickly partnered on the case, has determined those notes to be fakes.2
No Suspects Publicly Disclosed
There are apparently no lead suspects, at least, none publicly disclosed.
1 Buarlein, Valerie, Mitovich, Jared, and Critchfield, Hannah. Trail of Missteps in Guthrie Case. The Wall Street Journal. Aug. 3, 2026.
2 Gorman, Steven and Winter, Jana. Nancy Guthrie kidnapping notes determined to be fakes, FBI source says, USA Today. July 1, 2026. Accessed Aug. 13, 2026.
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