Early missteps, delayed search plane response emerge in Savannah Guthrie’s mother disappearance

The sheriff starring the probe into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie acknowledged that missteps were made successful the case’s aboriginal hours, including removing transgression country portion and delaying requests for assistance from extracurricular instrumentality enforcement agencies.

According to reporting from The Arizona Republic, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said his section released Guthrie’s location arsenic a transgression country excessively soon, lone to instrumentality days aboriginal to retrieve further evidence. Nanos acknowledged that, successful hindsight, the country should person remained secured longer and that different agencies could person been called successful earlier.

Fox News Digital besides obtained a connection indicating that the aviator of the county’s high-tech hunt craft had been disciplined pursuing a quality with Nanos and reassigned to thoroughfare patrol, according to section instrumentality enforcement sources. As a result, the aircraft’s takeoff was delayed for respective hours aft Guthrie was reported missing astir midday Sunday, the sources said.

"Three hours successful a hunt for a susceptible big is an eternity," a instrumentality enforcement root with cognition of the concern told Fox News Digital.

INVESTIGATORS RETURN TO NANCY GUTHRIE'S HOME AS SEARCH FOR NBC HOST'S MOTHER CONTINUES

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, left, speaks astatine a quality league with FBI peculiar cause successful complaint and adjunct peculiar cause successful complaint during a briefing astatine the Pima County Sheriff's Department connected Border Patrol-involved shooting, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, successful Tucson, Ariz. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

The Pima County Deputies Organization criticized the determination to reassign the pilot, telling Fox News Digital that it opposed the determination astatine the clip due to the fact that it near a captious instrumentality enforcement plus understaffed.

According to the lawman organization, the aviator personally appealed the determination to Sheriff Chris Nanos but was reassigned to patrol anyway. The radical said the determination reflected what it described arsenic a broader signifier of enactment decisions, citing different lawsuit successful which the department’s astir experienced Search and Rescue lawman was transferred to patrol precocious past twelvemonth without a replacement.

The lawman enactment said those staffing decisions near cardinal units short-handed during what became 1 of the highest-profile searches successful the sheriff’s department’s past and during 1 of the busiest times of twelvemonth for Search and Rescue operations.

Nanos said investigators believed they had completed processing the country astatine the time, but aboriginal determined that decision was premature.

Authorities judge Guthrie — the parent of NBC "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie — was forcibly taken from her location successful Tucson, Arizona, though nary suspects oregon persons of involvement person been publically identified. Nanos said Thursday that investigators are continuing to prosecute each leads.

"Everybody is inactive a fishy successful our eyes," Nanos said.

Investigators outlined a timeline of events during a quality league Thursday, saying Guthrie was dropped disconnected astatine her location astir 9:48 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, aft having meal with family.

NBC HOST SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’S MOTHER TAKEN FROM HOME AS EXPERT RAISES ALARMING NEW THEORIES AMID LACK OF LEADS

Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing from her Arizona location since Jan. 31, 2026.  (Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images)

Authorities said the home’s doorbell camera disconnected from the information strategy astatine 1:47 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 1. About 25 minutes later, bundle detected question adjacent the home, but nary video footage was captured. At 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker exertion disconnected from her phone, which was aboriginal recovered wrong the residence.

Nanos confirmed that humor discovered connected the beforehand structure was tested and that DNA investigation showed it belonged to Guthrie.

The FBI has since joined the probe and is offering a $50,000 reward for accusation starring to Guthrie’s recovery. Federal authorities said they are vetting ransom notes connected to the lawsuit and confirmed that astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic has been arrested successful transportation with what investigators described arsenic an "impostor ransom demand."

HARVEY LEVIN GIVES EXPLOSIVE UPDATE ON PURPORTED NANCY LEVIN RANSOM NOTE ON ‘HANNITY’ 

The beforehand of Nancy Guthrie's location aft the disappearance of the 84-year-old parent of U.S. writer and tv big Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her location successful Tucson, Arizona, connected Feb. 4, 2026.   (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)

Nanos said the lawsuit has evolved into a imaginable kidnapping and that aggregate agencies are present sharing accusation and resources. He added that it does not substance which bureau is starring the investigation, saying the precedence remains locating Guthrie.

Guthrie’s son, Camron Guthrie, made a caller video entreaty Thursday directed astatine whoever whitethorn beryllium holding his mother, urging them to interaction the family.

"We haven’t heard thing directly," helium said. "Whoever is retired determination holding our mother, we privation to perceive from you."

Authorities person not released further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

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The Pima County Sheriff's Office did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Fox News Digital's Alex Koch contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].