Savannah Guthrie's mother abducted from upscale neighborhood as Tucson crime 'spins out of control'

Nancy Guthrie’s abduction from her location successful the upscale Catalina Foothills northbound of Tucson, Arizona, shocked the nation. 

She's the 84-year-old parent of "Today" amusement co-host Savannah Guthrie. She's lived successful the vicinity for decades. And it's not known for crime.

Tucson is, however, adjacent arsenic Pima County transgression is connected the decline.

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Violence is wide successful the metropolis proper, with ample encampments wherever meth and different drugs are readily disposable and criminals reportedly exploit the city’s escaped autobus strategy to transportation retired offenses. These revelations are gaining scrutiny arsenic the hunt for Guthrie nears the extremity of its 2nd week, and aft surveillance video of a masked fishy connected her beforehand steps has led to thousands of tips but nary arrests.

Fox News Digital spoke with section concern proprietor Josh Jacobson, who works with the nonprofit Tucson Crime Free Coalition, which advocates for capable instrumentality enforcement staffing and resources, attraction for the needy and prosecution for criminals. Tucson is located successful Pima County, and portion helium describes the region arsenic "a comparatively little transgression area," helium points to Tucson arsenic the problem.

General presumption of a trailer parkland successful Tucson, Arizona, connected Sunday, February 8, 2026. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

"It's truly the metropolis of Tucson that's wherever transgression spins retired of control, and our deputies are truly progressive trying to propulsion transgression back," helium said.

Encampments containing cause and transgression activity, according to Jacobson, are located astir 3 miles from Guthrie’s location successful the Catalina Foothills.

Fox News Digital took photos of the adjacent encampments — which incorporate piles of junk, specified arsenic clothes, unfastened containers, boxes, bags and trash.  

At the dump tract connected Thursday, conscionable astir 3 miles from Guthrie's home, Pima County deputies told Fox News Digital they were investigating spot theft successful the area. They said their enactment was not connected to her disappearance.

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And with ample tracts of authorities onshore extracurricular town, there's plentifulness of country for much encampments.

As a 2020 COVID alleviation measure, the metropolis of Tucson implemented fare-free transit, arsenic reported successful the Arizona Daily Star. While it sounds similar a bully thought to its supporters, according to Jacobson, it’s contributed to the dispersed of transgression crossed Tucson and the county. 

"It's not conscionable drugs, but it's besides organized retail theft. It's burglaries. It's theft. It’s assaults," helium said. "There's been a batch of issues that person travel due to the fact that there's nary accountability connected our autobus system."Criminals usage the escaped buses to their advantage, utilizing them arsenic getaway vehicles aft robbing a store successful the midst of understaffed and under-resourced instrumentality enforcement, helium told Fox News Digital.

A culvert successful an country adjacent Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Arizona, is packed afloat of what authorities picture arsenic "stolen stuff" connected Thursday, February 12, 2026. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

"Folks volition really clip the autobus truthful that they tin spell into a large container store, bargain a clump of merchandise, tally retired and leap connected the autobus close arsenic it's pulling up," helium said.

The nearest halt to Guthrie's location is astir 2.4 miles away, however, and there's speculation among experts that she was forced into a conveyance against her will, making the autobus routes improbable successful her case.

However, for galore residents, calling 911 mightiness mean not seeing an serviceman for hours, Jacobson said. Nuisance crimes whitethorn not adjacent get reported.

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Some autobus stops are besides utilized arsenic a hub for the organisation of narcotics, with radical buying and selling retired successful the open, successful summation to smoking fentanyl oregon methamphetamines portion riding the bus, according to Jacobson.

Tucson is located astir 60 miles northbound of the Mexico-U.S. border. When drugs travel across, they archetypal walk done Pima County, earlier making their mode to different parts of the United States, according to Jacobson.

A representation outlining assorted locations successful Tucson, Arizona, successful the hunt for Nancy Guthrie.  (Fox News)

"Pima County is 1 of the largest cause trafficking corridors successful the state," helium said.

Despite the prevalence of narcotics crimes, Jacobson alleges that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos does not privation to enactment with different agencies, including Border Patrol and ICE.

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In Guthrie’s case, national instrumentality enforcement sources person voiced vexation with his alleged deficiency of practice — telling Fox News Digital helium waited 2 days to bring the FBI into the probe and aboriginal sending cardinal grounds for investigating astatine a backstage laboratory successful Florida alternatively of the FBI’s state-of-the-art installation successful Virginia.

Meanwhile, arsenic the FBI’s peculiar cause successful complaint of the Phoenix bureau was with the Guthrie household signaling a video effect to a purported ransom request past week, Nanos attended an NCAA hoops game.