With rumors regarding the Nancy Guthrie case linking a local handyman as the possible perpetrator behind her disappearance, investigators have issued an “urgent” appeal to Guthrie’s community. Concerned officials have requested Tucson residents to submit any available information about the case after a leading forensic scientist detailed why a local worker could be responsible for abducting her.
Nancy Guthrie case gets an update after forensic expert highlights local man
On June 1, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department published a statement addressed to people hailing from Nancy Guthrie’s community in a bid to secure more information about the case.
“The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is urgently requesting your assistance in locating Nancy Guthrie, 84, who [was] last seen on the evening of January 31, 2026, at her residence near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue,” the appeal read.
The update comes after renowned forensic investigator Barbara Butcher told Fox News Digital that a local man could’ve abducted the 84-year-old for money.
“I find it flabbergasting that anyone would take a woman her age, but what I think is probably the case is that someone in the area, maybe a handyman, maybe a service person, had known, had found out that Mrs. Guthrie was the mother of Savannah Guthrie and said, ‘Oh, she must be rich,'” she said. “So this person is not well.”
The Death Investigator host also added that the lack of ransom calls in the case could mean that Nancy Guthrie has already passed away. “My second thought was that, after time, when there was no valid ransom demand or any information forthcoming that it’s probably likely that Mrs. Guthrie died of shock, fright, heart disease, whatever it was, very soon after being taken from her home,” Butcher noted. “And that’s just horrifying to me…and so now this kidnapper had nothing and probably, unfortunately, took her body into the desert and buried her there.”
Notably, Nancy Guthrie, who is the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her residence on February 1, 2026. While the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has cited a possible kidnapping, officials have yet to share a list of possible suspects in the case.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on Mandatory.
