Key facts
- Name: Nancy Ellen Guthrie (née Long)
- Born: January 27, 1942, Fort Wright, Kentucky
- Age at disappearance: 84
- Last seen: January 31, 2026, approximately 9:50 p.m.
- Location: Her home in Catalina Foothills, Tucson, Arizona
- Height / build: Elderly woman with limited mobility; required daily medication for a chronic condition; used a pacemaker
- Status: Still missing — treated as a criminal abduction; no arrests; FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department investigating
- Case numbers: Not publicly confirmed
- Investigating agency: Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD); FBI
The night the camera went dark
Nancy Guthrie spent her last evening at her daughter’s house.
On Saturday, January 31, 2026, the 84-year-old took an Uber to her daughter Annie’s home for dinner. Her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, drove her back to her house in Catalina Foothills — the Tucson suburb where she’d lived for more than five decades — and dropped her off at about 9:48 p.m. The garage door closed at 9:50. Cioni drove away.
At 1:47 a.m., a masked, gloved individual disconnected the doorbell camera at Nancy’s front door.
What the camera caught before it went dark — recovered later from Google’s backend systems and released by the FBI on February 10 — is the most chilling piece of evidence in the case: an armed intruder in a mask, wearing gloves and a black 25-liter Ozark Trail backpack, tampering with the doorbell. He tapped at it, tried to knock it off, and finally covered the lens with foliage from a potted plant. He never knew the footage was already saved. The FBI described him as 5’9″ to 5’10” with an average build and a black mustache, a gun seated improperly in a holster over his crotch.
At 2:28 a.m., Nancy’s bedside pacemaker monitor missed its scheduled transmission.
The next morning, Nancy didn’t appear on the livestream of her church service. A churchgoer called the family. Relatives arrived around 11 a.m., searched the house and property, and found nothing. At 12:03 p.m., they called 911.
Deputies found her phone and other essentials still inside the house. Blood at or near the entrance was later confirmed to be Nancy’s. The doorbell camera had been ripped away.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said what everyone already feared: “At this point, investigators believe she was taken from her home against her will, possibly in the middle of the night. Taken against her will includes possible kidnapping or abduction. She couldn’t walk 50 yards by herself.”
Who Nancy was
Nancy Ellen Long was born January 27, 1942, in Fort Wright, Kentucky, and had lived in Tucson since the early 1970s — more than half a century. She was married to Charles Guthrie until his death at 49 during a mining exploration trip in Mexico in 1988. She raised three children: Camron, Annie, and Savannah — the Today co-anchor whose on-air appeals would carry the case around the world.
By every family account, Nancy was mentally sharp and independent at 84, active in her community, a regular churchgoer. She lived alone. She had limited mobility and needed daily medication. She was, in the authorities’ words, a vulnerable adult — with no cognitive impairment, no reason to wander, and no indication she left voluntarily.
The investigation
On February 2, the case shifted from search to criminal investigation. The home was treated as a crime scene; homicide investigators joined. The FBI came in with resources. Search-and-rescue teams, drones, K-9s, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection swept the area. Nothing.
Then came the ransom notes — a tangle of them. KOLD-TV in Tucson received a letter on February 2 said to contain specific details about Nancy’s home and what she was wearing. TMZ received an alleged note demanding millions in Bitcoin. On February 5, TMZ’s Harvey Levin claimed another letter saying Nancy was alive but “scared.” A February 6 note — kept private by law enforcement until it was made public on July 31, 2026 — claimed she had died shortly after being taken: “We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now.”
In September 2026, the FBI determined that all three ransom notes were fakes. A California man, Derrick Callella of Hawthorne, pleaded guilty on July 2 to federal harassment charges for sending phony ransom demands in February.
Other leads flared and died. On February 10, a person of interest was detained at a traffic stop in Rio Rico, sixty miles south of Tucson; by the next day he was released, cleared. On February 13, deputies raided a residence two miles from Nancy’s home and seized a gray Range Rover from a Culver’s parking lot; gloves resembling the intruder’s were recovered — carrying an unknown man’s DNA that appeared to match the gloves seen on the doorbell-camera footage. No connection to the case was established. In June, a tip from a Mexican volunteer search group sent teams hunting near Nogales for a reported burial site; the searches found nothing. In August, human remains discovered in the desert north of her home sparked a wave of speculation; authorities said they were not believed to be connected.
Through it all, the family has been cleared — Nanos has said repeatedly that Nancy’s children, siblings, and their spouses are not suspects, describing them as victims who have cooperated throughout. The family put up $1 million for information leading to her recovery; the FBI’s reward went from $50,000 to $100,000. More than 30,000 tips have poured in.
In July 2026, Nanos told Today: “We have so much DNA to sort through. We have so much in terms of video evidence to look at. I’m still positive that we’re going to resolve this case.” Testing of hair found in the home was complete and pointed to no suspect.
Savannah Guthrie stepped away from broadcasting — including NBC’s coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games — to join the search, making repeated on-air appeals. In September, marking more than 200 days, she thanked supporters and asked again for anyone who knows something to call. A new possible ransom note surfaced in September 2026; authorities said on September 29 that it was not credible.
Theories: what might have happened
Abduction for ransom by someone who knew the family’s profile. This is the working theory of the investigation. What supports it: the masked intruder on video, the blood at the entrance, the ransom notes (even the fake ones suggest someone saw a payday in the family’s fame), the total absence of any sign Nancy left voluntarily. What is unknown: who the masked figure is, eight months on.
A burglary that turned into an abduction. An intruder comes for valuables and finds an 84-year-old woman awake — and makes a decision. What supports it: the backpack, the gloves, the methodical disabling of the camera. What undercuts it: nothing was reported stolen, and the intruder’s behavior looks targeted rather than opportunistic.
Nancy died during the abduction. The February 6 note claimed it — “heart related,” “buried in nature.” The FBI later called all the notes fake, which cuts both ways: the notes can’t be trusted, but the claim inside one of them can’t be disproven either. Her age, her heart condition, her pacemaker, her medication — every one of those facts makes survival after a violent abduction harder to imagine. This is the outcome her family dreads and the one investigators have never ruled out. It remains unconfirmed.
What is rumor: online theories aimed at Nancy’s family. Authorities have explicitly cleared them and asked the public to let evidence, not rumor, drive the case.
Have information?
Contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. The FBI is offering $100,000 and the Guthrie family $1 million for information leading to Nancy’s recovery or to an arrest and conviction. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- January 27, 1942 — Nancy Ellen Long is born in Fort Wright, Kentucky.
- Early 1970s — Nancy moves to Tucson, Arizona, where she will live for 50+ years.
- 1988 — Her husband, Charles Guthrie, dies at 49 on a mining trip in Mexico.
- January 31, 2026, 5:32 p.m. — Nancy takes an Uber to daughter Annie’s home for dinner.
- January 31, 2026, 9:48–9:50 p.m. — Son-in-law Tommaso Cioni drops her off; garage door closes. Last confirmed sighting.
- February 1, 2026, 1:47 a.m. — A masked, gloved individual disconnects her doorbell camera.
- February 1, 2026, 2:28 a.m. — Her pacemaker monitor misses its scheduled transmission.
- February 1, 2026, 11:56 a.m.–12:15 p.m. — Family finds her missing; 911 called; deputies arrive. Blood at the entrance; phone and essentials left behind.
- February 2, 2026 — Case shifts to criminal investigation. First ransom notes received by media.
- February 10, 2026 — FBI releases doorbell-camera footage of the masked intruder; a person of interest is detained in Rio Rico and cleared the next day.
- February 13, 2026 — Searches near her home; Range Rover seized; DNA on recovered gloves appears to match gloves worn on camera — an unknown man, no connection established.
- February 24, 2026 — Family offers $1 million reward.
- June 2026 — Unsuccessful searches near Nogales, Mexico, on a volunteer’s tip; Feb 6 “she perished” note made public July 31.
- July 2, 2026 — Derrick Callella pleads guilty to sending fake ransom demands.
- July 2026 — Sheriff Nanos expresses confidence the case will be resolved; hair testing points to no suspect.
- August 2026 — Desert remains found north of her home are ruled out as connected.
- September 2026 — FBI says all three ransom notes were fake; a new possible ransom note surfaces, ruled not credible Sept 29; 200 days marked.
- Today — Still missing. No arrests. The investigation continues.
FAQ
Is Nancy Guthrie still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Nancy Guthrie has been missing for eight months. She was last seen on January 31, 2026, and investigators believe she was abducted from her Tucson home. No arrests have been made.
Was Nancy Guthrie ever found?
No. Despite tens of thousands of tips, extensive forensic work, and searches in Arizona and Mexico, Nancy has not been located.
What is the reward in the Nancy Guthrie case?
The FBI is offering $100,000 and the Guthrie family is offering $1 million for information leading to Nancy’s recovery or to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Who is the masked person in the Nancy Guthrie doorbell video?
Unidentified. The FBI released doorbell-camera footage on February 10, 2026, showing a masked, apparently armed individual tampering with Nancy’s camera around 1:47 a.m. He is described as 5’9″–5’10” with an average build, wearing gloves and a black 25-liter Ozark Trail backpack. Authorities have cautioned the footage alone does not identify him.
Are Nancy Guthrie’s family members suspects?
No. The Pima County Sheriff has said repeatedly that her children, siblings, and their spouses are not suspects, describing them as victims who have cooperated throughout.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information — especially doorbell or surveillance footage from the Catalina Foothills area around January 31–February 1, 2026 — should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Pima County Sheriff’s Department (press conferences, Feb–Sept 2026); FBI (doorbell footage release, Feb 10, 2026; $100,000 reward); U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona (Derrick Callella plea, July 2, 2026).
- News: NBC News; CBS News; CNN; People; Reuters (FBI on ransom notes, Sept 2026); KOLD-TV Tucson; AZFamily; iHeart/BOB 94.9.
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie” (retrieved Oct 2026).
- Media: Today (Savannah Guthrie appeals; Nanos interview, July 2026).
Corrections note (fact-verification pass, October 2026): (1) The Feb 6 ransom note’s public reveal was corrected from “June 22” to July 31, 2026. (2) The September 2026 note was originally described as under review; authorities ruled it not credible on September 29, 2026 — the article now reflects that. (3) The February 13 gloves/DNA account was softened to the level actually verified in reporting: DNA on the recovered gloves appeared to match the gloves on camera and pointed to an unknown man, with no connection established — the earlier “restaurant worker” attribution was not verified. (4) Several fine-grained details in this file (her date/place of birth, the pacemaker-miss time, the Uber and garage-door times, the son-in-law’s name, the 50+ years in Tucson, the husband’s 1988 death details, the hair-testing results) come from the original write-up’s media sources and could not be independently re-verified in this pass; they are retained as reported, not as independently verified.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.