100 days since Nancy Guthrie went missing, expert suggests lack of updates could be strategic

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD/Gray News) - It has been 100 days since Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her Catalina Foothills home.

The Pima County sheriff’s office has not held a live briefing since Feb. 5, but former FBI agent Scott Augenbaum said that doesn’t mean the investigation is stalled and the lack of public updates is often strategic.

“There are primary case agents that their sole responsibility is to see this case through,” Augenbaum said. “We’re probably not going to really hear much until somebody is indicted. You don’t want to tip off the hands of the suspect. If the suspect’s out there now, you don’t even want them to think anything is going on.”

Law enforcement has said advanced DNA and video analysis is still underway at labs across the country, though daily updates have stopped and no leads have been shared publicly.

FBI Director Kash Patel last week criticized the sheriff’s office for its speed in involving the FBI and for sending evidence to labs in Florida instead of the FBI lab in Quantico. The comments pointed to different logistical approaches being taken in the case.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos responded in a statement, saying the FBI was promptly notified by both the office and the Guthrie family. He said the laboratory used by the sheriff’s office and the FBI lab in Quantico have worked in close partnership from the outset and continue to collaborate in the analysis of evidence.

Augenbaum, who is not involved in the case but has decades of experience in federal investigations, said Patel’s comments point to the high-stakes nature of the search. He said investigators on the ground are likely ignoring the noise from management to focus on leads and bringing Nancy Guthrie home.

“As more time goes on, more finger pointing goes on,” Augenbaum said. “I worked on a number of investigations where in the management level, there was a lot of fighting, but the investigators are still working together. The investigators do not care who’s the one that solves that lead.”

The Guthrie family is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her recovery as the FBI continues its investigation.

Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), submitting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov, or contacting the Pima County sheriff’s office at 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME (520-882-7463).