A missing-person case involving the family of Savannah Guthrie has taken a deeply alarming turn, as Arizona authorities now say evidence inside her mother’s home suggests the elderly woman was taken against her will.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her Tucson residence late Saturday night. One of her children had dropped her off at home earlier that evening, and she was last believed to have gone to bed as usual. When she failed to arrive for church the next morning — something family members described as completely out of character — relatives contacted police and a search was launched.
By Monday, the case was officially upgraded to a criminal investigation.
Newly surfaced footage obtained by NewsNation shows dark red blood spatters scattered across the tile just outside Nancy Guthrie’s home, corroborating earlier descriptions from law-enforcement sources who said the scene was “alarming.” While investigators have not confirmed who the blood belongs to, the visual evidence has heightened fears that the disappearance was not voluntary.
Inside the house, police reportedly found one critical item left behind: Nancy Guthrie’s phone. According to sources familiar with the investigation, it is something she “would never leave the house without,” reinforcing the belief that she did not leave on her own.
At a tense press conference Tuesday, Chris Nanos acknowledged what authorities are now working under as a central assumption.
“We don’t know where she is,” Nanos said. “We do believe that Nancy was taken from her home against her will.” He added that investigators have not yet determined whether one or multiple individuals were involved.
The urgency of the situation is compounded by Nancy Guthrie’s medical condition. Officials confirmed she requires critical medication every 24 hours — medication she did not take with her. As the investigation pushed past the 72-hour mark, police warned that the risk to her life is growing by the hour.
Adding another disturbing layer, an unverified ransom note was sent to TMZ demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin in exchange for Nancy Guthrie’s safe return. The note reportedly included a deadline and details it claimed were specific to the crime scene. Sheriff Nanos confirmed investigators are aware of the note but stopped short of validating its authenticity.
“We are taking all tips and leads very seriously,” he said, declining to discuss ransom details publicly.
As ground searches scale back, authorities say resources will now focus on investigative leads rather than physical sweeps. The picture they are painting is grim.
“She is an 84-year-old woman who went to bed,” Nanos said previously, “and sometime in the middle of the night, she was removed from that home.”