Volunteers scour the desert for Nancy Guthrie despite authorities urging
them to stop
[February 24, 2026]
By JACQUES BILLEAUD and FELICIA FONSECA
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah
Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of
volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her
home in hopes of cracking the case.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said while it appreciates the
concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering
to give investigators space to do their jobs.
“We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to
professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.
Nancy Guthrie's disappearance
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan.
31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she
was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of
her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven't
publicly revealed much evidence.
Despite the sheriff's request for people not to search on their own,
volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a
black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn't the same brand as one identified
in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked person at
Guthrie's home the night she disappeared.
A sheriff's spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the
bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads. The Associated
Press reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on Monday.
Volunteers begin to search
Two women from the group Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, or “Searching
Mothers of Sonora,” who were carrying digging tools Sunday outside of
Guthrie’s home, said they, too, would join the search. They posted
fliers on Guthrie’s mailbox with her picture and their contact
information.
Lupita Tello, who joined the group after her son disappeared in Mexico
in 2020, said Monday she and two other volunteers will continue to post
flyers on bus stops and utility poles near Nancy Guthrie's home. Members
of the group plan to do the same in Nogales, Mexico.
She said the group was contacted by a friend of one of Nancy Guthrie's
daughters who asked them for help because of their experience. The group
has found the remains of more than 5,000 people in Mexico since it was
started 10 years ago by mothers with missing children.
“We know the soil. We know when someone has dug deep or when there is a
shallow grave,” Tello said. “We hope we can help because we understand
the pain of having a missing relative.”
She said group members have received training by Mexican forensic
experts on how to conduct their searches.
The sheriff’s department said in a statement late Monday that it’s aware
of differences in the masked person’s clothing depicted in various
images that were released, namely with and without a backpack.
“There is no date or time stamp associated with these images,” the
department said. “Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were
taken on different days is purely speculative.”
Authorities say search parties need to coordinate
Tony Estrada, the former long-time sheriff in neighboring Santa Cruz
County, said volunteer searchers have good intentions in wanting to help
and can serve as a force multiplier, but it’s crucial that their efforts
be coordinated with law enforcement.
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A memorial grows outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing
mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, in Tucson, Ariz.,
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Felicia Fonseca)
“You can’t have people all over the place looking for something and
not reporting to anybody or letting them know that they’re going to
be in that area,” Estrada said. “They may be trampling into things
that may come out to be helpful in the future.”
Nearly all search operations for U.S. law enforcement agencies are
staffed with volunteers, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the
National Association for Search and Rescue.
Untrained volunteers who show up to help in a search may mean well,
but experts say they could end up contaminating a crime scene.
“It’s painful for law enforcement when that happens,” Boyer said.
Volunteers should undergo background checks, be trained in things
like administering first aid and preserving crime scenes, and work
under the direction of law enforcement authorities, said Boyer,
whose group provides education, certification and advocacy for
search and rescue efforts across the United States and other
countries.
Hundreds are working on the investigation
Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and
more than 20,000 tips have been received, the sheriff's office has
said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting.
The sheriff's office has watched around the clock lately at
Guthrie's house. It also enacted a temporary one-way flow on the
road so that emergency vehicles and trash collection trucks could
get through. The constant presence of news crews, bloggers and
curious onlookers has drawn mixed reaction from neighbors.
Some appreciated the attention the case has been getting. Others
have placed traffic cones and signs on their properties to keep
people off.
Meanwhile, the tribute to Nancy Guthrie outside her home keeps
growing, with flowers, yellow ribbons, crosses, prayers and patron
saints for older adults and in desperate situations.
Aran Aleamoni and his daughter Ariana picked out a bouquet of red,
pink and white flowers and placed them at the edge of Guthrie’s
yard, alongside a sign that read “Let Nancy Come Home” and a
statuette of an angel.
“My heart goes out to the entire family,” said Aran Aleamoni, who
has known the Guthrie family for a long time. “We are all pulling
for you. We’re with you in your corner.”
___
Billeaud reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Olga R.
Rodríguez in San Francisco contributed to this story.
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