Federal and local authorities questioned neighbors of Nancy Guthrie in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, this week as part of an expanding investigation into her disappearance, focusing on digital evidence and internet connectivity around the time she vanished.
Background
Investigators from the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department conducted door-to-door interviews Thursday in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood, asking residents about internet stability on January 31, the night Guthrie disappeared, according to NBC News. Family members reported that Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31 after having dinner at her daughter Annie Guthrie's residence. After being dropped off at home, she was reported missing the following day when she failed to show up for church.
The search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, has now entered day 35. The family is offering a reward of up to $1 million for Nancy's return, while the FBI is offering its own reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to her location and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
The Investigation
Several residents told NBC News that agents asked whether they experienced any internet disruptions or glitches on the night Guthrie disappeared. Investigators also inquired about January 11, though authorities have not confirmed the significance of that date.
Homeowners stated that investigators were particularly interested in connectivity gaps or missing surveillance footage. Multiple neighbors reported "glitches" in their internet service during the night Guthrie vanished, according to residents.
One couple living adjacent to Guthrie reported that while three of their four Ring cameras functioned normally, the one closest to Guthrie's property displayed a "not available" error — a malfunction they had never seen before and described as "really weird."
When questioned about the possibility of a suspect using a portable Wi-Fi jammer, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos stated that his team and the FBI are checking "every angle."
FOX News reported that the FBI and Google recovered footage of a possible suspect from Guthrie's missing Nest doorbell camera, which was not backed up. This recovery would suggest a Wi-Fi jammer was not used near her front door.
Morgan Wright, CEO and founder of the National Center for Open and Unsolved Cases, told FOX News: "If they were using Wi-Fi jammers, then I would expect that we would not be able to see any video from the front door cameras. I took a look at some of the videos with the other gangs that use Wi-Fi jammers, and had one been up and running and persistent, you wouldn't have gotten the clear pictures that we did from the front."
As of Friday, neither Ring nor the investigating agencies has issued a formal comment on the technical anomalies. The investigation remains active as authorities seek to determine if these outages were a deliberate attempt to disable local security systems.
Key Takeaways
- Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen January 31 after being dropped off at home
- FBI and Pima County Sheriff's Department canvassed Catalina Foothills neighborhood Thursday
- Multiple neighbors reported internet "glitches" on the night Guthrie disappeared
- One neighbor's Ring camera closest to Guthrie's property showed "not available" error for first time
- Investigators are examining whether Wi-Fi jammers were used to disable security systems
- FBI recovered footage from missing Nest doorbell camera that was not backed up
- Family offering $1 million reward; FBI offering $100,000 reward
What's Next
Authorities continue to seek information from the public. Tipsters can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or reach out through Savannah Guthrie's social media. The Pima County Sheriff's Department tip line is available at 520-351-4900. The investigation remains active as investigators analyze digital evidence and continue to pursue leads in the disappearance.