Nancy Guthrie has been missing for 53 days - and as the search for the 84-year-old mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie enters its eighth week with no arrests and no suspects, authorities are now dealing with a new problem: scammers.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department issued an urgent warning this week, alerting the public that fraudulent fundraising pages tied to the Nancy Guthrie case are circulating online. Sheriff Chris Nanos took to social media to make the message unmistakably clear - there is no official GoFundMe or any legitimate fundraising effort connected to the investigation.
What the sheriff's office wants the public to know
According to the PCSD statement, billboard displays connected to the case are funded through official channels only. Any individual or page claiming to raise money on behalf of the Guthrie family or the investigation is operating fraudulently and will be investigated by law enforcement. Anyone who receives a request for money tied to the case is urged not to send anything and to report it immediately to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or through 88-CRIME.
It is a painful but familiar reality in high-profile missing persons cases - when national attention surges, so do those looking to exploit it.
Where the investigation stands
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona home on February 1. Investigators believe she was abducted. To date, authorities have received more than 30,000 calls and tips, with over 25,000 tips logged in the first month alone. More than 2,400 have come through the 88-CRIME line.
A person of interest was captured on Nancy's doorbell camera wearing a ski mask and gloves, carrying an Ozark Trail backpack, and described as standing between 5'9" and 5'10" with an average build. Investigators have also been examining activity around January 11 and January 24 as potential dates when the perpetrator may have been scouting the area - though the exact timestamp of the doorbell image remains unconfirmed after Google retracted an earlier statement connecting it to January 11.
The case involves multiple agencies including the FBI and PCSD, with an active task force of 20 to 24 investigators.
The rewards still stand
Three separate rewards remain active for information leading to Nancy's whereabouts. The FBI is offering $100,000. The 88-CRIME program is offering $102,500. The Guthrie family has posted a $1,000,000 reward.
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or 88-CRIME - and to remain anonymous if needed.
Savannah Guthrie, who has called this her family's darkest hour, begins her two-part interview with Hoda Kotb on Today this morning - sharing publicly for the first time how her faith has carried her through 53 days of unbearable uncertainty. For a faith community that has been praying for this family since February 1, that interview airs today at 7 a.m. ET on NBC.
