Tucson is the center of a frantic search after Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC host Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her Catalina Foothills home. Retired Pima County Sheriff’s Lt. Bob Krygier walked a nearby wash and explained how the terrain can hide people and evidence, while neighbors, deputies and federal teams continue scouring the area. The investigation has included ring camera footage, an abandoned vehicle near a wash and advanced searches that so far have come up empty. Reward offers and volunteer groups have mobilized as authorities press for tips.
The desert around Catalina Foothills is crisscrossed with washes, natural channels where water runs only occasionally, and Krygier says they create easy hiding spots. He pointed out dense brush and low-visibility hollows, saying the landscape itself does a lot of the concealment work. “You can throw something under the tree right there, in this brush right back here,” he says. “We could walk past…I guarantee you we’ve walked by things that are probably suspicious in nature, dead animals, things like that, and you’re just not going to see them the terrain itself acts as a natural hide for things.”
Krygier spent nearly 30 years with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and has chased suspects through washes and been present when remains were recovered from similar spots. His experience matters here because these pathways vary widely in size; some are little gullies, others open expanses that can stretch well over a hundred yards. That breadth means a vehicle could be driven into parts of a wash and out of sight quickly.
“We’re here within five minutes. And you could, you saw, we could drive down this road for 10 seconds and be completely out of sight from any roadway,” Krygier said as he described how quickly someone could vanish from view. That combination of cover and access makes the washes both a hiding place and a route for leaving the neighborhood. Investigators note that familiarity with the terrain would help someone move around without drawing attention.
Neighbors reported seeing a suspicious man near the area days before the disappearance, and one resident shared Ring camera footage that reportedly shows a vehicle heading away from Guthrie’s home minutes after she went missing. The resident turned that video over to the FBI in February, and authorities have not announced any public updates from the footage. In the same part of the neighborhood deputies found an abandoned vehicle on Feb. 2 parked near the entrance to a wash, though a sheriff’s spokesperson later said it was not tied to the investigation.
The timeline investigators are working from places the suspected abduction at roughly 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, with the family realizing Nancy Guthrie was gone around noon that day. Search teams have swept on foot and from the air, and special gear has been used to try and pinpoint any trace. Even so, dense brush and terrain make it difficult to find something that could be concealed just beneath foliage or inside rock outcrops.
Federal teams brought in equipment to attempt locating a Bluetooth ping from Guthrie’s pacemaker, but those efforts did not turn up a signal. Thermal imaging from aircraft and hours of ground searches likewise failed to reveal her, underscoring how easily the washes can mask heat and movement from above. Krygier warned that infrared and aerial tools have limits in this environment and that low-lying concealment can evade technology.
Volunteers and outside groups have offered extra manpower, and Krygier embraced the idea of collaboration. “At this point, I can’t imagine saying no to anyone offering help, whether it be cadaver dogs, the Cajun Navy has popped up again,” Krygier told Fox News Digital. “Those are just extra feet on the ground that I don’t have to pay, quite honestly. Maybe if they find something, awesome. We probably wouldn’t have found it. If they don’t, great. I personally would be accepting some of that help. There’s no reason not to at this point.”
The family and law enforcement have made public appeals and pooled rewards that now top $1.2 million for credible information that breaks the case. Tips can be called into Tucson’s 88-Crime line at (520) 882-7463, and the family also asks anyone with actionable information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI. Authorities continue to ask residents with cameras or observations from the early-morning hours to come forward.
Local residents say the neighborhoods around the washes can feel remote despite being only minutes from main roads, and neighbors have been checking footage and exchanging notes as investigators probe possible routes. Krygier believes someone would need to know the area to use the washes effectively without being seen, suggesting any pre-scouting could be key. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office and federal partners keep the case active while the community looks for answers.
