Nancy Guthrie Case Nears Nine Months as Cold Case Expert Urges Investigators to Take a Fresh Look at Evidence

Nearly nine months after Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Arizona home, a cold case specialist says investigators should begin applying strategies typically used in long-unsolved cases, even though the investigation remains active.

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 at her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson. She was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities believe she was abducted, and no suspect has been named.

'Not at the cold case stage'

Aaron Benzick, a Texas police detective who specializes in cold cases, discussed the investigation in an Oct. 21 episode of "Brian Entin Investigates," hosted by NewsNation senior national correspondent Brian Entin.

Entin said he had been reluctant to call it a cold case because of the work still being done. He noted that a dedicated task force of sheriff's detectives and FBI agents works only on this case.

"But as more time goes on, it is starting to feel cold, at least based on the information that I have," Entin said. "At what point do you technically classify something a 'cold case'?"

Benzick said that depends on how many leads remain to be followed.

"Obviously, from the public's perception, when things are quiet from the agency — we've got almost a year's gone by, we haven't found Nancy — it's going to feel like things are cold or stale," he said. "But from an investigative point of view, we're not at the cold case stage."

Time for a new approach

Benzick said investigators should consider stepping back and reviewing what they have.

"It's definitely time to take an approach that you may approach a cold case with," he said. "You're in a stage of the investigation where you haven't found Nancy, there have been some roadblocks, some things and some struggles that we've had. But it's OK to take a step back, even bring in some different approaches, different eyes on this case, and look at what you have."

He said there are likely "thousands and thousands" of tips still being organized, along with physical and digital evidence.

"If you go to many an investigative room in agencies across the nation, all of these large amounts of data, law enforcement is not equipped right away for this amount of large amounts of data," he said.

Focus on facts and timeline

Benzick said he would focus on two areas: the timeline of the month leading up to the abduction, and the tips investigators have received.

"I would want to see what are the actual facts that I have in the case — the verifiable, hard facts — what are some things that we've assumed, and what are some things that are just open-ended?" he said. "And are they being accounted for?"

What is known

According to investigators and public reporting:

Guthrie's doorbell camera was disconnected at about 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1. Her pacemaker app lost contact with her phone at about 2:28 a.m. Blood found near the front entrance of her home was confirmed to be hers. The FBI released surveillance images of a masked, armed person on her porch that night.

The family received multiple ransom notes demanding cryptocurrency, some of which authorities determined were fake. One man pleaded guilty to federal harassment charges for sending fraudulent ransom demands and was sentenced to probation.

In early October, investigators said a text message containing an extortion demand, received Sept. 28, was not credible.

The family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Guthrie's recovery, in addition to other reward money.

Investigation scaled back

Hundreds of officers and agents took part in the early search. The effort has since been reduced. Earlier this year, Rick Kastigar, a former Pima County Sheriff's Department official, said the department was down to "15 or 20 individuals," with support from the FBI and other agencies.

Kastigar rejected the idea that the case had gone cold, saying investigators were still working through thousands of tips. "It's an active case," he said.

Family's ongoing pleas

Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have made repeated public appeals for information.

"We are begging for help. We are desperate. We need someone to come forward. Someone knows something," Savannah Guthrie said in August.

In an Instagram post on Aug. 1, she wrote: "Every day, we wake up and try to be strong and go on — because that's what our joyful and resilient Mom taught us to do. But make no mistake — our hearts are in ruins."

This month, Savannah Guthrie traveled to Ireland for a special "Today" broadcast and spoke about her mother's Irish heritage. She said she plans to return next summer with her children.

Still searching

The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI continue to seek information. Anyone with knowledge of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance is urged to contact the sheriff's department or the FBI.