It’s been five months since I turned 84 Nancy Guthrie“Today Show” anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona Home. Authorities believe she was abducted in the early morning hours of February 1, 2026.
Although a masked suspect was captured on video by a doorbell camera and DNA evidence was sent to the FBI’s Quantico lab, the suspect has not yet been named. Now, a retired detective is sharing what he thinks may finally solve the case.
Digital footprints and car tracking could be key
Jon Buehler, a retired Modesto Police Department detective who worked on the high-profile Laci Peterson case, talks with NewsNation’s Brian Entin about where the investigation might go.
Buller believes the person behind the crime may have made a simple numerical error. he told news nation If the suspect searched for Nancy Guthrie’s address on Google Maps or other navigation services before the alleged kidnapping, those records may still exist and could help investigators identify them.
“If someone plugs her address into a Google search on Google Maps or anything else, if they do a reverse keyword search on it because those records are kept for a period of time to see whoever randomly puts in her address and there’s a reason to do that, then you would contact that person and find out why you entered that address,” he told NewsNation.
Buhler also said newer vehicles with built-in tracking technology could provide another clue. Investigators may be able to identify vehicles that were near Nancy Guthrie’s home around the time she disappeared and then determine if the driver had a legitimate reason to be there. People such as delivery drivers may be excluded, while others may face greater scrutiny.
Buller suggested that the perpetrator might be someone who had been here before Nancy’s returns home with a job identity and realizes her connection to a wealthy television personality. As he told NewsNation, “Any tradesman who might be doing plumbing repairs or electrical repairs, anyone who was shipping furniture, anything that might have someone looking at her as a source of ransom because of her association with Savannah and Savannah’s notoriety.”
Retired detective thinks key clues may already exist
Buhler said the solution to the case may already exist, hidden beneath thousands of clues that investigators are still working on. He compared it to the 1999 Yosemite killings involving Cary Stayner, when a hand-drawn map sent by the killer went unnoticed for several days because it got lost in a pile of mail.
“When leads come in on cases like Nancy Guthrie’s, they’re prioritized as much as possible, but you’re still not sure if they’re prioritized correctly, so we might be waiting on something that might break it,” Buehler said.
He also noted that fear could keep cases stalled for years. “We had a random murder that went unsolved for 11 years simply because the people who could give us information were afraid to come forward and it took them 11 years to overcome that fear,” he said.
Additionally, he said he believed only one person was responsible for the kidnapping, noting the large reward offered in the case. “But because this reward really sticks with me, loyalty is quite expensive for other people,” he said. “No one with independent wealth would commit such a crime.”
Also read: Nancy Guthrie update: Pima County Sheriff faces criticism, Savannah quietly takes big step
The Guthrie family is still waiting for answers and the investigation is ongoing. The Guthrie family is still offering a $1 million reward for information, and the FBI has separately announced a $100,000 reward.
In addition, Savannah Guthrie paid $500,000 of her own money for a private investigator to help find her mother.
A source told The Sun, “She [Savannah] Not ready to stop looking for her mother. She feels it’s no longer enough to rely solely on official investigations – which is why she’s invested so heavily in private investigators and outside experts. “
