The whereabouts of TODAY host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, remain unknown, and her neighbors in Tucson, Arizona, are tying yellow ribbons on mailboxes, trees and cacti as a powerful symbol of hope while the search continues for the 84-year-old, who disappeared from her home on Sunday, February 1, 2026.
Neighbors wear yellow ribbons to show support
Nancy’s neighbor, Laura Gargano, told PEOPLE that the idea came from another local resident. She also explained why she chose the yellow ribbon.
“Some of us put flowers in front of Nancy’s house, and others who might not want to go to Nancy’s house put ribbons on their mailboxes,” Gargano shared. “Yellow ribbons are an expression of hope and support after someone goes missing. I believe the use of yellow ribbons dates back to hostage situations in the 1970s,” she tells People.
The yellow ribbon became popular in 1979, when 52 U.S. diplomats were taken hostage in Iran, according to the National Museum of American Diplomacy. The movement began with the wives of the highest-ranking hostages and was inspired by the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon on the Ole Oak.”
At the end of Nancy’s driveway, a ribbon contains a Bible verse from Isaiah 43:2 that reads, “I will be with you when you walk through deep waters,” People reported.
How Nancy’s disappearance affects the community
A neighbor, Nicolette Daily, also told People magazine about the impact of the disappearance on the community.
“My husband is going out of town next week. I asked my mom to stay because I’m scared to be alone,” Dailey said. “This is all very, very scary and no community is safe. There is a false [idea that]“I live in a nice neighborhood and it’s safe.” That’s not the case. But you don’t think someone is going to come to your house in the middle of the night and take you away. It’s terrible,” she said.
“It’s a horrible thing for her children to have to imagine what their mother went through and not even know where she is now. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. It’s horrible,” she added.
What do we know about the case so far?
Nancy was reported missing on Sunday, February 1st and was last seen at her home on the evening of January 31st. Officials believe her doorbell camera saw a masked man abducting her in the early hours of February 1, according to multiple media reports. The camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. local time, a person was detected at 2:12 a.m., and at 2:28 a.m., Nancy’s pacemaker disconnected from the app on her phone.
The FBI Phoenix office described the suspect as “a male, approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a medium build. In the video, he is seen carrying a 25-liter black ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack.”
The People magazine report said a glove found about two miles from Nancy’s home did not match DNA collected there, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
“It did not trigger a match in the national CODIS database and did not match DNA found at the property,” the Pima Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday, Feb. 17.
“DNA found at the property is being analyzed and further testing is required as part of the investigation.”
“Investigators are currently looking at other options for investigating genetic genealogy to obtain DNA evidence to check for matches. CODIS is one of many options for available databases,” Chief Pima added.
