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Officials Give Update On Search For Nancy Guthrie. Aired 1- 1:30p ET

Aired February 05, 2026 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, THE NEW YORK TIMES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I can bring some dog.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, dogs are welcome, always welcome on the show. We're dog people.

LEIGH ANN CALDWELL, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, PUCK: I think all the political news has gotten Stetson a little down here.

BASH: Oh, I know. It's all right. We'll cheer you up. This is why we need the dogs.

Thank you so much for coming on Rory and Stetson. We'll get you guys dogs next time.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Next time. I'm not a fan.

BASH: OK. Rory, thanks you for joining Inside Politics. "CNN News Central" starts right now.

[13:00:32]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking news.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this afternoon with breaking news. We're standing by to hear from officials in Tucson, Arizona, as the desperate search for Savannah Guthrie's mother stretches into a fifth day. Investigators say they still don't have a suspect in the abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, but they are looking into purported ransom notes sent to at least three media outlets.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Last night, Savannah, along with her brother and sister shared a heart wrenching plea for their mom's sister safe return and responded to the possible ransom notes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, "TODAY" ANCHOR & DAUGHTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE: As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: With us now, CNN's Ed Lavandera, who is in Tucson, and Josh Schirard, he's a former SWAT team commander and the director of Byrna Law Enforcement.

Ed, the main takeaways here from the Guthrie family's video.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, clearly what we need to get to the bottom of is whether or not since that video was posted by Savannah Guthrie and her siblings last night, if anything has changed, if that video prompted any kind of outreach to possible or potential kidnapper, if that is indeed what is happening here. So that is obviously of intense interest at this moment because we should be clear about this. Investigators have said that these notes which have been sent to the celebrity website TMZ as well as to CNN affiliates here in Tucson, we do not know at this moment if indeed those letters are in fact authentic and legitimate or if it's just some sort of cruel and awful hoax. We just don't have the answers to that at this moment. So it has been more than 12 hours since that video has been replayed and played countlessly millions of times over the -- over the last, I think more than 14 hours now at this point.

And the question is whether or not that video has caused anyone to come forward and engage with the family. So that is really at the -- at the heart of all of this and trying to determine what has happened with Nancy Guthrie because we are now entering the fifth day of this search, and up until now, investigators have been saying they simply have no suspects, no persons of interest. And it's not exactly clear how much evidence and tips they are getting that are proving to bear anything out and helping them in any way.

SANCHEZ: And it's been roughly 48 hours, Ed, since we heard from the sheriff of Pima County at a press briefing. Since then we know there was a follow up search at Nancy Guthrie's property. What can you tell us about that?

LAVANDERA: Yes, well, this happened just after 4:00 yesterday afternoon, Mountain Time here in Tucson, where about a dozen or so investigators showed back up at the house of Nancy Guthrie on the northern edge of Tucson. And this is significant because we had been told earlier in the week that investigators had finished their work there, that they had turned the house back over to the family. And this was really the most intense law enforcement presence we'd seen at what they have described as a crime scene since then. We do not know what they took away or exactly what prompted them to come back out to the home. But we witnessed for several hours yesterday investigators spending a great deal of time in the backyard of Nancy Guthrie's home, as well as going into the house through the garage.

And at one point, we did see an agent bringing out several bags of potential evidence and evidence bags. We don't know what was in them. We don't know what was carried out or what prompted the search. But it was a mixture of local law enforcement investigators as well as federal agents, as well as.

KEILAR: And John Miller is with us now. John, talk to us about these potential ransom notes. What investigators are doing to determine that they're real? How important it is that they would engage someone who may behind them or who may be holding Nancy Guthrie, which it seemed like that was part of the point of this video that was put out by Savannah and her siblings.

[13:05:01]

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, the stakes are incredibly high here, so it's not the kind of thing they can afford to discount. So what I'm told about the notes is that the -- that the notes contain specific information about the crime scene, conditions about the house. Now, some of this information may be the things that have leaked out in dribs and drabs that could have possibly been gleaned from the media, but some of it has not. And it's specific enough that it could be highly accurate or it could be a good guess. But as the sheriff said the other day, we're treating this the way we would treat any other lead, which is until we can prove it is something we can discount, we're going to treat it as real.

It is a letter that we learned from one of the -- one of the reporters in Tucson who was able to view the document that came into their newsroom. We're told it has a demand for a significant amount of money and that it sets a deadline, and that is why they are taking it very seriously. So what are the mechanics here, Brianna, is that you do what the family did yesterday, which is you reach out to the sender of that and you say, we need to make this go from a one way conversation to a two way conversation. We need to talk to you. And ultimately, we need to talk to Nancy Guthrie to make sure that A, you have her and B, that she's OK.

SANCHEZ: And Josh, what does it tell you that officials ultimately decided to share these notes with the Guthrie family?

JOSH SCHIRARD, FORMER SWAT TEAM COMMANDER: You know, as of last night, when we heard that video, one of the things they said in that video was that they had heard as the family, they had heard reports and rumors of a ransom note, which probably stood out to most people. But unfortunately, in many of these cases of abduction, the -- one of the suspects or people involved is known to that -- to the victim. So police had to make sure and rule out that anyone known to Nancy or anybody that they're going to share information with absolutely had nothing to do with this case. And I think that's where we're at as of this morning when they decided to bring Savannah in, being able to rule out that she hasn't had anything to do it, at least preliminarily, and then share some of this information. Obviously, there's information in this note that may be critical into finding Nancy's whereabouts or contacting the suspect.

But Savannah may have privileged information just because of her relationship, obviously, to the victim in this case that helps improve the legitimacy of one or more of these ransom notes, which can then lead them down the correct path in order -- in order to establish more lines of communication and start that dialogue to get Nancy home safely. So I think that moving forward, that's what we're going to see is more of this trying to establish this legitimacy of these ransom notes and try to establish more communication to get Nancy home safely. KEILAR: Yes. And this is a wonderful woman we're talking about, and that was the point that the family is driving home. I mean, anyone who's crossed paths with Savannah will tell you what a breath of fresh air and a wonderful person she is. That is -- she just stands out in that regard, and she credits her mother for that, Josh. And I thought it was really telling that she was emphasizing just the kind of person that her mom is.

And that is also very important, right, for if there is someone holding her, that they understand that and talk a little bit about that moment in this tape where they're saying, talk to her, and you'll see. You'll see how wonderful she is.

SCHIRARD: You know, when we start to develop these suspects and we start to find out a little bit more information about what actually happened, it's going to lead us right back to the whys, the motives, what is driving this crime, what was driving this abduction, if it turns out to actually be one, you know, that is going to tell us a lot about any suspect information. And so, you know, is this somebody that had some sort of, you know, hatred for Nancy for one reason or another, and trying to humanize her and make sure that anybody that involved in this case understands the, you know, the nature of her and how good she really is and how really just abhorrent this crime is against such an innocent person.

Look, we understand that there are good people, bad people, and everything in between out there, but no one deserves this particular outcome. And being kidnapped and abducted against their will, but especially someone so innocent as Nancy. And I think that's really what the family is trying to get across, is, hey, look, if we want to have this conversation, if we want to have this dialogue, you need to understand that the person that you're carrying this out against has nothing to do with this, and it is really a helpless victim, and we need to move past that to see what's behind this, the whys, the motives, and then we can start to work out a solution.

[13:10:12]

SANCHEZ: Josh and John, please standby as we await the start of this press conference. It will begin at any moment and we will bring it to you live. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We are looking here at live pictures out of Pima County, Arizona where any minute officials are expected to give an update on the search for Savannah Guthrie's mother. Nancy Guthrie has been missing since Saturday night, early Sunday morning. Multiple ransom notes have been sent to media outlets. And last night, Savannah and her siblings pleaded with those who have her mother to send proof of life.

[13:15:15]

We're hoping to hear whether their plea has been answered as well as whether those ransom notes have been authenticated. We're going to bring you this presser live as soon as it begins.

Today, President Trump served up a slew of attacks at the National Prayer Breakfast, repeating his false claims about rigged elections and urging Republicans to do something about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They rigged the second election. I had to win it. Had to win it. I needed it for my own ego. I would have had a bad ego for the rest of my life.

Now I really have a big ego. Beating these -- beating these lunatics was incredible.

The first time, you know, they said I didn't win the popular vote, I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House. And Alayna, the president's remarks come just days after the FBI seized these voting records in Georgia. What more did he have to say about all that?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, this has been so interesting because that was really a remarkable gambit in the president's, you know, years long effort now to continue and try to discredit the integrity of the 2020 election. So doubt on who actually won it. Of course, we know that it was the former president, Joe Biden, who won the 2020 election.

But one of the things that' interesting about all of this is that they have struggled a lot since then about getting their story straight, especially when it comes to the role of the president's Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and why she was on the ground. Now, we've heard a mix of different answers. First we heard from the president last week saying that she was there working very hard to try to keep the election safe. Those were his words.

But then we also heard from the deputy attorney general. Of course, DOJ oversees the FBI. The FBI conducted this search. Todd Blanche essentially said, I don't know why Tulsi Gabbard was there for that controversial search.

And then we heard from the White House press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that it was actually the president, President Trump, who asked that she be there. And then today we heard from the president himself saying actually it was Attorney General Pam Bondi who had requested Gabbard to be there. So a lot of mixed messaging about this. And of course, the reason there was so much attention on this is because this is a major deal that the FBI went and searched the Fulton County, Georgia, election center and so there's a lot of questions. We're standing by waiting for this White House press briefing to kickoff.

I should also note, part of the reason there's so much attention on this, Brianna, is because what we've heard the president say about elections as well in recent day. Earlier this week, during a podcast with his former deputy FBI director, Dan Bongino, he floated this idea of wanting to nationalize elections in the United States, something that is against the Constitution. It's the states who have the power to run the elections in the U.S. We heard the White House press secretary, another area of this kind of mixed messaging, Karoline Leavitt, saying that he was talking specifically about the SAVE Act, wanting voter id. But the president has now repeatedly come out and essentially said no, he is looking at this idea of federalizing elections.

So another major question we'll be watching for when she kicks this off shortly. Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Alayna Treene live for us at the White House. Thank you.

And Boris, it is looking like this press conference is set to begin here imminently.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we have been watching the podium awaiting the sheriff of Pima County. The first update directly from the sheriff in a press briefing setting in about 48 hours have been a number of developments in the case since then, most notably. And here is the sheriff, Chris Nanos, as he approaches the podium. Let's go ahead and listen in.

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Trying not to cover anything, any of these microphones up.

Good morning. I hope you've been kind of informed of the rules that I'm going to try to get as many, if not all of you, an opportunity to ask a question. But last time we tried this, it was just kind of chaotic, people yelling. So I'd ask that you just kind of be patient with me, pay attention to the questions asked because sometimes you guys want to ask the same question twice and you get the same answer. So help yourself, get what you can out of this.

I'm going to give you one question and a follow up. OK.

But before we get there, I do have some comments. First of all, I want to begin by offering our condolences to our partners at the State Department of Public Safety tragically lost two members last night in a helicopter crash up in Northern Arizona. So if you would keep them in your prayers, Colonel Glover (ph) and his team I'm sure would have greatly appreciated.

Along the same lines, I think you all saw all last night. Trying to speak up, not yell. Apparently I talk soft. We saw last night the family. You know, they just hurt.

[13:20:12]

Understandably so. And so I really want you to know, this entire team here, those behind me and our community are hurting with you. We really just want mom back. OK?

Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home. Our department, the sheriff's department, along with all of our partners at the FBI have been working around the clock, and we just want her home and get -- and find a way to get to the bottom of all of this, just as you do. But I have other partners out there who have stepped up, and you've probably noticed them in the last few days, if not the last few hours. And you're going to see more of that.

I made a decision to contact our PCRIT team. And those of you not local, that's our Pima Regional Critical Incident Team. It's made up of law enforcement officers from this entire valley, Pasqua Yaqui Police Department, Tucson Police Department, Marana Police Department, Oro Valley Police Department, Pima College Police Department, Tucson International Police Department, Cerritos Police Department. So many of them, and they are going to help us tremendously. And that's really done because we have so much in front of us still.

And we're hoping that, you know, I know the FBI has committed a very large number of men and women to partner with us, work side by side with us. We go do an interview, they're going to be there with us. We're going to go look at some evidence or process evidence. They're going to be right there with us. We're sharing every piece of information, all the data we can to get this thing solved.

And it's important that my partners in law enforcement know and understand their roles, because it is very large, complex investigation with a lot of moving parts. And we're at that phase now where sometimes we're waiting, right? We're waiting for analysis, we're waiting for lab reports. But even then, when they come back quickly, for example, some DNA, we rushed what we thought was the best target for DNA. We did a rush through and got some of that back.

The results were minimal. I think you all know the blood on the porch, that was one we did. It came back to Nancy. That's what we know. But there's still more items that have been submitted.

We just haven't got them back yet. But in the meantime, we're not just sitting on our haunches waiting. We do have a number of leads coming in, and that's why we brought in the FBI, for one. But PCRIT as well, to be able to get out there and handle these leads as they come in as quickly and as expeditiously as we can. And every single lead is looked at, every one of them.

And so we're gearing up. You probably have some questions about what you've seen in the last couple of days. I'll gladly answer those at that time, but it really is about getting our partners out there.

To be fair, when went to that scene the first night, Saturday night, it was just us. Since then, the FBI and others have asked, can we go and see it as well? And that's what you've been seeing. But it is a very important case to not just me and my team, but this entire community, all of our law enforcement partners.

Suspects. I know there's been a lot out there about suspects. And I want to be very clear at this time, we have not identified a suspect or a person of interest in this case. We are working our best to do that. But to be clear, we have nobody of interest or any suspects that you would consider a prime suspect. We're just not there. We're not there yet. The timeline, I think we've got it on the board. Do we not? This is a timeline that we have been able to develop with some of the things that we've had processed, various pieces of electronics that we've gathered.

And you look at some of this, and I know you're going to say, well, why did it take you so long to get this to us, Sheriff? Well, because one thing, it's got to go out and be processed at different lab sites. And sometimes that stuff comes back to us. And like you, we have questions and we say, wait a minute, what is this about? What about this?

[13:25:02]

Could it be that? And so it's sent back or it's sent somewhere else. So -- and that's happening with all of the things we see, that process, that review and that questioning of, all right, what is it we're looking at?

So I'll go over it with you. You can see it on the board there. But at about 5:32 p.m. these are approximate times. 5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to the -- to her local family's home for dinner and playing games with the family, just visiting. At 9:48 p.m., which is very consistent to what we were told by the family, that Nancy was dropped off at home. And we know that because we have a garage door open at approximately, I can't stress that enough, at approximately 9:48 p.m.

At 9:50 p.m. that garage door closes. It is that time we assume that Nancy's home and probably going to bed. Sunday morning, early morning at 1:47 a.m. the doorbell camera disconnects. At 2:12 a.m. Software detects a person on a camera, but there's no video available. They had no subscription and therefore it would rewrite itself.

Kind of -- it just kind of loops, right, and covers up. That's what our analysis teams have told us. We're not done with that. We'll do all we can. But that's what it says, detects a person on camera.

Could that be animal? I imagine that's possible. We don't know that. We just have no video. But we're not giving up on that.

2:28, Nancy's pacemaker app shows that it was a disconnect from the phone. And at 11:56 a.m. the family checks on Nancy, discovers her missing. And at 12:03 p.m. 911 is called into the Pima County Sheriff's Department. I believe it's about approximately 10 minutes later, 12 minutes later, our patrol teams arrive, they see the scene, and we start our response with our search and rescue teams and our detectives from homicide and various units. In fact, every unit here, I think somebody questioned how come there's an ICAC member out here or this member.

Everybody in our criminal investigations team is a part of this team and part of this investigative effort.

I think with that. Let me make sure. I want to clarify some things that I may have already done. But yes, I've gone over with the blood at the front door. The doorbell camera, it was removed. We know that, but we're not confirming that any cameras were smashed or destroyed around the house. I don't know where that came from, but that's something we're not confirming.

The car, the car that was at the home. It's just standard investigative practices. It's part of the search warrant scene, court orders. We pull it out of there and do our scene processing with the vehicle.

Uber. We did speak to a driver because Nancy we learned had been taken the Uber to the family residence, the daughter for dinner. And we located that driver and spoke with them and got that information. You guys got this, I think conducting follow up. I think you said somebody had mentioned that they saw team out there again last night or yesterday.

And that was -- that's just again what I was talking about before. Our partners wanted a chance to see it and examine things themselves. And more importantly, it's just we're constantly following up on things and go, hey, what about this? So we want to go back and check on some things.

Oh, here's the other thing. Someone had mentioned there was forced entry. I have no clue where that comes from. We have been very consistent. We are not discussing that at all.

Whether it's forced entry or not forced entry, that is something we're just not discussing. So I don't know where anybody got that information.

I think I am about done with my piece of this. I'm going to introduce -- bring up here Heath Yankee and (inaudible). John Edwards is the assistant agent in charge with the FBI here at the Tucson office. Heath Yankee is the special engineer in charge for the state of Arizona out of Phoenix and he will come up here --