President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to whoever is responsible for the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC’s Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, declaring that those responsible could face the ultimate punishment under federal law.
In an interview published Monday by the New York Post, Trump addressed the ongoing case directly, stating the abductors would face “very, very severe—the most severe” federal consequences if Nancy Guthrie is found dead.
When pressed by the Post on whether that statement meant the Department of Justice would pursue capital punishment, the president responded, “The most, yeah, — that’s true.”
The White House, when contacted by NBC News for comment on Trump’s statements, directed reporters to the New York Post interview.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the evening of January 31, 2026, after family members dropped her off at her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Arizona.
Her family reported her missing on February 1 when she failed to appear for a virtual church service with a friend.
The investigation has now stretched into its third week with no arrests made and no confirmed sighting of the missing 84-year-old, who has lived in the Tucson area for more than five decades.
Over the weekend, the FBI announced a significant development — the discovery of a glove recovered approximately two miles from Guthrie’s home.
Agents determined the glove appears consistent with those worn by a masked individual captured on doorbell camera footage from the morning of her disappearance.
The glove has been submitted for DNA testing. Preliminary results, according to authorities, indicate DNA from an unknown male was recovered from the glove.
The FBI has catalogued tens of thousands of tips in connection with the case, with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos stating that between the FBI and his department, investigators have fielded roughly 40,000 to 50,000 leads.
In response to the wave of public interest, the FBI raised its reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s location or the arrest and conviction of those responsible to $100,000.
Authorities describe the suspect seen in doorbell camera footage as “male, approximately 5’9″ – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack.”
The individual is seen in the footage wearing a ski mask and a holstered pistol.
Sheriff Nanos publicly pushed back against speculation that the disappearance stemmed from a burglary, stating the evidence does not support that theory.
“This is somebody who disappeared from the face of the Earth, and now we have a camera that says here’s the person who did this,” he said.
Nanos further noted that investigators have been unable to pin down a clear motive, pointing to the fact that nothing of significant value was taken from Guthrie’s home.
“That’s what makes me say this is a kidnapping. The motivation for it is where we get stuck, right?” Nanos said.
“Is it for money? I mean, we had the one demand where they asked for money. But is it really for money, or is it for revenge for something?”
Multiple media outlets have reported receiving ransom notes connected to the case.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, Annie and Camron, publicly acknowledged reports of ransom communications in a video statement on Feb. 4, with Savannah addressing the abductor directly and stating the family was “ready to talk.”
The Guthrie family has been cleared as suspects. Nanos declared, “To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple.”
