As the search for Nancy Guthrie entered its 52nd day on Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos made his most direct public statement yet about a key investigative finding — while authorities simultaneously scrambled to warn the public about scammers attempting to exploit the high-profile disappearance.
Sheriff Confirms January 11 as Key Date, Backed by FBI Analysis
In what marks a significant shift in the official narrative, Sheriff Nanos confirmed to KOLD News on Monday that investigators now believe an incident at Nancy Guthrie's Catalina Foothills home occurred approximately three weeks before she was reported missing.
"We do believe that something occurred on Jan. 11, and that's with the FBI's analysis of the equipment and digital stuff they've done," Nanos told KOLD, according to the New York Post. The sheriff declined to elaborate on what specific evidence had led investigators to focus on that particular evening.
The statement represents the first time Nanos himself has gone on record confirming January 11 as a concrete investigative finding — and notably, he attributed the determination directly to FBI equipment and digital analysis. The development is significant given that the Pima County Sheriff's Department had previously described differing characterizations of doorbell camera imagery from that date as "purely speculative." The Guthrie family's own urgent statement last week also specifically called on community members to review footage and notes from the late evening of January 11, alongside January 31 and the early morning hours of February 1.
Nanos offered no additional detail about the nature of whatever may have transpired on January 11 — roughly three weeks before Nancy Guthrie vanished — nor whether it is believed to be directly connected to her abduction.
PCSD Denies Knowledge of March 15 Home Invasion
In a separate development, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that there is "no information regarding a possible home invasion on March 15" and whether any such incident would be connected to the Guthrie case. It was the first public statement from the department addressing reported inquiries about the March 15 incident.
Fraud Warning: No Official GoFundMe Exists
With the case now drawing intense national attention and a $1 million reward on the table, the Pima County Sheriff's Department issued a formal public warning on Tuesday via its official X account, cautioning the public against fraudulent fundraising efforts capitalizing on the investigation.
"Please be advised there is no official GoFundMe or any fundraising effort associated with the Guthrie investigation," the department's statement read, according to Hello Magazine. "Billboard displays are funded through official channels. Any claims suggesting otherwise are fraudulent and will be investigated accordingly."
The department urged the public not to send money to anyone claiming to raise funds related to the case, and directed those with tips to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or 88-CRIME.
Security Expert Weighs In
Also on Tuesday, James Hamilton — a security expert and former FBI special agent who founded Hamilton Security Group — appeared on FOX 10 Talks to publicly discuss his theory about what happened to Nancy Guthrie, according to Fox 10 Phoenix. The specific details of Hamilton's theory were not disclosed in available reporting.
Board of Supervisors Meets on Sheriff's Conduct
The Pima County Board of Supervisors convened its regularly scheduled 9 a.m. meeting Tuesday at 130 W. Congress Street in Tucson, with a formal agenda item addressing Sheriff Nanos' "work history misrepresentation and apparent false testimony" provided during a December 11, 2025 sworn deposition. Supervisor Matt Heinz — who previously told Newsweek the board intended to address the matter — has been considering invoking an obscure territorial-era Arizona law that would allow the board to compel any county officer to make a report under oath, with the power to vacate the seat after 10 days of noncompliance should the officer refuse. No outcome of the meeting was available as of the latest published reports.
Case Background
Nancy Guthrie, 84-year-old mother of NBC Today anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on the evening of January 31 when her son-in-law dropped her at her Tucson home after dinner at approximately 9:48 p.m. Her doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m. on February 1, and her pacemaker app disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m. When she failed to appear at church later that Sunday morning, friends alerted family and she was reported missing around noon, according to Hello Magazine. Investigators have said they believe she was taken against her will, and blood droplets were discovered on her front doorstep.
More than 40,000 tips have been submitted to investigators, according to Hello Magazine, yet authorities have not publicly identified any suspects. The reward for information leading to Nancy's return stands at $1 million.
What to Watch For Next
The outcome of Tuesday's Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting — and whether Supervisor Heinz moves to formally invoke the territorial-era law against Sheriff Nanos — is the most immediate development to monitor. Additionally, investigators have yet to detail what specifically occurred on January 11, leaving that critical piece of the timeline unresolved. With the FBI's digital analysis now cited on the record by the sheriff himself as the basis for that finding, further disclosure about the nature of that evening's events remains a key open question in the investigation.