The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, is stretching into its third week, and President Trump weighed in Monday with a message for the kidnapper or kidnappers: release Nancy unharmed or you will face the “most severe” of federal penalties.
The older Guthrie appears to have been snatched from her home in the Tucson, Arizona, area in the early morning hours of Sunday, February 1; several ransom notes have been sent to the media, but none have led to the recovery of Nancy, nor do they seem to have shed much light on the perpetrators. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to recover some footage from a front-door camera at Nancy Guthrie's house, giving the public their first glimpse of the person who may be responsible for the ongoing mystery.
SEE ALSO: DNA Recovered From Glove Could Break Open Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Case
UPDATE: Guthrie Case Escalates, Multiple Detained After Operation; No Arrests Made
President Trump spoke with Savannah Guthrie the Wednesday after her mother's disappearance and told her he was "deploying all resources to get her mother home safely."
“I spoke with Savannah Guthrie, and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY. We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely. The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family. GOD BLESS AND PROTECT NANCY! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump wrote on Truth Social
Trump threatens kidnappers with death penalty if Nancy Guthrie isn’t returned alive in call with The Post https://t.co/aIDvvOeE5y
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) February 16, 2026
In his Monday comments, the president said the death penalty is on the table if and when those responsible for taking Nancy Guthrie are apprehended.
In a brief phone interview, Trump said he would want the Justice Department to seek the death penalty if the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is killed.
The president said the abductors would face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal consequences if Nancy Guthrie is found dead after being abducted from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1.
Asked if that meant the DOJ would request the death penalty, Trump answered: “The most, yeah — that’s true.”
President Trump's ominous message for the kidnappers comes one day after Savannah Guthrie put out a video on her Instagram telling those responsible "it's never too late to do the right thing."
Savannah Guthrie tells mom Nancy's kidnapper 'it's never too late to do the right thing' https://t.co/sjvYGkrSgS pic.twitter.com/fHcEyhpQAy
— New York Post (@nypost) February 16, 2026
As RedState's Joe Cunningham reported over the weekend, the FBI found DNA on a glove discovered near Nancy Guthrie's house, marking what could be a the most significant development yet in the search. Per Joe's reporting, "An FBI spokesperson confirmed the agency received preliminary results on Saturday and is awaiting quality control and official confirmation before putting the unknown male profile into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the bureau’s national DNA database. This process typically takes 24 hours from when the bureau receives DNA."
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the search for Nancy Guthrie, told one media outlet that "revenge" – presumably against Savannah Guthrie – could be the motive for the kidnapping.
“The motivation for it is where we get stuck, right? Is it for money? I mean, we had the one demand where they asked for money,” he said of notes that appear to have dried up despite failing to get the millions demanded in bitcoin.
“But is it really for money, or is it for revenge for something?” he asked.
Nanos is also hopeful that the door cam footage will blow the case wide open, saying, "I believe somebody out there can look at that video and go, 'I know exactly who that is.'"
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