Border Patrol Joins Search For Savannah Guthrie’s Mother

The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has intensified as U.S. Border Patrol resources are now assisting local and federal authorities in southern Arizona.

Ali Bradley, senior immigration correspondent for NewsNation, confirmed on X that Border Patrol’s elite Tucson Sector BORSTAR unit — a specialized Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue team — has been deployed to help locate Guthrie, who has been missing since Sunday.

“NEW: Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector BORSTAR team (Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue) has been assisting in the search for Nancy Guthrie—It is a special operations group with extensive tracking and EMT capabilities,” Bradley wrote. “Sources within CBP say BORSTAR agents were set up to track her whereabouts,, but nothing was leaving the house that they could see.”

According to reporting from the New York Post, investigators are increasingly examining the possibility that Guthrie’s disappearance may involve more than one individual, a development that has heightened concern among law enforcement officials familiar with the case.

Wallace Zeins, a former NYPD hostage negotiator, discussed the case Tuesday evening on CNN, focusing on a ransom note allegedly connected to Guthrie’s disappearance. The note reportedly demands a substantial payment in cryptocurrency, a factor Zeins believes may reveal important details about the perpetrators.

Arizona authorities have publicly appealed to whoever may be holding Guthrie, but Zeins said the physical circumstances alone suggest multiple suspects.

“I believe the possibility of more than one person. She’s 150 pounds, 5 foot 5, waking up in the middle of the night, not in the best of health — can’t walk or run, so I would think there’s more than one person involved in this particular crime,” Zeins said.

He also addressed the alleged ransom note reportedly sent to entertainment outlet TMZ, emphasizing what its content may indicate.

“What does that tell you, it tells you that it’s some type of group that knows what bitcoin is all about, and social media, and they know the system,” he said, noting that the alleged kidnappers are demanding millions in electronic funds.

TMZ has reported that the ransom note contained specific details about the scene inside Guthrie’s home, information that could only have come from someone familiar with the residence. Zeins explained that the format of the note itself could be critical to the investigation.

“It’s unclear whether the ransom note was handwritten. If it was, it would need to undergo forensic testing,” Zeins said.

“If it was on a computer, then that helps also because the FBI is so good at what they do when it comes down to electronic surveillance and electronic stuff of that nature, then they will be able to further that investigation,” he added.

Guthrie was last seen at her Tucson home, where investigators later discovered blood spatter of undetermined origin. Authorities have not confirmed who the blood belongs to, nor have they identified any suspects or persons of interest.

The disappearance has triggered a multi-agency response involving local law enforcement and federal investigators. Officials have acknowledged recovering papers and communications from the home that are being reviewed for evidentiary value, though no direct connection to criminal activity has yet been established.

Sheriff’s officials continue to withhold key details as the investigation unfolds, repeatedly urging anyone with relevant information to contact authorities. No arrests have been made, and investigators have not publicly stated how many individuals they believe may be involved.

Nancy Guthrie, who requires critical medication every 24 hours, was officially reported missing on Sunday. Pima County police have expressed concern that she may have been abducted, though investigators have stated there is currently no evidence suggesting her disappearance was targeted.

The search remains active as authorities work to reconstruct Guthrie’s final known movements and determine her current whereabouts.