Trump Says DOJ Should Seek Death Penalty If Nancy Guthrie Is Killed
President Donald J. Trump delivered a blunt warning Monday to those responsible for the abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie: release her unharmed — or face the harshest penalties under federal law.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Post, President Trump made clear that if the elderly mother of NBC “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie is killed, he would expect the Justice Department to pursue capital punishment.
“The most, yeah — that’s true,” Trump said when asked if that meant the DOJ would seek the death penalty.
The president emphasized that the kidnappers would face “very, very severe — the most severe” federal consequences if Nancy Guthrie is found dead after being taken from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1.
Trump personally reached out to Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 4 to offer federal assistance as the investigation intensified. The FBI later released images and video showing a masked man standing at the front door of the suburban Catalina Foothills residence shortly before the abduction.
While the president has largely refrained from public commentary as the investigation unfolds, federal authorities have mobilized extensive resources in what is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched criminal cases of the year. Law enforcement officials believe Nancy Guthrie may still be alive.
Over the weekend, authorities conducted aerial searches over the surrounding desert terrain using advanced Bluetooth detection technology in hopes of picking up a signal from Guthrie’s pacemaker — a sign investigators are exhausting every available tool to locate her.
Federal charges are frequently pursued in high-profile abduction cases, particularly where interstate elements or violations of federal statutes may apply.
Arizona retains the death penalty, though many of the state’s 109 death row inmates have remained there for decades amid lengthy appeals. The state has carried out two executions since 2022, following a nearly two-year pause by the Democrat-led state government that was lifted in late 2024. Separately, the federal government also maintains capital punishment authority and typically reserves it for the most egregious crimes.
Among those currently facing or serving federal death sentences are Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Pittsburgh synagogue gunman Robert Bowers, and Charleston church murderer Dylann Roof.
Former President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row, though Tsarnaev, Bowers, and Roof were excluded from those commutations. Trump administration officials have since indicated that the remaining federal death row inmates will be transferred to a federal supermax facility under strict confinement conditions.
Meanwhile, investigators may have made a significant forensic breakthrough in the Guthrie case.
Federal agents recovered a black glove from a brush area approximately two miles from Guthrie’s home on February 11 — one day after the FBI released surveillance images of the masked suspect approaching the residence on January 31. The discovery followed days of coordinated search operations across desert and scrubland near the Catalina Foothills property.
In a statement Sunday, an FBI spokesperson said the glove containing a DNA profile “appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video.” The spokesperson further noted that the glove recovered with the DNA profile is distinct from others found in the area and visually consistent with those worn by the suspect.
Investigators collected roughly 16 gloves during the search operation. Most were ruled out as unrelated debris. The glove believed to be connected to the suspect was isolated and sent for advanced forensic analysis.
According to reporting from The New York Post, the glove was transported to a private laboratory in Florida. Samples reportedly arrived Friday, and preliminary DNA findings were returned Saturday, identifying an unknown male DNA profile.
The FBI stated it is awaiting final quality control verification and formal confirmation of the results — a process that typically takes about 24 hours.
As the investigation presses forward, President Trump’s message remains unequivocal: if Nancy Guthrie has been harmed, those responsible will face the full weight of American justice.