Retired homicide sergeant highlights errors in Nancy Guthrie investigation

Jami Ganz, New York Daily News on Mar 17, 2026

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A retired Phoenix Police homicide sergeant is shedding light on the errors of investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, over a month-and-a-half after she was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the middle of the night.

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother to “Today” show co-host Savannah, was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 and reported missing the following day, with authorities quickly pointing to foul play.

Retired Phoenix Police homicide sergeant Troy Hillman told Us Weekly that though the public has likely only been made aware of “a small percentage of what law enforcement knows” and assumes “the perpetrator is or will be at some point in their files,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department may have unwittingly jeopardized the case along the way.

Despite the “intense” push for answers early on, Hillman feels “too much information was put out in the first couple of days.”

He said the decision to open Nancy’s home to her family the same week she disappeared “created some possible tainting of evidence issues when they had to re-secure the crime scene.”

Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has come under fire for his handling of the case, last month denied claims Pima County has stopped the FBI from getting physical evidence, but Hillman explained “snags in information filtering” can occur with “multiple agencies communicating up and down different chains of command.”

Nanos last week told NBC News that authorities believe Nancy “was targeted” but are “not 100% sure” and therefore warned others to “keep your wits about you.”

The Guthrie family is also offering $1 million leading to the recovery of Nancy, while the FBI is offering $100,000 for her recovery or the arrest of perpetrators. An anonymous donor is offering $100,000 along with anonymous tip line 88-CRIME’s $2,500 reward.