‘Burglary Gone Wrong’: Investigators Believe Nancy Guthrie Was Not Kidnapped; Report

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie may have started as a “burglary gone wrong” rather than a carefully planned abduction, according to a report Sunday from CBS 5 true crime correspondent Briana Whitney.

Whitney, citing what she described as an “inside source,” said investigators now believe the crime was not an intended kidnapping. She also reported that authorities hold a “widespread belief” that Guthrie “could be alive,” nearly two weeks after the 84-year-old vanished from her Tucson home.

“We can now report investigators now believe this was a burglary gone wrong,” Whitney said in a video posted on X. “We’ve interviewed multiple experts since this began who also said based on the evidence, the surveillance video, and other aspects of this case, that they also believed this was not an intended kidnapping.”

Whitney, who works for a CBS affiliate in Phoenix, said DNA recovered from a Range Rover found roughly two miles from Guthrie’s home is being tested. That vehicle was seized by investigators Friday as part of the ongoing probe.

“And last but probably most important, the widespread belief by investigators tonight is that Nancy Guthrie could be alive,” Whitney added.

We can now confirm through an inside source investigators believe Nancy Guthrie abduction was intended burglary, and DNA evidence is currently being tested from the Range Rover that was seen being towed away Friday.

Here’s what we know and can report… pic.twitter.com/gr43wwWII4

— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) February 15, 2026

The report landed as local and federal authorities continue to chase leads in what had initially been described as a suspected kidnapping. NBC News reported Sunday that investigators are analyzing DNA from a glove discovered several miles from Guthrie’s residence to determine whether it matches anyone in the federal database.

That same report said “authorities are leaning away from several people previously scrutinized, including the man whose home was searched Friday night, a man named Carlos who was stopped in a car last week and any of Guthrie’s relatives.”

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The case has drawn national attention because Guthrie is the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie. Earlier in the investigation, FBI Director Kash Patel released photos and video of a masked “potential subject” seen outside Nancy Guthrie’s front door. Patel said the footage had been recovered from a surveillance camera that was “previously inaccessible.”

Despite the release of those images, authorities have not publicly identified a suspect. No arrests have been announced as of Sunday evening.

The FBI tells me it has “no clue where that came from” in response to the new local news report that cites an inside source who says the Guthrie case was a burglary gone bad.

— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) February 16, 2026

Shortly after Whitney’s report circulated, Fox News correspondent Matt Finn said the FBI had “no idea where that came” regarding the claim that investigators had settled on a burglary theory.

As speculation swirls, Savannah Guthrie addressed the public again Sunday night, posting a new video message expressing hope that her mother will return safely. She also appealed directly to whoever may be holding her, saying “it is never too late to do the right thing.”

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For now, investigators remain tight-lipped about the evidence they are weighing behind the scenes, even as competing narratives emerge about what may have happened inside the Tucson home that night.

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