Missing Hiker Search Enters Day 22
Search-and-rescue teams in Arizona have found a backpack as the search for missing hiker Nancy Guthrie enters its 22nd day. Volunteers continue to scour remote terrain for clues in what has become an extended wilderness rescue operation. The discovery marks the first significant evidence found since the experienced hiker disappeared in the Arizona backcountry.
- Nancy Guthrie, 84, is the mother of NBC News journalist Savannah Guthrie and was reported missing from her Catalina Foothills home on February 1, 2026, after she did not show up for church. - The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are investigating her disappearance as a likely abduction, citing evidence of a struggle at her home, including bloodstains that were a DNA match to Guthrie. - Authorities have released doorbell camera footage of a masked and armed suspect at Guthrie's residence on the morning she went missing and are offering a reward of up to $200,000 for information. - The recently discovered backpack is described as a 25-liter "Ozark Trail Hiker Pack" sold exclusively at Walmart, a detail that has prompted investigators to collaborate with the retailer. - The suspect seen in the surveillance footage is described as a male between 5'9" and 5'10" with an average build. - Prior to the backpack's discovery, a pair of gloves found approximately a mile from her home were sent for forensic analysis. - Multiple ransom notes of unconfirmed origin have been sent to media outlets, demanding payment in cryptocurrency; however, the deadlines passed without any public developments.
