Backpack Discovered Near Nancy Guthrie Home Not Linked to Case: Latest Update

Here’s a big development in the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who’s been missing from her home in the Tucson area since early February.

Volunteers out searching on their own over the weekend came across a black backpack not too far from her house—about 2-3 miles away, in a spot like a storm drain or nearby area. They quickly turned it over to the Pima County Sheriff’s deputies, and there was a lot of hope at first that it might connect to the masked suspect seen on her doorbell camera footage, the one carrying that specific Ozark Trail backpack authorities have been focusing on as a key lead.

But after checking it out, officials say this one isn’t linked to the case at all. It turned out to be a different brand—SwissGear, not the Ozark Trail hiker pack sold at Walmart that the suspect had. The bag they found was older, contained some unrelated items like a minor’s ID, and just didn’t match up as evidence.

The search is now on day 22 or so, with no major breakthroughs yet on identifying the person in those haunting surveillance images (the masked guy with gloves, backpack, and what looks like a holstered gun). Investigators are still digging into DNA from the scene and gloves found earlier, reviewing more footage, and following tips, but this backpack find was ruled out pretty quickly.

Frustrated Nancy Guthrie volunteers take search into their own hands – as they hand over suspicious backpack to cops https://t.co/9PKpOWJrPC pic.twitter.com/MfNSuUKS0N

— New York Post (@nypost) February 23, 2026

It’s tough for the family and everyone involved—frustration is building, which is why more locals and even groups from farther away have been joining volunteer efforts despite official requests to leave searches to pros.