Five months into the Nancy Guthrie investigation with no named suspects, a retired Modesto Police detective says a “careless mistake” could still be found through newer car tracking and how addresses can be searched online. Nancy, 84, has been missing since Fe
By the fifth month of the Nancy Guthrie investigation, the silence is starting to feel heavy. No suspects have been named. No clear update has broken through. And for a family already living in the endless stretch between “when” and “why,” even small technical details can sound like a lifeline.
Retired Modesto Police Department detective Jon Buehler—who previously worked the Laci Peterson case—said the breakthrough may come from an error made by the person responsible. In an interview with NewsNation’s Brian Entin. Buehler pointed to the way someone might have handled information about Nancy Guthrie’s address.
“If somebody ever plugged her address into a Google search for a Google Maps or whatever. if they did a reverse keyword search on that because those records are maintained for a period of time. to see any random person that would have typed in her address that had a reason to do it and then you’d contact that person and find out why did you put that address. ” Buehler said.
Nancy Guthrie is 84 years old and has been missing since February 1. Police believe she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
Investigators have released doorbell camera footage of a masked suspect. They also sent DNA for testing at the FBI lab in Quantico. Even with those steps, no suspects have been named.
Buehler said newer cars could be part of what narrows the field. “Car tracking could eliminate or target those with legitimate reasons for traveling to Nancy’s address, such as delivery drivers,” he explained.
He also framed a possible suspect profile—someone close enough to reach the home through routine work. but motivated by what they might have seen or learned. “Any tradespeople that maybe were doing plumbing repair or electrical repair. anybody who was delivering furniture. anything that came up where somebody could see her as a source of ransom because of the connection with Savannah and Savannah’s notoriety. ” Buehler said.
The retired detective stayed focused on why time still matters in this case. He pointed to how investigations can hinge on fear—and on whether the right person ever feels safe enough to speak.
“We had a random murder that went 11 years unsolved, and it was only because the one person that could give us the information was afraid to come forward, and it took 11 years for them to get over that fear,” he shared.
He also suggested that the information needed to move the case forward could already be in investigators’ hands. The problem, he said, is timing and prioritization once tips start coming in.
“When tips come in on a case like Nancy Guthrie’s, they’re prioritized as best they can, but you still don’t know for sure if they’re prioritized correctly,” he stated. “And so there might be something in there that we’re waiting on, that could break it wide open.”
What’s striking in Buehler’s comments is the way “carelessness” can become evidence. A search made for the wrong reason. A drive logged by a newer vehicle system. A delivery route that looks normal—until it connects to a home that became a target. In a case where February 1 remains a hard line in time. those details are the kind investigators need. because they can separate coincidence from intent.
For the family of Nancy Guthrie—mother of Today’s Savannah Guthrie—the investigation’s uncertainty is still the dominant reality. But for now. the emphasis from Buehler is clear: newer tools and the smallest missteps might still be enough to turn a stalled case into something solvable. even if it takes longer than anyone wants.
Nancy Guthrie Tucson missing person abduction Jon Buehler Modesto Police Laci Peterson case doorbell camera FBI Quantico lab car tracking Google Maps search