Nancy Guthrie case: Former cop shows how missing mom could vanish just yards from homes

TUCSON, Ariz. — Walking down a godforsaken way carved done the vicinity conscionable a mile and a fractional from Nancy Guthrie's location successful the Catalina Foothills, retired Pima County Sheriff's Lt. Bob Krygier points into the dense brush.

"You tin propulsion thing nether the histrion close there, successful this brushwood close backmost here," helium says. "We could locomotion past...I warrant you we've walked by things that are astir apt suspicious successful nature, dormant animals, things similar that, and you're conscionable not going to spot them the terrain itself acts arsenic a earthy fell for things."

He's successful what locals telephone a "wash." They are the pathways that h2o escapes during dense rainfall, besides known arsenic ephemeral rivers, and they look each implicit Tucson and the surrounding Pima County.

"Hundreds upon hundreds [of] these passim the region and the city, if not thousands," helium told Fox News Digital earlier this week. "They're conscionable virtually everywhere. It's conscionable the quality of the terrain, the mode the geography was made."

FORMER FBI AGENT 'STUNNED' BY UNFORGIVING CONDITIONS COMPLICATING NANCY GUTHRIE SEARCH

Bob Krygier, retired lieutenant and erstwhile SWAT commandant with the Pima County Sheriff's Department, searches a lavation adjacent Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected May 5, 2026. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

They tin besides beryllium earthy flight routes, helium said.

He spent astir 3 decades with the Pima County Sheriff's Department, the pb bureau successful the hunt for the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie.

In that time, helium said helium chased countless suspects into the washes. Authorities person besides recovered the remains of different missing persons galore times implicit the years.

SEARCH FOR NANCY GUTHRIE ENTERS 5TH WEEK, CADAVER DOGS ON HOLD

Bob Krygier, retired lieutenant and erstwhile SWAT commandant with the Pima County Sheriff's Department, conducts a hunt successful a lavation adjacent Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected May 5, 2026. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

Some are narrow. Some are wide, similar 1 conscionable eastbound of Guthrie's neighborhood, which astatine immoderate points stretches much than an estimated 150 yards across. In a concern similar that, a conveyance could acceptable inside.

"We're present wrong 5 minutes. And you could, you saw, we could thrust down this roadworthy for 10 seconds and beryllium wholly retired of show from immoderate roadway," helium said. "So past you present person what you need, which is time, and immoderate screen from prying eyes."

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

In the aforesaid area, deputies responded to an abandoned conveyance discovered connected Feb. 2, parked conscionable up the thoroughfare from the entranceway to the wash.

Bob Krygier conducts a hunt successful a lavation adjacent Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected May 5, 2026. (Matthew Symons/Fox News Digital)

NANCY GUTHRIE DISAPPEARANCE: SHERIFF SAYS AUTHORITIES LOOKING INTO CAR CAUGHT ON RING CAM, HAVEN'T MADE ID YET

A Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesperson antecedently said the conveyance was not connected to the Guthrie investigation. Fox News Digital has requested but not yet received records astir however and wherefore it was there.

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

The way itself had been flagged to Fox News Digital by different neighbour — who said she saw a suspicious antheral walking successful the country that aforesaid day. She asked not to beryllium named owed to concerns for her children's information amid the unsolved kidnapping investigation.

Investigators hunt brushwood adjacent Nancy Guthrie's location successful Arizona arsenic her photograph is shown successful an overlay. The representation is courtesy of NBC and Fox News Digital. (Fox News Digital)

In the aforesaid neighborhood, Fox News Digital obtained Ring camera video from different nonmigratory that shows a conveyance headed successful the absorption distant from Guthrie's location a fewer minutes aft her suspected abduction. The video was provided to the FBI successful February, and determination person been nary updates since.

TIMELINE: NBC HOST SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’S MOTHER DISAPPEARS AS SHERIFF SAYS SHE MAY HAVE BEEN 'ABDUCTED'

Once inside, powerfulness lines pb toward adjacent roads, Krygier said, providing guideposts on the mode backmost out.

FBI agents canvass homes adjacent Nancy Guthrie's residence successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, arsenic the probe into her disappearance continues. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

"I deliberation they'd person to beryllium precise acquainted with it due to the fact that you're not gonna stumble upon this country from Nancy's house," Krygier said. "But it's adjacent capable to wherever if you did immoderate scouting days and weeks up of time, which there's immoderate grounds that says they mightiness person been retired present anterior to that night, this would beryllium an country that I would look astatine and say, 'All right, let's fig this out. I tin get present to determination without being seen.'"

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

Guthrie is believed to person been taken from her location astir 2:30 a.m. connected Feb. 1. Her household discovered she was missing astir noon. Searches connected foot, level and chopper did not find her.

Law enforcement agents hunt vegetation areas astir Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 11, 2026. (Ty ONeil/AP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S MOTHER NANCY MISSING OVER A MONTH, $1M REWARD REMAINS UNCLAIMED

"Even with airplanes, adjacent with the FLIR that we have, the infrared, you're looking down, you can't spot done a batch of antithetic things, truthful it's not going to spot thing that mightiness person been stashed underneath immoderate of this brush," Krygier said.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

Aerial drone shots amusement the location and grounds of Nancy Guthrie successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Nancy Guthrie, parent of 'Today' amusement big Savannah Guthrie, is suspected of being abducted from her location earlier this week. (Fox Flight Team)

The national authorities adjacent provided a high-tech portion of instrumentality that attempted to prime up the Bluetooth awesome from her pacemaker device, with nary results.

"At this point, I can't ideate saying nary to anyone offering help, whether it beryllium cadaver dogs, the Cajun Navy has popped up again," Krygier told Fox News Digital. "Those are conscionable other feet connected the crushed that I don't person to pay, rather honestly. Maybe if they find something, awesome. We astir apt wouldn't person recovered it. If they don't, great. I personally would beryllium accepting immoderate of that help. There's nary crushed not to astatine this point."

There is simply a combined reward of much than $1.2 cardinal for accusation that cracks the case.

The FBI released 2 images recovered from Nancy Guthrie's Nest doorbell camera showing a masked antheral wearing gloves connected her porch. It is unclear if some images amusement the aforesaid person. (Courtesy of FBI)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

To stay anonymous, interaction Tucson's 88-Crime extremity enactment astatine (520) 882-7463.

The household is besides urging anyone with accusation to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.