Savannah Guthrie's $1M Reward For Mom Triggers Surge In Tips As FBI Wraps Up Operation In Her Home

The FBI says that over 1,500 new tips have flooded in following Savannah Guthrie's announcement of a $1 million reward amid the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.

After nearly one month of searching for her, reports suggest investigators are slowly concluding operations in her home and would be ready to hand it back to her family.

Investigators also intend to make use of genetic genealogy to unravel the DNA samples found within and outside Nancy Guthrie's home, after no matches were found in the FBI's CODIS database.

According to the New York Post, the FBI confirmed that it has seen a spike in tips related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie since the reward was increased.

"Today" show host Savannah Guthrie made the announcement that her family would now pay $1 million for information on the whereabouts of her mom, who was reportedly abducted from her Tucson home in the early hours of February 1, 2026

"She may be lost, she may already be gone … if this is what is to be, then we will accept it," she said. "But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home."

Law enforcement is yet to find Nancy or come up with any viable lead as the search for the 84-year-old nears the 1-month mark.

According to the news outlet, the Pima County Sheriff's Department is now probing new footage from a neighbor's home that showed several cars passing by around the time she was allegedly abducted.

The ring footage of the residence, which sits about 2.5 miles from Nancy's home, appears to show a vehicle driving by around 2:30 a.m. on the night of the disappearance.

Meanwhile, the FBI is seemingly preparing to wind down operations in Nancy's home and is expected to hand it back to her family after taking a final sweep on Wednesday.

Sources told ABC News that the investigation bureau will also be pulling back its staff strength on the ground as many of its officers would relocate from Tucson to the larger office in Phoenix and work from there.

One man was recently arrested for a DUI outside Nancy's home after allegedly driving by "50 to 100 times" while looking at her photo.

Several videos and DNA evidence have been taken into consideration since the investigation began.

However, no suspect has been named in her disappearance, as reports claimed that the Pima County Sheriff's Department announced that Savannah, her two siblings, and their spouses have all been cleared as suspects.

DNA profile from a set of gloves found about 2 miles from Nancy's home didn't match any entry in the FBI national database, as well as those recovered from her residence.

According to CBS News, former deputy chief with the New York Police Department Emanuel Katranakis shared that investigators would resort to using genetic genealogy as a last-ditch effort to match a DNA sample with a person.

"If this perpetrator has a relative that is a convicted offender in the database, you build a family tree around it," Katranakis said, going further to add that, "You're throwing a wide net, you're looking for cousins."

The method has worked before, particularly in the case of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger, where the FBI used the crime scene DNA to identify him.

A forensic expert, Heather Barnhart, told Fox News Digital that the suspect's digital "blackout" could help solve the case, saying the "loudest evidence can be the lack of evidence."

Barnhart, who probed Bryan Kohberger's phone and ultimately helped solve the Idaho Student Murders, used the convicted killer as an example while explaining why it's hard to go off the grid in a technologically advanced world.

"[Killer Bryan] Kohberger literally created bookends around the crime by turning off his device," Barnhart said. "So in addition to all the clearing and other things that he prepped for to erase his digital footprint, the fact that right before the murder, his phone was turned off, and then within like 40 minutes or so after it was turned back on, kind of gave us that tunnel to look down here."

The expert explained that seemingly insignificant clues like the suspect's phone being switched off, movements, or tower pings can give investigators a clue.

"If the person prepped, they wouldn't ping that tower, but if they went ahead of time and scoped it out or planned, they would have," Barnhart said. "And then you can also look for entry and exit. And then proximity pings, because eventually you're going to turn your phone back on."

Barnhart also explained that investigators can look at behavior patterns in the area and try to spot an aberration or anything that seems off digitally.

Even a blackout can suffice, especially in a quiet neighborhood like Nancy's, where most devices will typically remain in one place with their owners asleep.

"With Bryan Kohberger, he disabled cellular, disabled Wi-Fi, and turned off his phone," Barnhart said.

She added, "That is extreme measures to not have a digital footprint. So he really took all the steps but still made a mistake… We hope in Nancy Guthrie, that whoever has her made a mistake and that we can uncover that footprint."