Is Nancy Guthrie Still Alive? Walmart Backpack Clue Takes New Turn as eBay Plot Revealed

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said on 2 March that investigators in Arizona believe they are 'definitely closer' to understanding what happened to Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of TODAY co‑anchor Savannah Guthrie, after new scrutiny over a backpack once thought to be a Walmart‑exclusive item and a possible eBay resale trail. The remark, shared by NBC News, offered one of the clearest public signals yet about where the case stands, hinting at movement in an investigation that has gripped viewers nationwide.

Guthrie was reported missing on 1 February. The news followed days of unusual sightings and neighbourhood footage that investigators have been analysing piece by piece, with the case drawing national attention because of the family's visibility and the unanswered questions that keep surfacing. From early on, Nanos told reporters there would be limits to what could be shared publicly, and he has kept to that line while still conceding that the inquiry has moved far beyond the bounds of a conventional missing‑person report.

He now says his team is working on the assumption that Guthrie is alive. That detail, attributed directly to him, has shaped the energy behind the search, though it is not presented as confirmation. According to NBC News, the sheriff's homicide‑unit team has joined forces with the FBI, and investigators are chasing thousands of leads in and around Tucson. The scale alone suggests how many loose threads are still being tested.

How The Nancy Guthrie Investigation Shifted Around Key Uncertainties

Nanos spoke to NBC's Liz Kreutz on 2 March, outlining how the investigation has grown in size, staffing and sheer complexity. His comment that detectives are 'definitely closer' provided a sense of momentum but left open the question of what, precisely, they are closing in on. He made no claim of imminent resolution, only that the team's understanding is moving forward.

At the same time, he emphasised that withholding certain details is not evasiveness but a necessary guardrail. Sharing every scrap of information, he said, would be 'neglectful' and 'irresponsible' because it could derail avenues investigators still consider viable.

One of the most striking pieces of that evidence remains the doorbell‑camera image of an unidentified man outside Guthrie's home on the night she vanished. Nanos confirmed that investigators have yet to identify the clothing worn in the footage, including the ski mask, backpack and holster seen on the man's silhouette. The backpack in particular has become a pivot point.

The Walmart Backpack Clue And An Online Detour

For starters, Nanos told Kreutz that the backpack was initially believed to be exclusive to Walmart. That belief has since been complicated. Investigators have 'now learned that maybe it wasn't purchased out of Walmart', he said. Instead, they are examining the possibility that someone purchased the bag and resold it online, potentially on eBay. Such a scenario would force detectives to trace a chain of resales, each requiring verification, rather than tracking a single retail transaction. As Nanos put it, 'That's what we're looking at.'

Even if that line of inquiry proves fruitful, it is also a reminder of how modern investigations can be thwarted by ordinary commerce. A backpack is not a fingerprint. A resale listing does not come stamped with intent. Police will need a seller, a buyer, a timestamp, and ideally a match to a real person who can be put in a real place.

Another piece of footage has also drawn attention. Fox News Digital obtained Ring‑camera video showing a car travelling through Guthrie's neighbourhood at 2.36am on 1 February, roughly 2.5 miles from her home. Guthrie was reported missing later that morning. NBC News has not independently verified the clip, and that lack of verification hangs over the discussion like a disclaimer. Nanos said authorities are aware of the footage and are assessing it, but they have not identified the vehicle. He noted that they are reviewing that car alongside hundreds of thousands of others on the road at that time.

DNA, often treated by the public as a decisive answer, has not been straightforward either. According to NBC News' account of Nanos's remarks, investigators are still working to process mixed DNA found at Guthrie's property. The samples may include genetic material from several individuals, which complicates efforts to isolate a single usable profile. Some of that DNA has been entered into the FBI's national database, though no matches have been returned. Nanos said he still believes it could become a viable lead as testing continues.

Meanwhile, the family's presence has been quietly persistent. On 2 March, Savannah Guthrie, her sister Annie and Annie's husband Tommaso were seen placing flowers and a card outside their mother's home near Tucson. They have maintained a $1 million reward for information and have continued urging the public to come forward. The message they left read, 'Though we are surrounded by so much darkness and uncertainty, our love burns bright. We love you Mommy. We miss you so much.'