Elizabeth Smart Thinks Nancy Guthrie Could 'Absolutely' Be Alive as Search Continues: 'We Have to Keep Looking'

Elizabeth Smart said she believes Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old missing mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, could "absolutely still be alive.”

Drawing from her own abduction experience, Elizabeth urged authorities and the public to continue searching, emphasizing that victims can survive for extended periods and that hope should not be abandoned.

Elizabeth was kidnapped on June 5, 2002, when she was 14 years old. She was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Brian David Mitchell, a street preacher her parents had previously hired for a single day of handiwork.

Elizabeth was held captive for nine months, during which she was subjected to regular sexual assault, physical abuse and religious indoctrination. For much of her captivity, she was hidden in a mountain campsite only a few miles from her home.

Elizabeth told CNN's Erin Burnett that cases can span much longer than her nine-month abduction, reinforcing that a positive outcome was still possible.

“She could absolutely still be alive,” she said. “There are cases that span many more years than mine does, and they came back alive. I’m talking years and years. So, she absolutely still could be alive. Of course, there is the alternative, but until we know, we have to keep looking. She deserves either way to be brought home.”

Elizabeth emphasized that as long as a body has not been found, the possibility of a safe return remains. She argued that captors often keep victims hidden for long periods.

Elizabeth's comments come as the search for Nancy enters a critical phase, with some experts having expressed doubt about a positive outcome.

The baffling investigation has entered its fourth month without a definitive break. The most recent developments include a public dispute between federal and local authorities and a new documentary examining high-profile theories.

FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the Pima County Sheriff's Department for an initial four-day delay in involving federal agents. Patel claimed that the FBI eventually bypassed local hurdles to recover critical doorbell camera footage directly from Google’s backend systems.

“We can never give up,” Elizabeth said, emphasizing that despite statistics, survival is possible, stating, "if that was the mentality around my case, then I wouldn't be here today.”

Elizabeth, now 38, has surprised many by entering the world of competitive bodybuilding to celebrate her body’s strength and resilience.

She recently competed in her fourth bodybuilding competition at the Wasatch Warrior event in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 18, where she won first place in the novice category.

The mother-of-three remains an active child-safety advocate and has partnered with a tech company to launch a new app, Guardian, to help find missing people.

Wanda Barzee, who assisted in her 2002 kidnapping, was arrested again in May 2025 for violating her s-- offender status by visiting public parks in Salt Lake City.