TRUE CRIME NEWSNancy Guthrie Case: Suspect's Names Are Hidden in '50,000 Tips,' Retired Investigator Believes
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31 at her Arizona home.
May 27 2026, Updated 4:51 p.m. ET
Former detective and investigative expert Robbie Mayer expressed the belief that the names of the individuals responsible for the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie — the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie — are hidden within the tens of thousands of tips the FBI received.
The retired Pima County Sheriff’s Department detective cracked Tucson's infamous 1980s "Prime Time Rapist" case, and he recently surfaced in the news to share critical insights regarding the ongoing investigation into Nancy’s baffling disappearance.
A drug addict named Brian Larriva targeted the same Catalina Foothills neighborhood where Nancy lived between 1983 and 1986.
Savannah Guthrie’s mother has been missing since February 1.
Larriva terrorized the Tucson area by committing over 30 home invasions, robbing properties and sexually assaulting more than 90 female victims.
Mayer cracked the case in 1986 after tracking down a drug dealer connected to Larriva. When police surrounded his house, Larriva took his own life.
‘The Question Is If They Can Recognize It When They See It’
Nancy Guthrie’s family is offering a $1 million reward for the 84-year-old’s ‘recovery.’
Investigators are currently sorting through a mountain of over 50,000 leads in Nancy’s case.
Mayer believes the suspect's name is likely already sitting inside those files. He noted that during the Larriva case, police amassed 4,000 leads, and the critical name was initially buried in the data.
A masked suspect was caught on Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera footage, but no arrests have been made.
- Arizona Sheriff Says It Might Take 'Years' to Find Savannah Guthrie's Kidnapped Mother Nancy as Investigation Continues: 'We Won’t Quit'
- FBI May Take Over Nancy Guthrie Case as Local Resources Near Breaking Point, Former Officials Reveal
- 'I Don't Know What Else They Are Doing': Nancy Guthrie's Neighbor Says Police Activity in the Area Has Toned Down Since She Vanished
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“The question is if they can recognize it when they see it,” Mayer said. “Being in a case like this is like being in a field with rocks, and what you’re looking for is under one rock. You just have to keep turning.”
Mayer noted that the masked perpetrator captured on surveillance footage at Nancy’s home appeared heavily clothed and fully prepared to avoid leaving hair or DNA evidence behind.
As the investigation has progressed, no suspects have been definitively named or arrested. Authorities have continuously processed digital media, forensic evidence, and doorbell camera footage of a masked individual.
The FBI and local police remain confident in cracking the case.
Because the Larriva investigation took five months of intense work to break, Mayer urged the frustrated community to remain resilient and trust the inter-agency efforts of local detectives and the FBI.
“It takes a lot of diligence and willpower. Some guys I've chased for 18 months before I caught them, one guy I was after for five years, but I think you have to be patient and don't get discouraged,” Mayer said.
Savannah Guthrie took a brief hiatus from ‘Today’ amid her mother’s disappearance.
Mayer is also optimistic that the case will eventually be cracked, assuring those who have deemed it a cold case that both local Pima County detectives and federal agents have the absolute "drive they need" to break it.
"This is a very high-caliber investigation, and I think the FBI is gonna crack the case,” he said.
