Trump Threatens Death Penalty If Nancy Guthrie Is Not Returned Alive
In a Feb. 16 interview, President Trump said the Justice Department should seek the death penalty if 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, missing since Jan. 31, is found dead.
Overview
President Donald Trump said in a Feb. 16 interview he would instruct the Justice Department to seek the death penalty if 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie is discovered dead.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the night of Jan. 31 and was reported missing on Feb. 1, prompting a federal and local investigation that has included FBI involvement.
Savannah Guthrie posted videos appealing for her mother's safe return and Trump called her on Feb. 4 to offer federal assistance, officials said.
Investigators collected more than a dozen gloves in a roadside field about two miles from Guthrie’s home and are awaiting DNA results on a glove; the FBI has offered a $100,000 reward.
Authorities say they have received tens of thousands of tips, have detained and released multiple people, and investigators are pursuing leads while DNA testing continues.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources report this largely without editorial framing: they quote Trump's punitive rhetoric and Savannah Guthrie's plea, and include FBI investigative details. Loaded phrases appear as direct source content (Trump's words, anonymous commenters). The coverage balances quotes, facts and law-enforcement context rather than imposing a single interpretive narrative.
Sources (7)
FAQ
The FBI confirmed that DNA recovered from a glove found near Nancy's home may match the suspect seen in surveillance footage disabling her doorbell camera. The sample is being run through the national CODIS database, which investigators say could be a major turning point in the investigation.[4] Blood found at the home belongs to Nancy, and additional unknown DNA from the scene is also being tested.[4]
As of February 16, 2026, no confirmed arrests have been made in the case.[4] While authorities detained multiple people in connection with a search warrant executed on February 14 near Guthrie's home, none were confirmed as suspects, and all were released.
History
4 sources