PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — It's been nearly three months since Nancy Guthrie – mother of NBC's Today host Savannah Guthrie – vanished from her Arizona home, and the case continues to captivate the nation.
WPTV Anchor Ashley Glass sat down with veteran cold case detective John Cogburn from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to break down where the investigation stands.
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Det. Cogburn, who has worked similar cases, sees two types of missing person investigations: puzzles (where there's evidence to work with) and mysteries (where authorities hit dead ends). PBSO currently handles 400 cold case homicides, with the oldest dating back to 1962.
"I would say right now, it's a puzzle," Cogburn said of the Guthrie case.
The Key Evidence So Far:
- Nancy Guthrie disappeared Feb. 1, 2026, likely taken in the middle of the night
- She left without her shoes or her medication
- Blood found on her porch tested positive for her DNA
- FBI-released doorbell camera footage shows a masked, armed man outside her home the morning she went missing
Despite three months passing, Cogburn says this isn't considered a cold case yet. The national standard is roughly three years before that designation kicks in.
"It all goes back to actionable leads," Cogburn explained. "How many leads do you have to pursue?"
Cogburn said cracking a case depends on to two factors:
"Hard work and luck," Cogburn said. "You can get lucky because the offender or offenders left something behind and made a mistake."
The detective warned these cases can quickly escalate.
"These cases can shift into a no-body homicide case on a dime," Cogburn said.
