Arrest made in Savannah Guthrie’s mother’s disappearance as police face scrutiny

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona authorities arrested a 34-year-old man on unrelated charges Thursday outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who has been missing since early February.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that Antonio De Jesus Pena-Campos was taken into custody Thursday evening for driving under the influence (DUI). Officials emphasized that the arrest is entirely unrelated to the ongoing investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance.

Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1 following a suspected home invasion and kidnapping at her residence. Investigators noted that data from Guthrie's pacemaker last synchronized at approximately 2:30 a.m. that morning.

The family is currently offering a $1 million reward for any information that leads to her safe return.

As the search continues, new evidence has emerged from a neighbor’s security camera, which recorded 12 vehicles passing near the home on the morning Guthrie vanished. The neighbor claimed that police did not arrive to survey their property or review the footage for 25 days after the initial report.

While a localized DUI arrest underscores a heightened security posture in the area, the more pressing analytical concern lies in the procedural efficacy of the joint investigation led by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. Serious questions are emerging regarding the thoroughness of the initial response and the rigor of federal-local coordination.

A particularly glaring lapse involves the failure to canvas a secondary road—identified by residents as a plausible escape route—for a full 25 days following the incident. That private citizens were forced to proactively contact authorities to hand over potentially critical surveillance footage suggests significant gaps in early-stage scene processing and evidence collection. Such a delay is striking for a high-profile national case involving the mother of a prominent media figure, where investigative precision is expected to be paramount.

This perceived inertia creates substantial public pressure, likely forcing law enforcement to justify their strategic decisions. While the family’s $1 million reward highlights the urgency of the pursuit, the current investigative stalemate and the heavy reliance on unsolicited civilian leads may fuel broader criticism of law enforcement protocols. As the case remains cold, the agencies involved face mounting scrutiny over whether their methodology was sufficient to meet the demands of a high-stakes investigation.