Police may be preparing to scale back the official search for missing Arizona woman Nancy Guthrie — but determined volunteers aren’t backing down.
Frustrated by the lack of answers, community members have taken matters into their own hands, combing desert ditches and homeless encampments near her home in Tucson in hopes of uncovering new clues.
Possible breakthrough during volunteer search
On Sunday morning, their persistence led to a significant discovery. A torn black backpack was found just two miles from the 84-year-old’s home, prompting a swift response from law enforcement, according to The New York Post.
The damaged backpack was located around 11 a.m. inside a storm drain that also serves as a homeless encampment.
The site sits just off West Orange Grove Road near State Route 77, a short drive from Nancy’s home in the Catalina Foothills area north of Tucson.
Volunteer Catherine Lopez spotted the bag inside the tunnel and immediately contacted the Pima County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy arrived roughly 15 minutes later. Photos from the scene showed Lopez carefully lifting the torn backpack with a stick while speaking with authorities on the phone.
Another image captured a deputy wearing gloves as the bag was collected near a patrol vehicle. Two homeless individuals were reportedly inside the drain at the time but fled when deputies arrived.
Frustrated Nancy Guthrie volunteers take search into their own hands – as they hand over suspicious backpack to cops https://t.co/9PKpOWJrPC pic.twitter.com/MfNSuUKS0N
— New York Post (@nypost) February 23, 2026
Investigators first said that the backpack didn’t appear to match the one seen in earlier surveillance footage from Nancy’s home security camera. That bag was previously described as a black Ozark Trail Hiker model sold exclusively at Walmart.
Later, sheriff’s department spokesman Kevin Adger told The Arizona Republic:
”The backpack that was located by volunteers yesterday was collected by a deputy and examined at a nearby substation. After reviewing the bag and its contents, it does not appear that this is a viable lead for the investigation. The bag appears to have been outside for much longer than three weeks. It also contained identification of a minor within it.”
In addition to the backpack, a glove was reportedly found nearby off North First Avenue, adding to the growing list of items now under review.
Suspect possibly seen earlier
In additions to the new findings, new details as a law enforcement source told CBS News that the suspected abductor may have been seen at her front door even before the night Nancy Guthrie vanished.
The FBI previously released doorbell camera footage showing a masked individual carrying a backpack, describing the person as the investigation’s primary suspect.
According to the CBS source, the same man may have appeared at her doorstep on another occasion prior to the disappearance.
However, local authorities have not confirmed whether the sightings happened on separate days. Images aired by CBS, credited to the FBI, appear to show a masked man without a backpack captured by the home’s Nest doorbell camera sometime before the suspected kidnapping — though the exact timing remains unclear. ABC News was first to report the development.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the photos lack a date or timestamp, warning that any claims the images were taken on different days are “purely speculative.” Officials added that the investigation remains active and will be guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have said they believe Nancy was the victim of a targeted kidnapping. Her family has repeatedly pleaded for her safe return and asked for proof that she is alive, but the case continues to raise more questions than answers.