Sheriff reveals moment Nancy Guthrie case became much darker: 'Something is wrong'
Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home on February 1, and the investigation has now spanned more than 100 days
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos opened up about the harrowing moment that the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today star Savannah Guthrie, turned from a missing person's case to something much darker.
Nancy was reported missing from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, and was last seen by her daughter, Annie Guthrie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni. The sheriff shared with People that he was alerted about Nancy's disappearance around 2 p.m. on February 1, roughly two hours after authorities arrived at her property.
Just minutes later, the policeman texted him that the scene "doesn't look right, something is wrong…we're calling homicide".
Nancy has been missing since February 1
"The reason that homicide was called is because they are the investigative unit in charge of missing persons," he explained. "Search and rescue is their operational team that helps assist with these issues."
Authorities found blood droplets on Nancy's front porch that matched her DNA, as well as a mixed sample containing DNA from more than one person, which is currently being studied. "Every day our DNA labs are working with our investigators, and they're coming up with different ideas and different thoughts of how to help them make this DNA work for us," Nanos said.
"How can we do more with what we have? And so that's why I say it is – I think we're getting closer." The sheriff assured that his team was "doing a good job" and was going to solve the case, declaring, "I fully, 100% believe that."
© Getty Images
The sheriff shared that the case took a turn two hours after authorities arrived on the scene
Nanos also spoke on the Pima County Board of Supervisors' decision not to remove him from office on May 12, explaining that his department could stand to improve in several areas. "I listened to the board, I agree, and they said the department, it was a mess," he told People. "And sometimes you have to just sit back and listen. That's my job. I plan to get a hold of my department. It's just that this has gone on for quite some time."
See Savannah's Mother's Day tribute below...
Trump Admin Says It Uncovered $10 Billion Obamacare Fraud Scheme
The Trump administration says it has uncovered what it describes as a massive fraud scheme within the Affordable Care Act.
Members of Trump’s administration allege that roughly $10 billion in taxpayer money was improperly paid out between 2021 and 2024 because of weakened enrollment safeguards under former President Joe Biden.
According to a Department of Health and Human Services report, officials have already removed nearly three million fraudulent or improper Obamacare enrollments and estimate another 2.6 million questionable enrollments remain.
Administration officials say the findings are part of a broader government-wide effort to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse across federal programs.
The report traces the alleged problems to changes made during the Biden administration that expanded enrollment opportunities while relaxing income verification and eligibility checks.
At the start of Biden’s presidency, approximately 10 million people were enrolled through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. By 2024, enrollment had surged to roughly 22 million.
Federal investigators now believe millions of those enrollments were improper, fraudulent, or created without the knowledge of the individuals involved.
“By our estimate, improper, phantom, and fraudulent enrollment peaked at 5.6 million people in 2025,” the report states.
“We estimate 2.6 million improper and phantom enrollments remain, including over 1 million enrollments without a Social Security number.”
According to the report, several different forms of abuse contributed to the alleged fraud.
Officials say some applicants intentionally understated their income to qualify for larger taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Others allegedly received premium assistance despite failing to meet eligibility requirements.
Investigators also identified what they describe as “phantom enrollments,” in which insurance brokers allegedly enrolled people in Obamacare plans without their knowledge to collect federal commissions.
The report argues that reduced verification requirements made those practices significantly easier to carry out.
Since taking office, the Trump administration says it has restored stricter income verification requirements, ended several special enrollment periods, increased screening for duplicate Medicaid enrollment, and launched investigations into brokers suspected of creating phantom policies.
Officials also say they have strengthened oversight of agents participating in the federal marketplace.
As a result of those efforts, nearly three million enrollments have already been removed from the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Even after those removals, approximately 19.2 million people remain enrolled.
The administration says its goal is not to reduce legitimate coverage but to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent only on individuals who actually qualify.
“Preserving the fiscal and programmatic integrity of the ACA Exchanges is key to safeguarding taxpayer-funded resources for those that truly need them,” the report states.
“The federal government paying brokers to enroll individuals without their knowledge is not.”
The report also says the administration will continue pursuing additional enforcement actions against brokers and others accused of exploiting the program.
“The Trump Administration continues to aggressively root out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption by promulgating new regulations to improve program integrity, investigating suspected improper or fraudulent enrollment, and taking action against agents and brokers committing fraud.”
The findings are likely to reignite debate over the Affordable Care Act and how aggressively eligibility rules should be enforced.
Supporters of the administration argue the report demonstrates that stricter oversight is necessary to protect taxpayers and preserve benefits for those legally entitled to receive them.
Critics of previous verification rollbacks have long warned that loosening enrollment safeguards could increase improper payments and fraud, while supporters of the Biden-era policies argued the changes made healthcare more accessible to eligible Americans, Fox News reported exclusively.
The administration says its investigations remain ongoing, with an estimated 2.6 million additional enrollments still under review as officials continue auditing the federal health insurance exchanges.
Trump has been pushing to replace Obamacare for over a decade, and this may give Republicans enough motivation to actually do something.
She Was Just 18: ABC Confirms Actress' Fatal Car Crash
Actress Kaylee Hottle, known for her starring role in two "Godzilla" movies, died Tuesday in a car accident in Maryland at the age of 18, according to police.
The Frederick County Sheriff's Office confirmed to ABC News that Hottle was one of two passengers in a car involved in a fatal single-vehicle collision early Tuesday morning.
Hottle was the only person in the car who died. A 19-year-old man, who was not identified, was driving the car and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.
Actress Kaylee Hottle attends the world premiere of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on March 25, 2024.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
Excessive speed is “believed to be a contributing factor in the collision,” police said.
Hottle was born into an all-deaf family that spans four generations on her father's side, according to her IMDb.
The actress was best known for her role as Jia in the 2021 movie "Godzilla vs. Kong" and the 2024 sequel, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire."
In a March 2024 interview on "Good Morning America," Hottle described what her classmates thought of her "Godzilla" roles.
"They think it's super cool," she said. "They're seeing one of their friends on the big screen, and it's alongside Kong too."
Kaylee Hottle, as Jia, in a scene from "Godzilla vs. Kong."
Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures via AP
Hottle's father Joshua said in a Facebook video Tuesday that he was flying to Maryland after learning of his daughter's death.
"I am taking a flight that I never would like to take," he captioned the video, in which he used American Sign Language.
Hottle's school, Texas School for the Deaf, paid tribute to the 18-year-old on Tuesday.
The school said Hottle was enrolled there as a senior and described her death as a "tremendous loss" in a social media post.
"Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time," the school wrote, adding, "Please keep Kaylee's loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together."
ABC News has reached out to Hottle's representative and father for comment.
