Volunteers Recover Backpack & Other ‘Items’ During Search for Nancy Guthrie
The search for Nancy Guthrie took a new turn Sunday as volunteers gathered near her Arizona home and recovered a backpack, even after authorities urged private groups to stay away.
According to AZ Central, nearly three weeks after Nancy vanished, about a dozen people met in a Hobby Lobby parking lot and set out with maps, determined to search the surrounding area.
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Photos shared by investigative reporter Jonathan Lee Riches, known as JLR, showed the group preparing to canvass the neighborhood.
Later that morning, Riches posted images of items reportedly discovered during the search, including a backpack and pieces of clothing. The backpack was handed over to deputies.Senior National Correspondent Brian Entin of NewsNation, who has closely covered the case since the beginning, also shared video from the scene.
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In his post, Entin wrote, “Volunteer searchers are canvassing the neighborhood around Nancy Guthrie’s house. They found a backpack that does not match the one in the surveillance video – but deputies came and picked it up. One searcher got emotional, saying her mom is around Nancy’s age.”
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Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing nearly three weeks after she vanished from her Arizona home. As investigators work through complex new evidence, private volunteers searching the area say they have uncovered a fresh discovery.
Volunteers Recover Backpack Near Nancy Guthrie’s Home Despite Sheriff’s Warning
Brian Entin
@BrianEntin·Follow
Volunteer searchers are canvassing the neighborhood around Nancy Guthrie’s house. They found a backpack that does not match the one in the surveillance video – but deputies came and picked it up. One searcher got emotional saying her mom is around Nancy’s age.
2:38 pm · 22 Feb 2026
The search for Nancy Guthrie took a new turn Sunday as volunteers gathered near her Arizona home and recovered a backpack, even after authorities urged private groups to stay away.
According to AZ Central, nearly three weeks after Nancy vanished, about a dozen people met in a Hobby Lobby parking lot and set out with maps, determined to search the surrounding area.
Getty
Photos shared by investigative reporter Jonathan Lee Riches, known as JLR, showed the group preparing to canvass the neighborhood.
Later that morning, Riches posted images of items reportedly discovered during the search, including a backpack and pieces of clothing. The backpack was handed over to deputies.Senior National Correspondent Brian Entin of NewsNation, who has closely covered the case since the beginning, also shared video from the scene.
Getty
In his post, Entin wrote, “Volunteer searchers are canvassing the neighborhood around Nancy Guthrie’s house. They found a backpack that does not match the one in the surveillance video – but deputies came and picked it up. One searcher got emotional, saying her mom is around Nancy’s age.”
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The independent effort came despite a public warning from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
“Volunteer search groups have inquired about being in the area. Per the Sheriff, they were asked to please give investigators the space they need to do their work,” the department posted on X on Saturday, February 21.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department
@PimaSheriff·Follow
We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals. PCSD has volunteer opportunities if they wish to get involved with the department. 2/3
4:33 pm · 21 Feb 2026
125Reply
“We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals. PCSD has volunteer opportunities if they wish to get involved with the department,” the message continued.
Getty“Private property laws apply, and it is up to each individual property owner to grant permission for someone to search their property.”
Investigators Zero In on Masked Figure
As volunteers combed the area on foot, detectives stayed focused on a masked figure captured on Nancy’s doorbell camera the night she vanished.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators are working to pinpoint the clothing worn by the individual, including the pants, shoes, and shirt or jacket seen in the footage. The person appeared to be wearing gloves.
GettyNancy, 84, has not been seen since January 31. Authorities believe she may have been taken from her home overnight.
The residence has been treated as a crime scene. Investigators confirmed they collected DNA evidence and found blood inside the home. Drops of blood on the front stoop were later confirmed to match Nancy.
Days earlier, Savannah Guthrie made an emotional appeal on social media, writing that it was “never too late” for anyone with information to come forward.
Authorities have also confirmed that members of Nancy’s family, including her siblings and their partners, have been cleared as suspects in the case.
DNA Evidence Under Ongoing Federal AnalysisNanos told NBC that the DNA collected at the scene is mixed, meaning it includes genetic material from more than one individual. That makes it more difficult to compare against national databases.
Detectives are also combing through surveillance video tied to key evidence, including footage of a backpack believed to have been purchased at Walmart.
Authorities said they are coordinating with the retailer to identify the buyer. Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said there were no new developments to report as of the morning of February. 22.
Stanton Defeats Democratic Socialist Challenger In Arizona Primary
One of the Democratic Party’s most closely watched primary battles has ended with a decisive victory for an incumbent congressman, despite an aggressive challenge from the party’s progressive wing.
The race had drawn national attention as another test of whether candidates running on an anti-Israel platform could unseat more established Democrats.
Rep. Greg Stanton easily defeated democratic socialist challenger Kai Newkirk in Arizona’s Democratic primary Tuesday, securing the nomination for another term in Congress with a commanding margin.
With nearly all votes counted, Stanton received about 68.1% of the vote compared with Newkirk’s 31.9%, according to multiple media outlets.
The victory sends Stanton, a former Phoenix mayor first elected to Congress in 2018, into November’s general election, where he is expected to face Republican Zuhdi Jasser.
Following the race, Stanton described the outcome as a choice about the future direction of the Democratic Party.
“This campaign presented voters with a real choice about how Democrats should lead,” Stanton said in a statement posted to his campaign page.
“Tonight, the voters chose proven leadership that fights back, delivers real results, and brings our party together.”
Throughout the campaign, Newkirk attempted to make U.S. support for Israel the defining issue in the race.
He repeatedly criticized Stanton for receiving support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly known as AIPAC, and accused the organization of wielding too much influence in American politics.
Newkirk also pointed to a multimillion-dollar public messaging campaign promoting Israel as evidence of what he characterized as outside influence in U.S. elections.
Among his policy positions, Newkirk called for ending U.S. military aid to Israel and imposing an arms embargo on the country.
He also sharply criticized Stanton after the congressman voted against an amendment offered by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would have reduced military assistance to Israel.
“Greg Stanton has taken over $300K from AIPAC,” Newkirk wrote during the campaign.
Stanton defended his vote, arguing that reducing military assistance would weaken America’s ability to counter threats from Iran while also acknowledging that changes in Israeli leadership and policy would be necessary as the current U.S.-Israel security agreement approaches its 2028 expiration.
Although Stanton has supported continued military assistance to Israel, he has also publicly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on multiple occasions.
Newkirk received endorsements from several progressive organizations, including Our Revolution, Progressive Democrats of America and Track AIPAC.
He was also endorsed by The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur.
However, his campaign faced setbacks in its closing weeks.
Earlier this month, the Young Democrats of Arizona withdrew their endorsement, saying they had become aware of “concerning patterns of behavior.”
The organization did not publicly provide additional details.
Newkirk denied any wrongdoing and argued the move was part of a political smear campaign.
Despite his sharp criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Newkirk also condemned antisemitism and spoke out after two Israeli Embassy employees were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington last year.
“I stand always with my beloved Jewish siblings against the scourge of antisemitism just as I will never stop in the nonviolent struggle to end the genocide in Gaza, release all hostages, and open the way to just, lasting peace,” he said at the time.
The Arizona contest was closely watched because it reflected broader debates inside the Democratic Party over Israel, foreign policy and the growing influence of democratic socialist candidates.
While several progressive candidates have won Democratic primaries around the country in recent years, Stanton’s decisive victory suggests that message did not resonate with enough Democratic primary voters in Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, Trending Politics reported.
With the primary now decided, Stanton will turn his attention to the general election as Democrats seek to defend the seat in November, while Republicans hope to capitalize on continued ideological divisions within the Democratic Party.
