Trump Criticizes FBI’s Public Discussion of Pacemaker Detection in Missing Arizona Woman Case
By Jim Thomas | Thursday, 19 February 2026 10:59 PM EST
President Donald Trump faulted investigators Thursday for publicly discussing the use of an FBI device intended to detect Bluetooth signals from missing Arizona woman Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker as authorities said they were sifting through thousands of tips and pursuing technical leads in a case now in its 19th day.
“I didn’t like when they talked about going after the pacemaker before they even started going after it,” Trump stated during remarks aboard Air Force One.
The FBI reports that Guthrie, an 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at her residence in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood on the evening of January 31. She is considered a vulnerable adult who has difficulty walking, has a pacemaker, and requires daily medication for a heart condition.
Law enforcement has been using a device described as a “signal sniffer” to search for Bluetooth signals associated with Guthrie’s pacemaker, including mounting equipment on low-flying helicopters. The investigation has drawn public criticism over decisions such as where evidence was tested. DNA from a glove found two miles from Guthrie’s home did not match anyone in the FBI’s CODIS database, and Sheriff Chris Nanos indicated that the glove was sent to Florida for testing before additional testing occurred in Arizona.
The reward for information leading to her recovery had climbed to more than $200,000, with investigators sorting through over 19,000 tips. The FBI describes a suspect as a male between 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall with an average build. No suspects or definitive leads have been identified since Guthrie was last seen on January 31.
That evening, her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni gave her a ride home after she had dinner with him and his daughter, Annie Guthrie. Investigators have cleared Cioni and all members of the Guthrie family as potential suspects.
