Authorities in Pima County launched a search this week for a man wanted in a brutal home invasion that left a woman physically and sexually assaulted in the pre-dawn hours of July 20. Deputies from the sheriff’s San Xavier District were called to a residence in the 12000 block of West Vegas Drive—near Taylor Lane and Ajo Way—shortly after 2:40 a.m. The suspect forced entry through an unlocked door, attacked the resident, then attempted to burglarize the home before fleeing the scene. No arrests have been announced.
Portrait of an older woman seated against a brick wall; authorities are investigating an Arizona home invasion in the wider Nancy Guthrie case.
Investigators described the suspect as either Hispanic or White, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and thin-built, with gray in his beard. At the time he was last seen wearing an oversized green shirt. That description bears a resemblance to a masked individual captured on a doorbell camera at the Tucson home of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her Catalina Foothills residence in the early hours of February 1. Guthrie is the mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and her disappearance remains under active investigation by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the local inquiry into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, said there is "nothing to indicate the cases are related." Sheriff’s officials are nonetheless pursuing all leads tied to the July 20 invasion and have asked neighbors and residents in the area to review any home security or neighborhood surveillance footage that might help identify the attacker. Investigators emphasized the importance of video and photographic evidence in ongoing efforts to locate the suspect.
The FBI previously released images and doorbell footage from Nancy Guthrie’s residence after recovering material from the camera’s temporary cache. FBI personnel worked with Google to retrieve cached video from a Nest camera that was not intended for long-term storage and was on the verge of deletion. FBI Director Kash Patel said agents had been "looking for the needle of all needles in all haystacks" because the camera feed was not preserved as a paid, long-term recording. That recovered footage and still images were made public on February 10 in hopes someone might identify the person seen on the porch camera.
In the wake of the recovery, Patel criticized local authorities, asserting the bureau was kept "out of the investigation" for several days following Guthrie’s disappearance—an allegation that drew a swift rebuttal from the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Nanos disputed the characterization, saying the FBI had been notified and worked alongside local investigators. The departments continue to collaborate while maintaining separate investigative responsibilities, officials said.
FBI analysts who reviewed the doorbell footage compiled a more detailed physical description of the masked individual seen at Nancy Guthrie’s home. The person was estimated to be between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall with a medium build and was carrying a black Ozark Trail backpack. Law enforcement has not announced any nexus between that individual and the suspect sought in the July 20 home invasion, but the similarity of the physical descriptions has prompted renewed appeals for public assistance in both matters.
The July attack comes on the heels of other high-profile security incidents tied to locations associated with the Guthrie family, including an unrelated break-in at the NBC Today show facilities where Nancy Guthrie’s daughter works. Authorities have declined to confirm any connections between these events. For the home invasion in mid-July, deputies say the intruder entered through an unlocked entryway, assaulted the occupant and fled before officers arrived. The department reiterated that anyone with information should call 911 immediately or submit an anonymous tip to 88-CRIME.
As investigations proceed, detectives continue to canvass neighborhoods, review surveillance footage and follow up on tips. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have both sought the public’s help in identifying the individuals seen in released imagery and in providing any cellphone, doorbell or security-camera footage from the surrounding areas and the time frames in question. With no arrests announced at this stage, law enforcement officials said they are pursuing a full range of leads to locate the suspect from the July 20 invasion and to advance the broader inquiry into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
On Feb. 12, 2026 the FBI announced it had doubled the reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved to $100,000 and said it had received more than 13,000 tips in the case.
Authorities briefly detained a person for questioning near Rio Rico on Feb. 10, 2026 in connection with the Guthrie investigation; that individual was later released, and investigators said the detention did not produce an arrest.
On July 14, 2026 the Pima County Sheriff’s Department issued a public warning about social‑media posts and QR codes circulating that solicited money in connection with the Guthrie investigation, calling those solicitations scams and urging the public not to send funds.