Trump Targets Investigators Over Early Pacemaker Disclosure in Missing Woman Case

By Jim Thomas | Thursday, February 19, 2026, 10:59 PM EST

President Donald Trump criticized 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 sifted through thousands of tips and pursued technical leads in a case now entering its 19th day.

Trump made comments about the Bluetooth disclosure to reporters aboard Air Force One, stating: “I didn’t like when they talked about going after the pacemaker before they even started going after it.”

The FBI reported 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, requires a pacemaker, and needs 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 it 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. Sheriff Chris Nanos stated that the glove had been sent to Florida for testing before additional testing occurred in Arizona.

The reward for information leading to her recovery has climbed to more than $200,000, and investigators are 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.

There have been no suspects or definitive leads 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.

Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a law degree from U.I.C. Law School and has practiced law for more than 20 years.