Tuesday morning, Savannah Guthrie sat at the desk where she has anchored the news for millions of people and begged anyone with information about her mother to come forward.
“Somebody knows something,” she said. “We are in agony and we cannot be at peace. This is a moment to tell you we need your help. We are begging for your help.”
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A ransom note connected to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance has now surfaced, claiming she is dead. That note has shaken a family that has already waited 141 days for answers. It has also shaken me.
RANSOM NOTE ABOUT NANCY GUTHRIE’S DISAPPEARANCE CLAIMED SHE DIED
I have been in disaster zones. I have pulled people from rising water. I have seen what uncertainty does to families when help is slow to arrive. What Savannah Guthrie said this morning is what families in crisis always say: Somebody knows something, and somebody needs to act.
The United Cajun Navy is ready to act. We have been ready since February.
Twenty-one years ago, our government failed the people of the Gulf Coast. When disaster struck and communities were abandoned, ordinary citizens stepped forward. Neighbors rescued neighbors. Boat owners became first responders. That spirit gave birth to the United Cajun Navy.
What began as a civilian response to government failure became something much larger: an organized system of volunteer disaster response built around a very old American principle — civilian defense first. We operate within an Incident Command System structure that allows volunteers, specialized teams, and local resources to work safely alongside agencies. We are a force multiplier. Our role reduces the burden on government because we manage self-deployed civilians, providing organization, accountability, logistics, and trained personnel.
During Hurricane Harvey, while Houston flooded and families waited on rooftops, our crews launched into rising waters. One of our earliest rescues was Donna Bell, a quadriplegic woman left behind as water rose around her home. Volunteers organized, communicated, and went where they were needed. That same spirit exists today.
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home on Feb. 1. Authorities have publicly discussed evidence suggesting she may no longer be alive. Investigators have pursued leads near the southern border. Yet 141 days later, organized search efforts appear to have largely ceased.
The United Cajun Navy submitted a detailed 41-page operational plan to assist in search operations, backed by a Change.org petition calling on Sheriff Chris Nanos to accept our offer. We are not asking to investigate the case. We are not asking for access to evidence. We are not asking to direct law enforcement.
We are asking to search.
Our teams are trained in difficult terrain — wilderness operations, dense vegetation, flood zones, remote areas. We have personnel, logistics, communications capability, and operational leadership. Most importantly, we are willing.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has a difficult job, and this is not intended as criticism of Nanos or his deputies. But after 141 days, when investigators themselves suggest Nancy may be dead and a grieving daughter is on national television pleading for answers, it is reasonable to ask: Should every available resource now be considered?
If there is terrain that has not been searched, why not allow trained volunteers to help? If there are experienced teams willing to donate their time at no cost to taxpayers, why not put them to work?
Nancy Guthrie’s family deserves every opportunity for answers.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE RENEWS PLEA FOR INFORMATION ABOUT HER MOTHER: ‘WE ARE IN AGONY’
We heard her daughter this morning. We respectfully ask Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department to reconsider our request.
Allow us to search.
Brian Trascher is national vice president and public information officer of the United Cajun Navy.
