Trump Threatens Death Penalty If Nancy Guthrie Isn’t Returned Alive
President Donald Trump warned Monday that those responsible for kidnapping Nancy Guthrie must release her unharmed or face the most severe federal consequences available under the law.
In a brief phone interview, Trump said that if the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is killed, he would want the Justice Department to pursue capital punishment against those responsible.
“The most, yeah — that’s true,” Trump said when asked whether that meant the DOJ would seek the death penalty. He added that the abductors would face “very, very severe — the most severe” penalties if Guthrie is found dead.
Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her home outside Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 1. Authorities have not confirmed her whereabouts, though investigators have said they believe she may still be alive.
The president previously called Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 4 to offer full federal assistance in the investigation. The FBI later released images and video showing a masked man standing at the front door of the home the night of the abduction.
Over the weekend, law enforcement deployed aircraft equipped with specialized Bluetooth detection technology in an effort to locate a signal from Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker in the surrounding desert terrain.
Federal charges are often brought in high-profile kidnapping cases, particularly when interstate activity or violations of federal statutes are involved. Arizona also has the death penalty, though executions in the state have been limited in recent years following a pause that was lifted in late 2024.
At the federal level, capital punishment is typically reserved for the most notorious crimes, including terrorism and mass murder cases. Former President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 inmates on federal death row, though several high-profile offenders were excluded from those commutations.
Trump’s remarks signal that if federal jurisdiction applies and the worst outcome occurs, his administration would seek the harshest penalty allowed under law.
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