Why Elizabeth Smart believes Nancy Guthrie could still be alive?

Elizabeth Smart, who survived her own abduction in 2002, says she believes Nancy Guthrie could still be alive

Elizabeth Smart believes there is still reason to hope in the search for Nancy Guthrie.

Speaking during an interview with Erin Burnett on CNN, Smart said she believes Guthrie could still be alive more than three months after her disappearance.

“Absolutely. She could absolutely still be alive,” Smart said, pointing to past missing-person cases where victims were found years after they vanished. Drawing from her own experience of surviving a kidnapping as a teenager, she added, “Until we know, we have to keep looking.”

Elizabeth Smart says she thinks Nancy Guthrie could “absolutely still be alive” three months after her disappearance and urges authorities to keep searching. More tonight on OutFront at 7p ET/4p PT. pic.twitter.com/B91rJoMnYf

— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) May 5, 2026

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home in Tucson in February after authorities say a masked man abducted her in the middle of the night.

Investigators have not identified a suspect, and officials have said mixed DNA evidence has complicated the case. Despite the uncertainty, Smart said Guthrie deserves to be brought home, whatever the outcome.

Smart, who was kidnapped from her home in 2002 and rescued nine months later, has since become an advocate for missing children and survivors. Her comments have added a note of hope to a case that continues to grip national attention.