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Nancy Guthrie update: Ex-FBI asks why Cajun Navy, who found Nolan Wells, isn't allowed on search; ‘unless LE knows…’

A former FBI agent asked why the Cajun Navy, who found Nolan Wells, is not allowed to search for Nancy Guthrie, who's been missing since February 1. 

Published on: Aug 9, 2026, 14:33:47 IST
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A former FBI agent has raised questions about the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case. The 84-year-old mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie was reported missing from her home on February 1. Authorities believe she was taken the night before.

Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer asked why the Cajun Navy, who helped find Nolan Wells, was not allowed to search for Nancy Guthrie. (X/@CoffindafferFBI)
Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer asked why the Cajun Navy, who helped find Nolan Wells, was not allowed to search for Nancy Guthrie. (X/@CoffindafferFBI)

It has been six months since and the octogenarian is yet to be found. Towards the start, there was chatter of the Cajun Navy possibly joining the search. However, NewsNation reported that the Pima County Sheriff's Department, who are lead on the case, had a blanket rejection for outside help. Hence, the Cajun Navy did not aid in the search for Nancy Guthrie.

Cajun Navy is an informal, decentralized network of private boat owners and everyday volunteers. They were instrumental in helping find Nolan Wells, the Mississippi teen who had gone missing on July 4. Now, with no breaks being announced to the public in the Nancy Guthrie case, ex-FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer has questioned the decision to reject the Cajun Navy's help.

What ex-FBI said about Nancy Guthrie case

Coffindaffer wrote in an X post “The United Cajun Navy helped find Nolan…Too bad Sheriff Nanos wouldn't allow the UCN to search for Nancy.”

She then alleged that there was no good reason for Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos to reject the Cajun Navy's help. “Name 1 good reason why Nanos didn't? Unless LE knows where she is at, search,” the ex-FBI agent added.

Recently, private investigator Bill Garcia, speaking on a YouTube show, had echoed Coffindaffer's thoughts that there was no reason for the PCSD to reject the Cajun Navy's help, unless they had some idea of where Nancy Guthrie might be located.

Also Read | Nancy Guthrie update: Tucson home to be sold? Shock claim made as private investigator says he found ‘date of death’

In the Nolan Wells case, the Cajun Navy found his body on July 6, two days after he went missing. Here's the latest developments in that matter as the family has kept asking questions about the circumstances surrounding Wells' demise.

Nolan Wells case update

Wells, a Black teen football player, had gone out with his three white friends to Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi on July 4. He was reported missing on that day and his body was found by the Cajun Navy on July 6. He had washed ashore on Horn Island.

Questions about race have been raised in the matter, though authorities said at the start that they initially did not suspect foul play. The family conducted a private autopsy whose results were inconclusive. The state autopsy results took longer as toxicology reports take time.

However, they have now been finished as well, but the results have not been disclosed to the public. The autopsy results will be presented to the grand jury directly, as agreed on by the state and attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Wells' family interests.

  • Shuvrajit Das Biswas
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shuvrajit Das Biswas

    Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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