In a jaw-dropping development that has rocked the already heart-wrenching search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, police have taken her daughter Annie Guthrie in for questioning – and dramatically seized her vehicle as part of the intensifying probe into the abduction of the beloved Arizona grandmother.

Sources close to the investigation tell Daily Mail that forensic teams recovered ‘significant items’ from inside Annie’s car that have prompted a complete re-examination of critical timelines, movements on the night of the disappearance, and previously accepted alibis – marking what insiders are calling a ‘major shift’ in a case that has captivated America for nearly four weeks.

The bombshell update comes as the family of Today show star Savannah Guthrie clings desperately to hope, with a $1 million reward now on the table for information leading to Nancy’s safe return – or recovery.

Pima County Sheriff’s Department and FBI investigators stressed late on Tuesday night that the case ‘remains very active’ with ‘momentum building fast’ and the focus ‘narrowing dramatically’ – but they stopped short of naming Annie a suspect, insisting she is assisting as a ‘person of interest’ in the ongoing hunt for the masked intruder who snatched Nancy from her Catalina Foothills home in the dead of night on February 1.

‘This is a significant step forward,’ one law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the operation revealed. ‘The vehicle was seized under warrant. Items inside have raised questions that need immediate answers. We’re going back through every second of that weekend – who was where, when, and why.’

The revelation has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Guthrie family and the wider Tucson community, where Nancy was a cherished figure – churchgoer, gardener, and proud matriarch to three children including NBC superstar Savannah.

For days, the investigation had zeroed in on the chilling doorbell camera footage showing a balaclava-clad figure with a visible holstered pistol tampering with the lens before slipping inside. Then came the smart mirror bombshell – the high-tech bathroom device that captured the intruder’s face in reflection after he lifted his mask to check a wound… a face that matched the very man Savannah had shaken hands with just hours earlier.

That image alone had already turned the case on its head.

Now this.

Annie Guthrie – Nancy’s older daughter, a devoted wife to husband Tommaso Cioni and mother in her own right – was reportedly approached by detectives at her home on Tuesday afternoon. She was taken in voluntarily for questioning, sources say, though the move was described as ‘formal’ and conducted at a secure facility away from the media frenzy.

Her vehicle – understood to be the same one used to drop Nancy home after a family dinner on the evening of January 31 – was towed away under bright lights as forensic technicians swarmed the scene, photographing every inch before it was loaded onto a flatbed and whisked off for detailed examination at a specialist lab.

‘They spent hours on that car,’ a neighbour who witnessed the seizure told Daily Mail. ‘Gloves on, evidence bags, the works. It looked serious. Annie stood there watching, looking absolutely devastated.’

What exactly was found inside remains under wraps for now, but multiple sources confirm the discoveries have forced investigators to ‘re-open the book’ on key moments from that fateful Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Nancy had enjoyed what appeared to be a perfectly normal evening at Annie’s house – dinner, laughter, family time. Son-in-law Tommaso drove her the short distance back to her secluded home in the Catalina Foothills. He watched her walk inside. The garage door closed behind her. That was the last confirmed sighting.

By Sunday morning, when Nancy failed to join her regular virtual church service, panic set in. Family rushed over. Blood traces. Signs of a struggle. The masked figure on camera. Ransom demands involving eye-watering sums in Bitcoin sent to the family and leaked to media outlets.

The smart mirror had already provided the face.

But now, with items from Annie’s vehicle in play, detectives are painstakingly re-mapping every movement – not just of the suspect, but of the entire family circle on the night in question.

‘Timelines are being stress-tested like never before,’ another insider revealed. ‘Who drove what, when phones pinged where, any discrepancies in statements. Nothing is off the table.’

The development is all the more astonishing because, just weeks ago, Sheriff Chris Nanos had publicly cleared all immediate family members – including Savannah, Annie, brother Camron, spouses and partners – of any involvement, describing them as ‘cooperating fully and devastated’.

That statement now appears under fresh scrutiny.

Savannah Guthrie, 54, the poised Today co-host who has put her glittering career on hold to focus on finding her mother, has not yet commented publicly on her sister’s questioning. But those close to the family say the latest twist has left them ‘in turmoil’ and ‘utterly heartbroken’.

‘This is their mother. Their rock. To now have this kind of focus on Annie… it’s unimaginable,’ a family friend told Daily Mail. ‘They’re supporting each other through hell.’

The Guthrie siblings have been vocal and raw in their public appeals. Savannah’s tearful Instagram videos have racked up millions of views as she begs anyone with information to come forward. The family doubled down on Monday with the eye-watering $1 million reward – payable for Nancy’s safe recovery or, heartbreakingly, for information leading to the location of her remains.

‘We are aching for her,’ Savannah said in one emotional clip. ‘Every hour has been agony.’

Brother Camron and sister Annie have joined the pleas, posting updates and urging the public to look at the released images of the suspect.

Now the spotlight has swung harshly onto Annie herself.

Neighbours in the upscale Tucson suburb where Annie lives with Tommaso say the couple has been ‘incredibly supportive’ of the search effort from day one – organising meals for volunteers, coordinating tip lines, even helping distribute flyers with Nancy’s smiling face.

‘They’re good people,’ one local said. ‘This must be devastating for them.’

Yet the vehicle seizure has tongues wagging across Arizona and far beyond.

Security experts say the move is standard in high-profile abduction cases when new evidence emerges – but the fact it involves a family member’s car so deep into the investigation is ‘highly unusual’ after the earlier clearance.

‘Once you seize a vehicle and start pulling items for forensic testing – DNA, fibres, digital data from sat-nav or phones – you’re looking for connections,’ one former FBI agent told Daily Mail. ‘It could be something as small as a receipt, a hair, soil samples, or digital footprints that don’t add up. Whatever it is, it’s enough to make them re-examine everything.’

The case has been plagued by bizarre elements from the start.

Bitcoin ransom notes described as ‘amateurish’ yet demanding billions. A second still image of a similar masked figure at the door on an earlier date. Smashed floodlights at the rear of Nancy’s property suggesting possible accomplices. The discarded glove with DNA still being processed. And that haunting smart mirror image – the intruder’s face clearly visible in the reflection, a face Savannah had greeted warmly during her recent visit to Arizona.

Investigators had been chasing that mystery man relentlessly – showing his image to gun shops, neighbours, even community event attendees where Savannah shook dozens of hands.

Was he a fan? A handyman? A church acquaintance? A calculated stalker who infiltrated the family’s orbit?

Now those questions are being asked alongside fresh scrutiny of the family’s own movements.

Sources say Annie was cooperative during questioning, which lasted several hours. She was not arrested and was allowed to leave, but the vehicle remains in police custody ‘for processing’.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department issued a brief statement late Tuesday: ‘As part of our active investigation into the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, we have executed a search warrant on a vehicle. Annie Guthrie is assisting investigators with questioning. The case remains open and active with multiple lines of inquiry. We continue to urge anyone with information to contact the FBI tip line immediately.’

No further details were released, fuelling intense speculation online and in the media.

True crime forums and social media have exploded with theories – everything from a possible inside job gone wrong to a red herring designed to flush out the real culprit.

But for Nancy’s family, the pain is all too real.

Nancy Ellen Long Guthrie was born in 1942 in Kentucky. She moved to Arizona, married Charles Guthrie (who died in 1988), and raised Savannah, Annie and Camron with strong Christian values that the children still speak of fondly on air.

Savannah has often credited her mother with her work ethic and warmth – the same qualities that made her a household name interviewing presidents and Hollywood A-listers on Today.

Nancy remained fiercely independent in her later years – driving herself, tending her desert garden filled with saguaros and wildflowers, attending services at her local church where she was known for her welcoming smile and homemade cookies.

That independence may have made her vulnerable – or perhaps it gave her the spirit to fight back against her attacker, explaining the possible wound seen on the intruder’s face in the mirror image.

As the investigation enters this explosive new phase, the desert community is once again on edge.

Volunteers who have spent weeks combing foothills and arroyos say they are ‘praying harder than ever’.

The FBI has poured resources in – cell tower pings, financial tracking on the Bitcoin demands, enhanced facial recognition on the smart mirror photo.

Now the seized vehicle adds another layer of forensic firepower.

Experts say modern cars are treasure troves of data – GPS history, Bluetooth connections, even cabin camera footage in some models.

‘If there’s anything that doesn’t match the timeline Annie and Tommaso previously gave – a detour, an unexplained stop, a passenger – it could change everything,’ one digital forensics specialist said.

The Guthrie family has repeatedly asked for privacy while insisting they want only the truth – and their mother home.

In her latest video, Savannah looked exhausted but determined: ‘Somebody knows something. Mom, if you can hear us, we love you. We’re not giving up.’

Whether this latest twist brings them closer to answers – or simply piles more agony onto an already unbearable wait – remains to be seen.

Neighbours near Nancy’s home say the ‘For Sale’ signs have vanished from surrounding properties as the community rallies.

‘We all just want Nancy back,’ one said through tears. ‘Whatever it takes.’

The smart mirror intruder remains at large. The Bitcoin demands continue to baffle. And now Annie’s vehicle sits in an evidence bay, its secrets potentially holding the key.

As one source close to the family put it: ‘This case has already had more twists than anyone could imagine. But if these items from the car lead us to Mom… then maybe, just maybe, this nightmare ends.’

For now, the focus narrows. The momentum builds. And America watches, hearts in mouths, as the search for Nancy Guthrie takes its most dramatic turn yet.

This is a developing story. Daily Mail will bring you every update as this extraordinary case unfolds.