Elizabeth Smart Makes Bold Claim About Nancy Guthrie

Elizabeth Smart knows all about keeping hope alive and has urged the public not to lose faith when it comes to Nancy Guthrie.

“She could absolutely still be alive,” Smart told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday (May 5). “There are cases that span many more years than mine does, and they came back alive. We’re talking years and years, so she could absolutely still be alive.”

Smart herself was abducted in 2002 at age 14 and discovered 9 months later. She was kidnapped at knifepoint from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, and held captive for nine months, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and threatened with death if she attempted to escape.

The 38-year-old activist, whose case was detailed in the Netflix documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, was rescued by police officers on March 12, 2003, on a public street in Sandy, Utah. This came after two witnesses recognized her captors, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee, from an episode of America’s Most Wanted.

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

“Of course, there is the alternative,” Smart told Burnett on Tuesday. “But until we know, we have to keep looking until… [Nancy] deserves, either way, to be brought home.”

Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of Today’s Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since February 1, when police believe she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona. While investigators have released doorbell camera footage of a masked suspect and a description of that individual, no suspects have been named.

Those who have been closely following the case, including many law enforcement experts, believe Nancy may already be dead, with some suggesting something went wrong during the kidnapping.

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Smart previously shared her insights on the Ladygang podcast back in February, saying, “I know what law enforcement will tell you if a person disappears and they’re not found within the first 24 to 48 hours—the chances of their survival drop down to almost zero percent.”

“It’s almost like they’re dead,” she continued. “But I just always feel like we can’t give up because if that was the mentality around my case, then I wouldn’t be here today.”

Smart recognized her situation is rare, but added, “I did come back, and there are other victims who do come back. So, even though every passing day feels like we’re losing more and more hope, or it seems like it’s less likely that she’ll be found, I think we just have to remind ourselves that we can never give up.”