Authorities Deploy ‘Signal Sniffer’ as Nancy Guthrie Search Enters 3rd Week

As the search for Nancy Guthrie entered its third week, authorities reportedly resorted to using a high-tech Bluetooth scanner in hopes of detecting her pacemaker signal.

According to NewsNation, law enforcement has used a “signal sniffer” attached to one of the skids of a Pima County Arizona Sheriff Department helicopter.

Last week, NewsNation senior national correspondent Brian Entin reported spotting one of the helicopters with the device near Nancy’s residence.

These helicopters fly low at a slow pace, scanning for signals from Bluetooth devices like AirPods and pacemakers.

Nancy Guthrie Disappearance: Authorities Hope Pacemaker Will Be Detected

Brian Entin

@BrianEntin · Follow

Investigators have used what is called a “signal sniffer.” It is a small device that was sent in and attached to the Sheriff’s helicopter. It can detect Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker signal. The helicopter has to stay low and move slowly for it to work.

9:28 pm · 14 Feb 2026

10132 Reply Copy link Read 989 replies

Meanwhile, former FBI special agent Maureen O’Connell noted that the authorities are likely utilizing a variety of technologies in the search for Savannah Guthrie’s mother.

“With regards to this particular tool … I do know that the pacemaker sends off a very short-distance alert, or whatever, so they’re going to have to get really close,” O’Connell told NewsNation.

Digital forensics examiner Karl Epps told KOLD that the pacemaker’s disconnection likely does not mean Nancy’s heart stopped, but instead suggests she may have moved beyond the Bluetooth range of her phone.

“You can liken it to devices that we all have. If you leave your AirPods sitting somewhere and you walk far enough away from them, which isn’t too far, they will disconnect, and you will get a message,” Epps told the outlet.

Epps also noted that the pacemaker relies on near-field communication, meaning it must be in close proximity to another device to establish a connection.

“Very unlikely we are able to get a signal from it unless we are right on top of it,” he added.

Nancy’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m. on the night she went missing.

Nancy Guthrie Case Latest Update

On Friday night, media outlets reported that at least 3 individuals were detained, two men and the mother of one of them, following a major law enforcement operation.

Authorities searched a home about two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence, where a man and a woman were reportedly ordered to come out.

A third individual was simultaneously detained nearby during a traffic stop. The detained subjects have been released, per Fox News Digital.

Meanwhile, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News that there were no arrests made during the operation and “no sign of Nancy was found.”

Law enforcement is now awaiting forensic results from the late-night operation.