Crime & Arrests

Although "TODAY Show" Anchor Savannah Guthrie's used to talking about headlines in her line of work, her mother, Nancy, became a trending topic in the United States on February 1, 2026 ... when she suddenly disappeared from her home near Tucson, Arizona.

Here's a look into Nancy's background and how her disappearance has resulted in an extensive search effort from local authorities.

Nancy was originally from the Cincinnati, Ohio area. She grew up around Fort Wright, Kentucky, about five miles south of Cincinnati, according to WLWT-TV.

Nancy eventually moved her family to Tucson in the 1970s, and she described the "laid back and gentle" quality of the Tucson area as one of the main reasons she chose Arizona, ABC News reports.

Her family was dealt a tragedy in 1988 when Nancy's husband, Charles, unexpectedly died from a heart attack.

Savannah spoke about the aftermath of his death during a 2017 episode of 'Today' ... "We were just trying to figure out how to become a family of four when we’d always been a family of five."

Nancy was last seen on the night of Saturday, January 31, 2026, at her home in Catalina Foothills, located six miles northeast of Tucson.

A family member reported her missing the next day after she missed church service. A search was immediately launched, which included using drones and dogs.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos later said authorities believed Nancy's home was a crime scene ... and he told us she'd been in her bed at some point during the night before disappearing.

A distressing trail of dried blood was found outside Nancy's front door ... but Nanos has stated authorities have to believe she's still alive.

While TMZ was reporting on the case, we ended up being involved in a way we never expected ... because we received an alleged ransom note demanding payment for Nancy's release. The note was forwarded to the Pima County Sheriff's Dept., who said they were aware of "note(s)" sent to other outlets as well.

President Donald Trump said he intended to contact Savannah Tuesday, and said he'd be willing to provide further assistance in the search effort.

Ryan Routh has been sentenced to life in prison ... months after he was found guilty of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down Routh's sentence, which includes an additional seven years for a firearm offense, at a Fort Pierce, Florida courtroom on Wednesday, NBC News reports.

Prosecutors called Routh "totally unrepentant" for his crimes in a sentencing memorandum, adding ... "the heinous nature of this assassination attempt -- his selfish, violent decision to prevent the American voters from electing President Trump by killing him first -- that warrants severe criminal punishment."

FYI ... Routh was arrested after he tried to kill Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024, two months after a previous attempt on the presidential candidate's life in Butler, Pennsylvania. Authorities said Routh brought a weapon --  identified as an SKS-style rifle -- as well as two backpacks and a GoPro camera to the golf course.

The attempt was foiled after a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of the gun poking through a fence and shrubbery and fired a shot at Routh. Trump was reportedly about 400 yards from the scene on the course.

Routh fled in an SUV parked nearby ... he was apprehended by authorities later in the day about 50 miles from the club.

Routh left a letter with an admission of guilt at a residence near Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort, which partially read ... "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job."

Routh represented himself during his trial, and he was found guilty on several felony counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer, in September 2025. Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen in court when his verdict was read.

Track stars Sha'Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman have both entered not guilty pleas following last Thursday's arrests ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Alisia Adamson -- who is representing both sprinters -- entered the plea through docs filed in court on Monday. Richardson was arrested on one charge of dangerous excessive speeding ... and cited for several driving violations.

Coleman was arrested for drug paraphernalia and resisting (without violence) during the traffic stop -- both of which are misdemeanors.

Legal issues continue to mount for Gervonta "Tank" Davis ... 'cause nearly a week after he was arrested in Miami over domestic violence allegations -- TMZ Sports has confirmed an arrest warrant was issued out of Maryland for the troubled boxer.

Court records show Judge Althea Handy issued the warrant Monday on the grounds Davis violated his probation relating to his 2020 hit-and-run that injured four people, including a pregnant woman.

The 31-year-old received 90 days of house arrest, three years of probation, and 200 hours of community service. He was later sent to jail after violating the terms of his home confinement.

Tragedy struck Dog the Bounty Hunter's family last year when his 13-year-old step-grandson Anthony was shot and killed ... and now we've learned Dog's stepson Gregory Zecca has been arrested for the fatal accident.

According to Florida's Collier County Sheriff's Office ... Zecca was determined to have been under the influence of alcohol while he was handling the firearm last July. Law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant charging Zecca with aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm and using a firearm while under the influence.

Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a statement ... "This was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy. Our detectives conducted an exhaustive and thorough investigation, examining every element of what happened through witness statements, forensic testing, subpoenas, search warrants, and more. I commend their hard work and professionalism in uncovering the facts in an incredibly difficult case."

According to the investigation, Gregory was drinking for several hours before sitting down to watch a UFC fight on TV with his son at a friend's house. At the friend's house, Gregory continued to drink and got high on marijuana, authorities say.

Bill Stevenson, the ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden, has his name in the news for all the wrong reasons recently ... he's been charged with murdering his second wife, Linda.

Here's a look at Stevenson's background and how he was taken into the hands of the law.

Patrick Mahomes Sr. was arrested yet again on Tuesday -- the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's pops was busted for a violation of his probation for his DWI sentence after allegedly drinking alcohol.

The 55-year-old former MLB player was booked in Smith County Jail at 8:53 AM ... and he didn't look too thrilled as he posed for another mug shot.

The District Attorney confirmed to us Mahomes Sr. was jailed for a probation violation ... with the probation violation report stating he had a high alcohol reading on his SCRAM alcohol ankle monitor on Jan. 1.

Julia Roberts' sister-in-law Eliza Roberts accused Timothy Busfield of sexually harassing her over 30 years ago ... and now she says the alleged victims in the actor/director's recent child sex abuse charges should not be "vilified."

Photogs caught up with Eliza on Monday as she was headed to the movies in Los Angeles, where she tells us we should all believe the 2 brothers who claimed Busfield touched their private parts while on the set of the TV show, "The Cleaning Lady," in 2022, according to court documents. Prosecutors say the 7-year-old twins were actors and Busfield was the director.

Despite their accusations against the director, the boys originally told investigators Busfield never acted inappropriately toward them.

Don Lemon is speaking out for the first time about his arrest by the feds ... telling Jimmy Kimmel he was bombarded by agents in an elevator in L.A. and was never given the chance to turn himself in ... all so they could allegedly "embarrass" him.

The veteran journalist recounted his Thursday night arrest on federal civil rights charges on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Monday, explaining he was stepping into a hotel elevator after reporting on the Grammys when all of a sudden, he felt himself "being jostled."

Don says the folks trying to arrest him didn't identify themselves at first and failed to show a warrant until he demanded one. He also claims he was never given an opportunity to turn himself in despite his legal team's efforts -- it's all in the clip.

Twitch streamer and rapper Aspen Kartier was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after a video of her seemingly roughing up an innocent pup on the platform went viral.

The 19-year-old streamer -- whose real name is Aspen Easterling -- was cuffed and booked into the DeKalb County Jail Friday night after authorities received numerous complaints over the alleged abuse in the circulating video ... the Brookhaven Police Department tells TMZ.

Brookhaven police officers gathered enough evidence against Aspen to secure a search warrant for her residence as well as an arrest warrant, and she was taken in around 9:30 PM.

Bella Hadid's reported ex-boyfriend found himself in the slammer after having a little too much Friday night fun.

Award-winning cowboy and horse trainer Adan Banuelos was arrested in Texas in the wee hours of Saturday morning for public intoxication, TMZ has learned. He's already bonded out of the Parker County Jail after paying a minor fee of $386.

TMZ has reached out to the Parker County Sheriff for more info and Adan for comment ... so far, nothing back.

Adan caught the spotlight in Hollywood when he began dating the supermodel in late 2023 -- although they reportedly split this month.

Don Lemon has been released from custody after being criminally charged for covering a church protest in Minneapolis, and he made it clear ... this will not silence him.

Lemon told the crowd ... he has been a reporter for 30 years, and he will not stop doing what he has always done -- covering the news.

As we reported, Lemon was arrested Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles, for allegedly co-conspiring with protesters to disrupt a church service in Minneapolis.

Sha'Carri Richardson PLEADED with the police officer who stopped her for allegedly driving over 100 MPH, begging him not to arrest her ... but she still left the scene in handcuffs.

TMZ Sports obtained the body-worn camera from the Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy ... and it shows the Olympic athlete doing everything in her power to avoid winding up in jail.

The clip starts with the officer catching up to Richardson's Aston Martin before activating his lights and sirens and pulling her over.

The deputy approaches her, and it's clear he isn't happy from the jump, telling Sha'Carri ... "I'd wipe that smile off your face," before explaining she was being "stopped for dangerous, excessive speeding."

Sha'Carri Richardson wasn't the only track star arrested on Thursday -- her boyfriend, sprinter Christian Coleman, was busted for drug paraphernalia and resisting during the traffic stop, TMZ Sports has learned.

We've obtained the arrest affidavit from the medalist's run-in with police ... and it turns out it was a bit of a Team USA hangout of sorts -- with CC, as well as fellow sprinter Twanisha Terry, getting name-dropped.

The report states cops were driving north on State Road 429 in Winter Garden, Florida around noon on Thursday ... when a gray vehicle approached at a rapid speed. When using radar, the cop says the car at one point reached up to 104 MPH.

Huge win for Luigi Mangione ... the trial judge just ruled the death penalty is officially off the table.

The feds wanted the judge to rule that the stalking charges they filed against Mangione were a "crime of violence" -- and proving a crime of violence is a prerequisite for opening the door to even charging Mangione federally with murder. The judge ruled stalking is NOT a crime of violence ... the upshot is that Mangione can't even be charged with murder in the federal case. All he can be charged with is stalking, which carries a maximum sentence of life without parole.

Mangione is still charged in state court with murder, although in New York, there is no death penalty.

Luigi Mangione has a ton of fans rooting for his release ... and at least one of them who allegedly tried to take matters into his own hands by busting him out!

Mark Anderson -- a 35-year-old Minnesota man -- was arrested at MDC Brooklyn in New York, the notorious prison that houses Mangione and other high-profile inmates such as former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, late Wednesday night.

According to a criminal complaint -- cited by NBC News -- Anderson was arrested after prison workers asked for his credentials ... and he only handed over an MN driver's license.