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Published 08:48 09 Jun 2026 GMT
Suspect named in kidnapping case less than 7 miles from where Nancy Guthrie disappeared
A potential suspect has been named in the chilling Nancy Guthrie disappearance case.
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of TV news host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing ever since she was seen on the night of January 31 at her home in Tucson, Arizona, by her daughter Annie and son-in-law.
That was the night that investigators believe the suspected kidnapping took place, as surveillance footage unveiled that a masked person arrived at the property in the early hours of the morning.
Now, Nancy remains missing despite the infamy of the case, as daughter Savannah had been forced to step back from her post on NBC for months to support her family as authorities further investigated her mother's disappearance.
While many have had theories about her whereabouts, investigators have now revealed the identity of another kidnapping suspect, just miles from Nancy's home.
Sheriff's Department issues alert
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department put out a notice against Coral Michelle Smith, 40, a career criminal who is wanted in a kidnapping case around seven miles from the home in question.
The kidnapping suspect has a long criminal history, having previously been involved in a kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon case, which took place on May 29 in Tucson, at the intersection of River Road and La Cholla.
Officials have asked residents to “be on the lookout” for the woman, though no additional details about the incident were released.
There currently aren't any connections between Smith and the mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie's mother.
Who is Coral Michelle Smith?
The ex-convict has been accused of assault, kidnapping, robbery, and disorderly conduct in her life, serving four different prison sentences during her time in Pima County, say court records as per the New York Post.
Having first been found guilty of robbery in 2011, she was later caught attempting vehicle theft in 2014, before being found guilty of robbery again in 2019, and then guilty of criminal trespass in 2021.
Smith was also found guilty of attempted vehicle theft in 2022 and guilty of aggravated assault with physical injury in 2023.
Court records detailed that in the 2019 case, the victim was listed as under 15 years old, though these charges were eventually dismissed.
Local outlet 13 News reported that the suspect has used other names in the past, such as Corral Albright, Coral Albright-Smith, and Under The Sea Smith.
According to police, she is 5'6", 136 pounds, and has blonde hair and blue eyes.
She also has several tattoos, including a smiley face and heart on her right ankle, a rose with flames on her right foot, and "love, life, family" inscribed on her left leg.
Statement on Nancy Guthrie case
Speaking to KOLD on Monday (June 1), Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was asked if he believes the case is cold, to which he said: “No, absolutely not.
“There’s way too much work that is ongoing with some of the physical evidence we have, and we’re not going to give up on it just because it’s been 100 days,
“We continue to work with our labs – whether it’s on the digital end or the biological end, DNA – and we continue to do that.
“We continue to work with the FBI... and several labs across the country to get some resolution on this case.”
He stated that they are "committed" to resolving the mystery and to finding Nancy.