Trump reveals that DOJ will seek death penalty for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers if she is killed

President Donald Trump stated Monday that the person or people responsible for the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC’s Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie, would face the “most severe” federal penalties if she is found dead. He said it during a brief interview with the New York Post. 

When asked by the Post if that meant the Department of Justice would seek the death penalty, Trump said, “The most, yeah — that’s true.”

The FBI has doubled its reward to $100,000 for information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. 

Trump called Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 4 to offer support and said at the time that he directed “ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY. We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely.”

While Arizona has the death penalty, most of the 109 inmates on the state’s death row have been there for decades, according to The Hill. The state has carried out only two executions since 2022, which is when the Democrat-led government put a pause on executions. The pause was lifted in late 2024. 

The federal government can also seek capital punishment, but usually only does so for highly notorious cases, such as the Boston Marathon bombers.