Exactly 11 days had passed since the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 58, a high school teacher in Portland, Oregon, when her eldest daughter Annie Guthrie, 27, was arrested in flagrante delicto late yesterday evening, February 24, 2026.

The arrest took place at 10.47pm local time in front of the family house in Beaverton. According to the official statement from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Annie was stopped while trying to leave the property in her black Subaru Outback – the same car that had already been seized three days ago and which is now at the center of forensic analysis.

The head of the investigative team, Detective Karen Ruiz, held a brief press conference at 1:30 am:

«After analyzing the contents of the trunk and engine compartment, we found biological traces compatible with Nancy Guthrie’s DNA, along with signs of aggressive cleaning with industrial bleach. Additionally, a significant amount of partially coagulated human blood was found in the emergency tank under the rear seat. We cannot yet confirm that it is Ms. Guthrie’s blood, but initial rapid genetic testing has come back positive for a partial match.”

The silence that fell in the press room was palpable. Ruiz continued:

«Annie Guthrie is currently accused of tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and, as a precaution, suspicion of homicide. We do not rule out the addition of more serious charges in the coming hours.”

The news triggered a wave of immediate reactions. On social networks the #NancyGuthrie case had already been among the US trending topics for a week, but in the last few hours it has climbed the global rankings, even surpassing major sporting and political events.

What really happened in the Beaverton house between February 13th and 14th?

According to the reconstruction provided so far by the police:

Nancy Guthrie was last seen alive on the evening of February 13 around 7.40pm, loading the dishwasher after having dinner with Annie. Annie called 911 on the morning of February 14 at 8:12 am, stating that her mother was not home when she woke up and that the back door was ajar.

The first search of the house had revealed no obvious signs of a struggle, but investigators had noticed “inconsistencies” in Annie’s version: her mother’s phone had been turned off manually at 11.47pm on February 13 (while Annie claimed to have gone to sleep at 10.30pm), and her car had been moved from the driveway to the garage between 2am and 4am, according to images from a neighbour’s security camera.

In the following days Annie gave several television interviews, always appearing composed, moved but controlled. He had spoken of “a loving mother”, “a special relationship” and “a family that has no enemies”. He also made a touching appeal: “Mom, if you hear me, please come home. I love you.”

That very composure, however, had begun to make many observers suspicious. Theories multiplied on Reddit and true crime forums: “Too calm”, “Look how she avoids talking about her father”, “He said ‘go home’ as if he knew she was dead”.

Then, last night’s twist.

According to sources close to the investigation, the turning point was the discovery, during a second more in-depth search of the trunk of Annie’s car, of a small fragment of fabric (later found to be compatible with the sweatshirt that Nancy was wearing on the evening of her disappearance) soaked in blood and with traces of torn hair. Mitochondrial DNA confirmed compatibility with Nancy.

At the time of arrest Annie did not resist, but she did not even speak. She simply stared blankly at the officers as she was read her Miranda rights. She was transferred to the Multnomah County Detention Center to await her arrest hearing scheduled for tomorrow morning.

The public reaction was immediate and polarized.

On the one hand, the pain and disdain of those who had followed the story as a story of a “missing mother”: “How could he do this to his mother?”, “Poor Nancy, she didn’t deserve this”. On the other, a minority (especially on the more cynical forums) who write: “Maybe there’s more. Maybe Nancy wasn’t the saint we thought she was.”

Annie’s father, Mark Guthrie (divorced from Nancy for 12 years), released a single sentence through his lawyer: “My family is living a nightmare. I ask you to respect and not to speculate until we have official answers.”

Meanwhile, the case continues to evolve rapidly. Investigative sources have confirmed that in the next few hours, telephone records, GPS data from Annie’s car and the security cameras of a petrol station where the car was filmed at 3.14am on 14 February will be examined.

The district attorney has already announced that he will request pre-trial detention in prison without bail, defining the case as “high risk of escape and evidentiary pollution”.

As we write this, the family home in Beaverton is surrounded by camera crews, onlookers and tearful neighbors. A lit candle burns on the windowsill of Nancy’s bedroom. Next to it is a handwritten note from a neighborhood child:

“Come home, Mrs. Guthrie. We’ll be waiting for you.”

But after Annie’s arrest, that hope now seems to hang by an increasingly thin thread.