Police Search for Nancy Guthrie

May 12, 2026, 14:30
USOther

Introduction

Police are looking for Nancy Guthrie. She is 84 years old. She disappeared from her home in Arizona on February 1.

Main Body

Police went to her house. They found blood on the porch. A camera was broken. They think a bad person took her. The local police and the FBI are angry. They do not work well together. Some police officers do not like the leader, Chris Nanos. They say he made mistakes. Police looked at many things. They got messages asking for money. They talked to some men, but the men did not do it. Now, the FBI is checking DNA and a video of a man.

Conclusion

The search continues. Police want to find the man who took her.

Learning

The 'Action' Shift

Notice how the story changes from now to before. This is the most important part of A2 English: moving from the present to the past.

Now (Present)

  • Police are looking...
  • The search continues.
  • FBI is checking...

Before (Past)

  • She disappeared...
  • Police went...
  • They found...
  • A camera was broken.

The Pattern → Most 'past' words in this story end in -ed (disappeared). Some are 'special' and change completely (go → went, find → found).

Quick Tip: People and Groups When talking about more than one person, use They.

  • Police officers →\rightarrow They
  • The men →\rightarrow They
  • The FBI and local police →\rightarrow They

Vocabulary Learning

police (n.)
officials who enforce laws
Example:The police arrived quickly.
looking (v.)
searching for something
Example:She is looking for her keys.
disappeared (v.)
went missing
Example:The cat disappeared from the room.
porch (n.)
a covered area in front of a house
Example:He sat on the porch.
camera (n.)
device that takes pictures or videos
Example:She bought a new camera.
broken (adj.)
not working because damaged
Example:The window is broken.
bad (adj.)
not good or harmful
Example:He made a bad choice.
angry (adj.)
feeling strong displeasure
Example:She was angry about the delay.
together (adv.)
in a group or joint effort
Example:They worked together.
leader (n.)
person who guides or directs
Example:The leader gave a speech.
mistakes (n.)
wrong actions or decisions
Example:He learned from his mistakes.
messages (n.)
written or spoken communications
Example:She sent many messages.
asking (v.)
requesting information or something
Example:He was asking for help.
money (n.)
currency used to buy goods
Example:She saved some money.
FBI (n.)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, a U.S. agency
Example:The FBI investigated the case.
DNA (n.)
genetic material used for identification
Example:DNA can prove identity.
video (n.)
recorded moving pictures
Example:They watched a video.
search (n.)
looking for something
Example:The search for the missing child lasted days.
continue (v.)
to keep going
Example:The search will continue.
find (v.)
to discover or locate
Example:They hope to find the man.