Nancy Guthrie, 84, (mother of TODAY Show host Savannah Guthrie) missing - last seen in the Catalina foothills area on Jan 31, 2026

[Cassie P]

What kind of motive and what kind of perpetrator do we actually have here if no one in his periphery will turn him in for 1.1 million dollars?

Depends upon how ruthless or perhaps culture?
-Ringleader could have killed his accomplices.
-Or the accomplices know if they squeal, they will be killed, like some sort of mob culture?

 

[Warshawski]

Semi jokingly, Matt Lauer has entered the thread.

Please explain ?

 

[Cassie P]

A very bonded twosome - a male/female couple maybe?

ETA: perhaps the male has total control and that why the accomplice “can’t” come forward.

I think a male/female combo makes sense, it explains:

1. Why SG appears to be talking to a woman in her videos, appealing to someone who may have some empathy, sympathy, and identify with a parent/child bond.
2. Why no one has come forward for the reward.
3. Arrogant ruthless alpha male perp likely to relegate care of the hostage to a woman.

 

[Cassie P]

But they would likely be familiar with that land. They don't want to dump a body where it will be easily found. A place may "look" remote, but it may have a landowner which combs the site frequently. Public lands are also a good bet. Still, the perp would place it in a spot they were familiar with on public land.

The fact the body has not been found makes it appear that the perp is someone who is familiar with the area and would know where to hide the body in a remote location?

 

[No it's not]

Can you relink the "kidnapping game" post?

[I bought SG’s book and therefore no link]

[Reposting]

Page 90 of Savannah Guthrie’s book ‘MOSTLY WHAT GOD DOES’ :

‘About once a year, in the summertime, cousin T… orchestrated a kidnapping of my sister and me. It went down like this: the cousins would visit for a few days at our house in Tucson, and then, on the morning they were to leave, T…would wake us up early, searching us in the predawn darkness as we made our escape. We would all pile into her rickety station wagon and head north, the sky streaking with bright oranges and pinks as the sun rose over the colors, desert landscape. Somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson, T…would make a pitstop and let Annie and recall home at a payphone.“Mom! Cousin T… kidnapped us to take us to her house! “My mother would faint shock, protest, how terrible she would miss us, then assure us she’d drive up to retrieve us in a few days.’

(No link, because I own the book and am quoting this short passage from it. Hope that’s alright.)

The cousin’s name was deleted by me. Family is not to be discussed and has been cleared. The mentioning of a kidnapping as a children’s play in SG’s book has been mentioned on MSN and here. Nothing new. However, if we even think of an individual wanting to hurt SG, I would hope LE was and is still checking out that area between Tucson and Phoenix.

It would be roughly here:

It would be worth to have the heli out there and perhaps talk to the native Navajo/Apache. They would have seen a lit up car in the middle of the dark night out in the desert..MOO!!

Just a thought.

ALL IMO

-Nin

 

[Napoli]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed due to no links to support info stated as fact> ...

Anyone here want to venture a guess at eye color? is it even possible to know from a black and white video? TYIA MOO

 

[iamshadow21]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed due to no links to support info stated as fact> ...

Anyone here want to venture a guess at eye color? is it even possible to know from a black and white video? TYIA MOO

It's not black and white, it's IR, which means you can't estimate colour. What looks like depth of colour is more about absorption and reflectivity of the IR light. If what I've read on here I've understood correctly. Please, science nerds, correct me if I'm wrong. The light spectrum and its photography are not my areas.

MOO

 

[Napoli]

[I bought SG’s book and therefore no link]

[Reposting]

Page 90 of Savannah Guthrie’s book ‘MOSTLY WHAT GOD DOES’ :

‘About once a year, in the summertime, cousin T… orchestrated a kidnapping of my sister and me. It went down like this: the cousins would visit for a few days at our house in Tucson, and then, on the morning they were to leave, T…would wake us up early, searching us in the predawn darkness as we made our escape. We would all pile into her rickety station wagon and head north, the sky streaking with bright oranges and pinks as the sun rose over the colors, desert landscape. Somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson, T…would make a pitstop and let Annie and recall home at a payphone.“Mom! Cousin T… kidnapped us to take us to her house! “My mother would faint shock, protest, how terrible she would miss us, then assure us she’d drive up to retrieve us in a few days.’

(No link, because I own the book and am quoting this short passage from it. Hope that’s alright.)

The cousin’s name was deleted by me. Family is not to be discussed and has been cleared. The mentioning of a kidnapping as a children’s play in SG’s book has been mentioned on MSN and here. Nothing new. However, if we even think of an individual wanting to hurt SG, I would hope LE was and is still checking out that area between Tucson and Phoenix.

It would be roughly here:

It would be worth to have the heli out there and perhaps talk to the native Navajo/Apache. They would have seen a lit up car in the middle of the dark night out in the desert..MOO!!

Just a thought.

ALL IMO

-Nin

Just a brilliant post on soooo many levels. moo

 

[Napoli]

It's not black and white, it's IR, which means you can't estimate colour. What looks like depth of colour is more about absorption and reflectivity of the IR light. If what I've read on here I've understood correctly. Please, science nerds, correct me if I'm wrong. The light spectrum and its photography are not my areas.

MOO

Ok, so, is this because it was taken in the dark? My doorbell camera shows video in color. I "picture" crystal green eyes, here. They are probably orange. lol. Definitely distinctive. Definitely looks like black something on both eyelids to me too. TY for your response.

 

[No it's not]

Just a brilliant post on soooo many levels. moo

Thanks. As are many others..

-Nin

 

[No it's not]

Fascinating sleuthing, @No it's not!

Have you submitted that to LE yet?

It certainly might spur some out of the box thinking, which solving this case will require, IMO. That said, wouldn't NG or AG have made this same connection already?

Thanks. I would not submit a theory and I hope, that SG (!) or AG would have thought of that as well. However, I am not sure, whether they are aware of the possible 23/230 (PSALM/Mile Marker) connection.

Yes, ‘out of the box’ thinking may be the new conventional wisdom in this case..

-Nin

 

[iamshadow21]

Ok, so, is this because it was taken in the dark? My doorbell camera shows video in color. I "picture" crystal green eyes, here. They are probably orange. lol. Definitely distinctive. Definitely looks like black something on both eyelids to me too. TY for your response.

Yes.

Infrared is beyond the visible light spectrum for humans to see. What we're seeing is a translation, really. The camera can see it, but our eyes can't. So the video is that, distilled into images we can see.

People have pointed out further back in the threads that in all likelihood the intruder WASN'T wearing a mask under the ski mask, because those lifelike masks reflect IR at different levels to human skin, and show up as a markedly different tone as a result.

MOO

 

[Serononin]

Please explain ?

As I understand it, ML and SG were colleagues until sexual misconduct allegations emerged about ML. SG reported that news when it broke, I believe

 

[RedHaus]

They [folks living on Native American reservations] would have seen a lit up car in the middle of the dark night out in the desert...

RSBM
Yet, as an OP posted ^, there was a brilliant full moon on 1/31. So, IMO, no head lights were necessary to navigate a desert... like a coyote.

 

[No it's not]

One more thing, if anyone thinks the possible location I pointed out referencing NG’s book, please also read PSALM 23.

SG is quoting it in the same chapter 11 of her book (Mostly What God Does) on page 92. Not trying to turn the whole case in a religious debate. Just found the psalm interesting in connection with the case and what I posted about a possible location of NG.

Could she still be alive?

QUOTE, page 92 Chapter 11 (named PSALM 23, includes the mock kidnapping etc.):

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
Righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea,though I walk through the valley of the shadow
Of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with
Me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
Of mine enemies:thou anointest my head with
Oil;my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
Days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
The LORD forever.

Psalm 23 KJV

Thank you,
Nin

 

[No it's not]

RSBM
Yet, as an OP posted ^, there was a brilliant full moon on 1/31. So, IMO, no head lights were necessary to navigate a desert... like a coyote.

True. Also, I believe the native tribe people would catch anything or anyone moving through a dark or full moon night desert. Firmly believe that.

-Nin

 

[iamshadow21]

True. Also, I believe the native tribe people would catch anything or anyone moving through a dark or full moon night desert. Firmly believe that.

-Nin

They'd certainly notice the buzzards or vultures or whatever the scavenger creatures were out there circling in the days that followed, anyway. So long as they were close enough.

MOO

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

This is not a random opportunist's crime. She was targeted. And not just FBI-defined targeted, but specifically targeted. And not just specifically targeted, but specifically targeted for kidnapping. And not just specifically targeted for kidnapping, but for all intents and purposes she was specifically targeted for kidnapping for ransom. And not just specifically targeted for kidnapping for ransom, but specifically targeted for kidnapping and a $6 million dollar ransom.

Going with this as the underlying assumption and likely motive, we can posit:

Nancy doesn't have 6 million dollars, or if she does it isn't something that would be known or implied. She's 84, lives in the same house she's lived in for 40 years, drives an Outback (I think), and at 84 is in the denouement of her 'society' life and her routine now is more mahjong and video church with a few close friends.

Annie doesn't have 6 million dollars, or if she does there isn't any indication that she or her husband live that way. Like her mom, she has a normal to quasi-upscale home in a nicely manicured neighborhood and with normal non-luxury cars in the garage. We're not talking mansion and there is no obvious rich here either.

So that leaves one person with the means to satisfy a ransom demand that substantial - Savannah.

Young men don't watch The Today Show. Middle aged working men don't watch the Today Show. Burglars don't watch the Today Show. Psychopathic run of the mill kidnappers don't watch the Today Show. Sure, one of these types may have seen the Today Show in passing while switching between channels a time or two, but it isn't very likely that when he did he just happened upon the segment with Nancy. And even if one of these types did happen onto that segment, it isn't likely that he would consider the two of them 'prime pickens' for a payday when there are far more wealthy folks worth far more money, who are far more easily available, and who are far easier to manage in captivity. And probably even in Tucson. And perhaps even close by.

So what in the world is going on here? Why in the world did the perpetrator choose Savannah to fleece? And, most importantly, how did he arrive at that conclusion, and from whence?

JMO.

I like how you think, Slim.

 

[wibbleflea]

People have pointed out further back in the threads that in all likelihood the intruder WASN'T wearing a mask under the ski mask, because those lifelike masks reflect IR at different levels to human skin, and show up as a markedly different tone as a result.

Would love to see experimental results from anyone with a similar Google Nest in night mode, using a thin, mesh mask and a hyper-realistic mask (silicon or similar). I’ve skimmed many articles explaining that the IR reflectance levels would be quite different from human skin but haven’t seen images or footage.

The point most of those articles make is that the neck and ears (bare skin) would look different from the mask. The mask would be brighter, more washed out and lacking in detail.

In the specific footage we see here, it could be that the only bare skin visible is from eyelids and wrists. The latter are close to the camera’s IR source when we see them, so they’re brighter (inverse square law). If it’s a thin, mesh-type mask, the mouth could be covered.

(Edited to add for clarity: so it’s harder to compare skin with the mask’s material in the footage we have, because the ski mask and the jacket cover most of the inner mask, if there is one. We don’t see hands, neck or ears so can’t use them to compare.)

Would love to see some test results

 

[buffalogal]

Yes, front door guy looked like he was treading gingerly and walking slowly. The OP pondered about the arrested guy walking quickly out of court and how he seems to match the perp's description, except for his walk. If the video speed was slowed down by the FBI before they posted it (say, in the hope viewers would get a good look at the perp's gait) then his normal cadence may be much faster that what we see in the front door video.
JMO

I think front door guy was walking slowly and gingerly and favoring his right hand and elbow because he'd just tripped and fell over that two foot tall pile of rocks outside the house. No matter how fast he was going (walking or half jogging to hurry), and whether or not he landed in the rocks or a cactus or yucca, a fall in the dark is disconcerting and I'm sure he was frustrated both at the landscape (stupid rocks! stupid cactus!) and at himself for not using that bite lite to at least check the path.