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

[shadowsc]

Nancy appeared multiple times on The Today Show wearing an Apple Watch on her wrist. But also, as others have said, it was probably very obviously sitting on the nightstand beside her charging.

The only thing is that the first "ransom letter" referenced the Apple Watch's location in the house and it was that fact that apparently led the FBI to at least take the note seriously and consider it. I would think that means that the Apple Watch was in a somewhat not-totally-obvious location in the house, otherwise "her Apple Watch was sitting on the nightstand charging" isn't exactly "only the kidnapper would know" significant information.

This case falls in one of those categories like Jon Bennet or Kyron Horman where something just does not add up. Hear me out: SG is in her 50s?? host of a daytime morning type show, right? Let's assume the kidnapper targeted NG due to the fame of SG. Asking for bitcoin seems like a "younger generation" play that would put kidnapper in 20s, 30s age range. Why not target Justin Beiber's grandma for example? The point im trying to make is if the kidnapper is targeting NG due to SG fame, it seems like a generational mismatch. I cant see SG being well known to a dude in his 30s. Now, based on that mismatch it points to someone local who knew of her fame. Local dishwasher at restaurant who knew NG had rich famous daughter. Or finally, someone from inside family concocting a super weird Fargo plot. This is my thought dump for the moment!!

That's a good point. I also still don't think SG is an obvious target for money. Yes, she makes on-air talent money. But an estimated salary of 8 million a year isn't an "extreme" amount when compared with hedge funds, finance, celebrities, athlete salaries. I just don't see money being the true motive here. But who knows.

I also don't think it's family. This is way too big of a spectacle. What kind of family member would try to carry off a crime when a close relative is not just a public figure, but national news media. That seems wildly risky. And if someone does get a big bitcoin payoff....how exactly would a known family member suddenly hide their big windfall? Suddenly they have money to pay off debt? Buy nicer cars? Take tropical vacations? Disappear overseas and think no one will notice?

The only reason AG's husband's name has been out there is because AB reported that a LE told her that he "may" be a suspect. Nothing has ever been confirmed. There was a big flurry of comments when it was reported that LE was first seen at AG's house earlier in the week. But then that turned out to be in preparation for the family's first video release. It's definitely shady that the sheriff has suddenly backtracked and is being tight-lipped on who actually dropped Nancy off after the family dinner. But he has also said conflicting info about the church service, what time the family got to the house, how much time they spent looking before calling 911, if the cameras were smashed or not, etc. There's either shady things about the family's timeline, or he purposely is releasing info scattered, or he spoke before having all his facts verified. No idea.

 

[Sadi]

If NG and her SIL entered through the garage door, which closed 2 mins later, it could be because it was easier for her to enter the house that way. Doesn’t mean he left through the garage door before it closed. He could have accompanied her through the house and left through the front door.

Especially since it would be dark out, going in through the garage would be easier and have a light on too see while walking in.

 

[K9Enzo]

Morning all.

Maybe Nancy's DNA i.e. blood from being transported - either alive or deceased.

If the vehicle of interest that was seen at Circle K was Nancy's, I am not understanding how her vehicle would have gotten back into her garage if the only opening of the garage was at 9:48 p.m. and the only closing was two minutes later at 9:50 p.m.

Maybe there was another opening and closing of the garage Sunday morning that LE just hasn't shared with the public.

Or the vehicle of interest seen at Circle K wasn't Nancy's and belongs to someone else.

Good point. Perhaps they got a warrant for her vehicle telematics. Maybe it wasn’t seen on any store surveillance. When did she drive it last, how often, doors opening, etc. I believe this could also be the same reason presumably AG’s car was taken. Telematics and to really sweep both cars. Also, get the vehicles in LE garages (separately of course) and bring in the HRD dogs to sweep as well. IMO

 

[Sadi]

There is no indication that NG used her car on the Saturday she disappeared.

There is, however, a claim that Nancy was in Annie/Tomasso’s car.

I would imagine they’d be examining the car in which she was allegedly a passenger, not one she hadn’t used.

Also, nowhere did the sheriff say which home. He just said “the home”. Investigators have been removing evidence from both homes.

ETA: In re-reading this post, it sounds snippy. Not trying to be a jerk! And not arguing with you in particular, just the point.

Do we know for certain N didn’t use her car that day at any time? Maybe running errands early in the day? They would be able to get details on the time it was last driven and by whom.

 

[thefragile7393]

Yesterday on her podcast, The Nerve, Maureen Callahan was discussing Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance with Ashleigh Banfield.

Maureen said she read that the blood drops on the porch had been tested and the blood came from Nancy. Also that there was sputum mixed with it, that suggested it had come from her mouth or nose (as opposed to a cut on her arm, say).

She didn’t name a source, but she did say this. Obviously I can’t verify the truth of this claim, so it’s JMO.

Banfield made a mistake, I noted. She was talking about the early report that Nancy had been taken from her bed. She was describing a hypothetical scenario in which a person would be knocking on Nancy’s door until she got out of bed, making her come down the stairs to open the door. Maureen corrected her, saying the house was all one level; there’s no ‘upstairs’ or ‘downstairs’. It surprised me that Banfield didn’t know this, and it made me question her knowledge of the case. Even a casual observer of the case, from seeing it on TV, would know that the house is a single storey.

Yeah, in my opinion, she’s blown it big time.

 

[The OG]

Law-enforcement has not named anybody as a prime suspect. Yes of course the families are all looked at first, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a suspect yet until the police announce it as such.

A suspect is a suspect well before it is announced.

 

[academyrd]

If they towed Nancy’s car this morning, that means the car that sheriff said they seized and processed a few days ago was Annie’s car… that lines up with what Banfield said and is a bombshell. If they are innocent why is their car getting seized?

 

[judithannegg]

My current theory: FM needs money now. Maybe asked for it at dinner but she said no. Took her home. Went back to their own home but it festered with FM that they needed money, so went back to Nancy's house. Probably has key. Maybe went in and proceeded to wake her up and force her to leave house. Maybe faking a family emergency, got to leave NOW!? Perhaps a bit of a struggle going out the door when Nancy wanted to go back in and put real clothes on and something happened and Nancy got hurt and that was blood outside. (Barney Fife did not mention ANY blood inside the house.) Took Nancy out to dessert and killed her. Maybe as simple as a bag over her head. Maybe left back door open and her still in her pajamas to look like she just wandered off, so maybe she's not too far in the dessert. (Only heard of aerial searches of dessert nearby -- no ground searches to my knowledge. With all the brush, she could be under a bush of some sort.) Gives off the implication that "she must have gotten confused and wandered off and then just "died" in the dessert." Honestly, if it wasn't the big news media, that might have been the end of it all. But then it quickly became a hot news item. Sooo many people came on tv quickly to say that there was no way she could wander off, so quickly it became a crime scene instead of just wandering off in what family member wanted. I think all the ransom notes are not real. We already have one person arrested for making a fake one. Nowadays with crypto, it could easily be some teenage boy in Russia making these other messages. Someone said she was on Facebook. Maybe the blackmailer saw something in one of her Facebook pics that he uses as "personal information" to prove he was in house even though he never was. FM needs Nancy to be found so that inheritance can happen quickly. My dad has all his money in a trust so that when he passes, my sister and I have access to it all immediately without probate. I think the car was seen on Circle K going by twice in the 2:00ish hours of the morning. But if it was Nancy's car, then maybe they used that for transport. Perhaps garage door was manually opened slowly if her garage door is like mine and motor is way too loud and would make an awful noise in the quiet of the neighborhood at that time. But not sure why blood would be in driveway...

 

[missy1974]

If they towed Nancy’s car this morning, that means the car that sheriff said they seized and processed a few days ago was Annie’s car… that lines up with what Banfield said and is a bombshell. If they are innocent why is their car getting seized?

IIRC the Sheriff also said it was released back to them too and just standard. Although taking NG's car apparently was not during the first search lol

They would take their car to process it if it was the last vehicle she was in.

I find it almost incredible that no media caught them taking the car, but JMO.

 

[DS2021]

Today will be the day. Im speaking that into existence

 

[birdbox]

The only thing is that the first "ransom letter" referenced the Apple Watch's location in the house and it was that fact that apparently led the FBI to at least take the note seriously and consider it. I would think that means that the Apple Watch was in a somewhat not-totally-obvious location in the house, otherwise "her Apple Watch was sitting on the nightstand charging" isn't exactly "only the kidnapper would know" significant information.


That's a good point. I also still don't think SG is an obvious target for money. Yes, she makes on-air talent money. But an estimated salary of 8 million a year isn't an "extreme" amount when compared with hedge funds, finance, celebrities, athlete salaries. I just don't see money being the true motive here. But who knows.

I also don't think it's family. This is way too big of a spectacle. What kind of family member would try to carry off a crime when a close relative is not just a public figure, but national news media. That seems wildly risky. And if someone does get a big bitcoin payoff....how exactly would a known family member suddenly hide their big windfall? Suddenly they have money to pay off debt? Buy nicer cars? Take tropical vacations? Disappear overseas and think no one will notice?

The only reason AG's husband's name has been out there is because AB reported that a LE told her that he "may" be a suspect. Nothing has ever been confirmed. There was a big flurry of comments when it was reported that LE was first seen at AG's house earlier in the week. But then that turned out to be in preparation for the family's first video release. It's definitely shady that the sheriff has suddenly backtracked and is being tight-lipped on who actually dropped Nancy off after the family dinner. But he has also said conflicting info about the church service, what time the family got to the house, how much time they spent looking before calling 911, if the cameras were smashed or not, etc. There's either shady things about the family's timeline, or he purposely is releasing info scattered, or he spoke before having all his facts verified. No idea.

Good observations on my post. If we follow on down from my logic and your expanded "rule outs" then that leaves someone local who just knows NG as a "wealthy" lady compared to them, right? Someone who knows shes maybe sort of famously connected for some reason, but not somone who targeted her because of SG. Would that be your arguement? But I agree, I think there are way wealthier people that could have relatives targeted if it was simply about money. But, again, something just feels odd and off and I cant really put my finger on it! But again me trying to get in the head of a person who would do this is really an exercise in futility.

 

[katydid23]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>They also know she was alive when she got back to her home because her phone synced up to her pacemaker until the two things were separated around 2 am.

 

[gammagirl]

They also know she was alive when she got back to her home because her phone synced up to her pacemaker until the two things were separated around 2 am.

Could have been separated at some other location and phone/watch brought back to her house

 

[Sadi]

can it be determined how long the blood was there?

I did look into that yesterday, but the explanations were all over the place from weeks to years. Also exposure to weather etc.

 

[SMK777]

can it be determined how long the blood was there?

Same question I have.

 

[khaki]

They also know she was alive when she got back to her home because her phone synced up to her pacemaker until the two things were separated around 2 am.

Good point. I am not quite clear on all of this and was wondering if it's possible the watch and phone were separated from her somewhere besides her house.

edit: oof, I see gammagirl just asked the same question

 

[detective.moon]

This case falls in one of those categories like Jon Bennet or Kyron Horman where something just does not add up. Here me out: SG is in her 50s?? host of a daytime morning type show, right? Let's assume the kidnapper targeted NG due to the fame of SG. Asking for bitcoin seems like a "younger generation" play that would put kidnapper in 20s, 30s age range. Why not target Justin Beiber's grandma for example? The point im trying to make is if the kidnapper is targeting NG due to SG fame, it seems like a generational mismatch. I cant see SG being well known to a dude in his 30s. Now, based on that mismatch it points to someone local who knew of her fame. Local dishwasher at restaurant who knew NG had rich famous daughter. Or finally, someone from inside family concocting a super weird Fargo plot. This is my thought dump for the moment!!

i was thinking the same thing!

my thoughts about the person who did this (though to be honest, with such a strange case i’m prepared to be completely off)
- bitcoins became popular in the mainstream around 2013. i could see a more tech savvy person in their 30s get into them around that time, someone like that could even be in their early 50s now! so the perp doesn’t have to be super young imo
- the silence of the lambs came out in 1991, so around 35 years ago. i do think it’s a classic, i’m in my early 30s and i’ve seen it too. it makes me think the perp is 30+ but i also think referencing movies in his ransom letter, and using movies as code (if that’s what’s happened) especially says something about his personality - someone who likes to show off his knowledge or who likes to pretend he’s in a movie
- i also think only a local would choose to target NG
- doing this in the dead of night, in the weekend, makes me think it might be someone with a monday to friday job and maybe a partner or family who were not supposed to notice he went missing for a few hours
- could also be two people working together, but i’m not really sure about that

 

[Sadi]

Yeah, in my opinion, she’s blown it big time.

Not saying this happened, but could she have heard something, went out the front door to look, walked down the step or stoop? Maybe that’s what she was referring to? But I don’t think that happened.

 

[Warwick1991]

I agree they appear to be passive blood drops as she stood at the front door area bleeding. There is what appears to me to be a projected/impact spatter to the right of the mat - meaning a force coming in to contact with an already actively bleeding source. Although, it is possible that it could be aspirated blood from a couch or sneeze while actively bleeding. Hopefully LE tested that area to determine if there was air/mucus mixed in with the blood. Poor Nancy.

I have to think that, in general, 2 people would be more likely than 1 if a possibly unconscious or disabled Nancy was carried from her house and to a vehicle. If Nancy wasn't walking out herself, but was being carried out, that could explain the blood spatter. Whoever was carrying her out may have taken little care to prevent impacts to her body as she was being removed from the house.

It would be difficult for 1 person to carry her out - she's probably at least 100 pounds, probably more - and then get her into a vehicle. It is possible for 1 strong, likely male individual, but awkward. Doors need to be opened and closed. It could be done, but with 2 people it would much quicker and easier.

I lean against this being a real kidnapping. I think there was some kind of family dispute over money or inheritance, and violence occurred.

It's my opinion that Nancy is no longer alive, and that the kidnapping is some kind of hoax.

 

[dotr]

7 Feb 2026 rbbm.

Blood droplets, a white van, a ransom note: where is Savannah Guthrie’s mother?

The astonishing case of the missing Today morning show anchor’s mom is six days in so far and without resolution

www.theguardian.com

''The Guthrie case is both old-fashioned – a ransom note sounds almost quaint – and what might have once been a demand for a suitcase of cash in non-sequential, used, small-denomination bills at a drop-off is now a transfer of cryptocurrency.
In December, the FBI warned that people posing as kidnappers can provide what appears to be a real photo or video of a loved one, along with demands for money''

Bryanna Fox, a former FBI profiler and professor of criminology at the University of South Florida who has previously appeared on NBC’s Today show with Savannah Guthrie, says the case is indeed perplexing.

“I’ve never seen a case where the ransom notes were sent to the media and the family’s response was not done at a press conference but posted on Instagram,” she says. “The ransom itself was not asked for as cash in a bag, and we can’t even rely on the ransom is real and proof of life is real because of artificial intelligence.

“And all of it – Bitcoin, AI, TMZ and Instagram – wrapped together in a conversion of pop culture things,” Fox adds.
Then, naturally, there is a political fringe to it. Almost as soon a Guthrie’s disappearance became public, there was speculation online of involvement of the Mexican cartels operating the border. Had Guthrie tipped off would-be abductors when she invited Today cameras in her mother’s home months ago?''