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

[SRWCF]

Do you all think that they're asking for their Mom's remains? The wording is odd.

No. Because the word "celebrate" would not have been used. That is a positive word.

 

[Luna20]

I hate to say it but there will be no return of her alive. That’s just not happening a week plus later. Far too great of a risk for the supposed kidnapper even if she is still somehow alive.

Nancy or the perps would have had to be masked the entire time. They won’t want her to see who they are so there has to be a way for concealed identity. I hope that she wasn’t tied up.

 

[Sundog]

$650k home purchased in Mar 2025. $140k home sold in Jun 2025. I don't know what they owed to their mortgage company to close out that loan. Plus, there are realtor and closing costs. If nothing else, they needed this $300k in the bank well before they closed in March. They had to get it from some place. Maybe, they saved that money. Maybe, they borrowed it from the NG with the promise to pay her back as soon as their house sold.

I do know that when we loaned our son a substantial amount of money to purchase his home, we had to sign a document stating that the money was a "gift" to him. The mortgage company wanted to make sure that there was not another major loan debt that had to be paid.

If NG lent them this amount of money, she surely would have had to do the same. Of course, some family members will honor their debts. Others stall and pay partial or won't pay at all. Who knows?

Just throwing that out there for consideration.

JMO.

IIRC, there are specific bank loans you can get if you purchase a new home before you sell your old home. We looked into it a while back when we saw a property we were considering buying but we knew it would go fast and our current house wasn't ready to go on the market that fast.

 

[iluvmyelement]

Mary Coleman (local TV reporter) saw the second note and said that it did not contain anything to do with a ransom - which may mean that the communication was to tell the family that NG is no longer alive.

 

[Ellis' Mom]

I just checked the Pima County assessor website, and the house is listed under a name that strongly suggests it is a revocable trust. I can't link directly to the source because the assessor site does not provide an obvious way to link to a single record, but anyone who wishes to verify can do so very easily on their own.

This should work:

Pima County - Parcel Detail

 

[mikeshanty]

For those of us WS members outside of the USA, how common are abductions and ransoms in the USA? Appreciate the circumstances in this case are very unusual, but does this happen often? In my country, this does not happen, although there are sometimes cases of people being abducted and killed but it is exceptionally rare and people are brought to justice very quickly.

 

[Wsimm]

I see where you are going with this argument, but the target makes no sense. States or state-adjacent actors choose targets that advance a political objective (symbolic sites, officials, infrastructure, or mass-casualty events). The mother of a morning show anchor has no strategic value, sends no coherent message, and doesn’t map onto ICE, Venezuela, or U.S. foreign policy in any intelligible way.

If this happened to Jane Doe’s mom in Wisconsin I’m guessing the majority of us wouldn’t be here posting our comments? Many who only watch their local news may have zero knowledge of this tragedy even occurring, depending on the news day in their area. That this is happening to SG’s mom I find a bit strategic and well planned. Jane Doe’s mom = no attention….SG’s mom = off the chart attention.

 

[Charlot123]

I agree. I don’t think they would get her back if she is deceased. The body would have evidence and lead to the killers.

Maybe not, or perhaps there is another option besides homicide.

There may be a not quite impossible situation of a natural death on late evening of January 31/very early morning of Feb 1st and whoever witnessed it, trying to exploit the situation to squeeze the family for money.

 

[whitelilac]

My interpretation of "THIS is very valuable to us" is this, as in the act of her being returned.

Yes exactly....it's what I meant by my saying that they wish to lay her to rest and be close to their mom.
Awful to think they could never know where she is if not returned.

 

[mikeshanty]

This is gonna sound crazy, it does even to me. Could she be released during the Super Bowl Halftime show to take all attention off of it? I know crazy right? I'll show myself out. IMO

I really don't think so...

 

[flabbergastedfart]

Yep. Ive thought about that. A friend of my mother in law got twisted up in something like this. It made no sense, but the friend believed it to be true. Her family is in the process of trying to protect her assets, but it’s difficult when the senior citizen is apparently of sound mind. But in NGs case, I assume they would have checked her internet history and emails and phone.

That's so terrible and I'm sorry to hear that about her friend.

I hope Annie and Tommaso would keep tabs on her internet usage more but the fact that she didn't have a subscription to her cameras seems like she slipped through the cracks. Annie and Tommaso are creatives and they may not be the most organized with keeping up on subscriptions and all that. I'm saying this as someone who's also on the more creative side with ADHD!

 

[Bodhi]

Thank you for always be measured, wise, and to the point. I really appreciate it.
I left for 6 hours, 50 pages to read. I need to see the Instagram video to catch up, from the comments, it sounds very sad.

The lack of hope and the brevity are striking. Heartbreaking all over again.

I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to be wrong. I thought until this video Nancy might be OK. Let's hope for a miracle.

 

[samaor]

Yes exactly....it's what I meant by my saying that they wish to lay her to rest and be close to their mom.
Awful to think they could never know where she is if not returned.

I should have clarified. I dont necessarily think she is dead.

 

[judithannegg]

I think one of the factors at play here is the desert. Seems like a very convenient place to dump a body all you need is a tank of gas and pick a direction.

I agree. I think someone took her out to dessert and left back door open to make it look like she wandered off. We've seen aerial searches for her but nothing on foot. I would imagine she possibly could be under a bush or a tree to hope she isn't found very quickly so any DNA or evidence might be destroyed with the elements but quick enough to get inheritance. I thought suffocation with a bag would leave little evidence behind.

 

[thefragile7393]

Mary Coleman (local TV reporter) saw the second note and said that it did not contain anything to do with a ransom - which may mean that the communication was to tell the family that NG is no longer alive.

I follow her. Interesting I missed that.

 

[LRinCA]

i getcha... and I think I agree that that is also what Nancy would say............

But i also can understand how important is is for Savannah and her siblings to get her mother's body back for the reverance she deserves.
But these three children are broken righ now, and I dont think they (or SG) cares about the money.

But yes.... the scam might continue.....
I just cannot believe what a can of worms we are opening up to the future...........................

I agree completely. I live in a 55+ community and I can't help but wonder if older/more vulnerable people will now become more targeted because of this. It wouldn't have to be for millions . . . someone desperate for cash could kidnap for much less of a ransom - to fuel a drug habit, pay a debt, etc.

OTOH, I completely understand the need for closure.

I'm just getting home from the gym and getting caught up all these new developments.

Tragic is the only word that comes to mind.

 

[unresolvedmystery]

This should work:

Pima County - Parcel Detail

Would this suggest someone within the family would gain the property if she is deceased?

 

[MesquiteO21]

I sincerely hope there is not two crimes happening here and that the ransom is a scam and Nancy's disappearance is not a separate homicide .

I was thinking they are but now I don’t know what to think.

The thing is, at the end of the day, either option is absolutely awful. Just despicable whether they’re the same or two different situations.

We’re all thinking of you Nancy, Camron, Annie, Savannah, and your family

moo

 

[unresolvedmystery]

If it is, the murderer will be pretty upset

Or the perpetrator is using the kidnap as a ruse to deflect from being identified?

 

[SRWCF]

There are insurance policies that cover kidnapping. Presuming NBC would have the insurance for their key people. Whether a parent falls within the definitions of "who is covered" would be part of the determination of whether the insurance would be involved. It almost certainly would cover SG, her husband and children.

I don't think so. Those kidnapping clauses are if one is kidnapped while working, not in cases like this. You know, say a reporter goes to a war zone and gets taken for a randsome. Speaking from work experience, we had this kidnapping clause covered by insurance and it only applied to employees. You can't tack on family members because the coverage would never end.