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

[cady]

It's very disturbing.

They say (article up thread; can't find now) that it doesn't appear to be a kidnapping for ransom, or a robbery.

And yet my own theory shared by others about SIL doesn't seem to be holding up (the church call verification [odd that it hit media right after we were discussing it here for pages]; no apparent signs that they had money issues, etc.

So I am now much less certain of any involvement by SIL. I guess only time will tell.

This has become bizarre.
I agree with you that it is looking like it may never be solved.

RE: SIL. Motive, means, opportunity just don't fit. I have to do brain acrobatics to think that he would do this. He would have to have had help and not care about what this would do to his wife and son, and he stood to benefit from an inheritance in the not-to-distant future, being AG's husband. Not likely that he has harbored a dislike for Nancy for twenty years and he and AG, at least, on the surface seem to be content with their chosen lifestyles. JMO JMO

 

[HoveringWombats]

I keep thinking about this message posted yesterday from Brian Entin. "New leads" that are bringing an "active presence" to both Guthrie houses.

Yeah, I've been thinking about this too. And how odd it seems that they sent this out, proactively, and then... As far as I have seen, virtually no activity at those houses (someone, please correct me if I've missed something). The police clearly can just show up at the houses without announcing it. Why announce it and then not show up? There's probably a mundane explanation (e.g. they are planning stuff today and just announced it early), but it just seems like yet another example of poor communication here. Another self-inflicted wound to credibility. JMO

 

[txsleuth70]

She IS still out there but in what condition? Sheriff Nanos stated that it could be fatal for Nancy if she goes without her medication for 24 hours.
The Arizona DPS alert stated that her medication was found in her home.

Key words "could be fatal" doesn't mean it would be. Especially not right away. Even in the case of needing and not getting insulin, you'd be surprised how long someone can be non-compliant until they get truly sick and in an emergent state. Same for dialysis and other conditions. Sheriff stressed that, in part, to appeal to emotions.

 

[SMK777]

I keep thinking about this message posted yesterday from Brian Entin. "New leads" that are bringing an "active presence" to both Guthrie houses.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021008852385477030

Then we're hearing about DNA testing. Maybe that's related.

MOO

What I can't figure out is that if it may have been a worker familiar with the home-- if they now say neither robbery nor kidnapping for ransom are likely, then what would have been the motive?

Nothing is adding up.

 

[shonyakay]

For me, no. I'm also not digging me heels in over this either. However, LE seemed to go in with a purpose. They were not snooping around. It's always better if the homeowner gives consent and steps aside. I believe LE was going in regardless. Maybe not at that moment, but they would have been back with a warrant (assuming they didn't already have one). IMO

BE stated he wasn't aware of any warrants.

 

[Curiousobserver]

This is a very confusing case, every theory has major problems.

Theory 1- The SIL did this. This is statistically favorable, most people who are victims of violent crimes are injured by someone they know. We know she arrived at AG's home from the Uber driver. We know she came back to the home because the pacemaker pinged there and her possessions were there, hearing aids, phone (which she would have needed for the Uber), keys, wallet and her blood is there, in addition to the camera going offline and face detection. For the SIL to have done this he would have needed to return undetected in the middle of the night, killed his MIL, hid her body, then returned home all while leaving no digital trace and not alerting his wife (or she could be his accomplice). The timeline seems to suggest someone who was comfortable at the site and may have had some familiarity with the layout of the house; i.e. they felt comfortable walking around and exploring, or they knew there was a back door. This seems like a story that would fall apart easily under questioning or a forensic examination of their car, phones, cameras at the Circle K etc...

Theory #2- Someone did this purposely for ransom. Statistically unlikely. The only indication of this is the ransom note but the details in it that seem to indicate the perp was at the crime scene were all available online before the note arrived- pictures of her white apple watch, google images of her home with floodlights, which almost everyone has, news reports showing the home with a damaged floodlight before the ransom note arrived, and finally no actual proof of life. The note could have been produced from publicly available information.

Theory #3- A robbery gone wrong, or a sexual assault. This is also statistically favorable, it is a not uncommon crime in around the US. The issue with this theory is that it less common to take the victim with you and it is difficult to wrangle a dead body, or a live person out of the house, especially if they are injured, bleeding, and perhaps have mobility issues. It is even more difficult to understand how you get away undetected (no traffic cams at all).

 

[Cipher Vale]

Yeah, I've been thinking about this too. And how odd it seems that they sent this out, proactively, and then... As far as I have seen, virtually no activity at those houses (someone, please correct me if I've missed something). The police clearly can just show up at the houses without announcing it. Why announce it and then not show up? There's probably a mundane explanation (e.g. they are planning stuff today and just announced it early), but it just seems like yet another example of poor communication here. Another self-inflicted wound to credibility. JMO

Does LE have to be prompt in their execution of searches? Perhaps they are going to conduct searches at the same time they interview their suspect(s). Perhaps they want members of the family to walk them through certain areas and family+lawyers have given times they can be available.
I'd be curious to see if they cordon off the area from media when it happens or allow the media close enough access to video what they video'd last time

 

[missy1974]

I’ve been going over the first press conference and the sheriff seemed almost defensive in the way he said they’re considering it a kidnapping. “When someone is taken out and they don’t choose to go, it’s a kidnapping.” Or something like that. Then he said until they have other info that shows it’s a crime scene, it’s a kidnapping. It made me feel like..why are you having to convincing us it’s a kidnapping?

I went back and listened to the new conference from last Monday Feb 2nd last night! link in THIS post

I am not sure if it was the same one, but listening to it now with what we know, I feel like they felt she was taken, and was alive when it happened but JMO

In the Feb 2nd SO News conference: One thing that struck me as odd was, it was at 9am local Arizona time and they were not going to continue to search the area. They had searched the day before and he said overnight too, and even had a map of the areas they searched close to the home. Is that odd to stop the search that early in? He said that if you think you see her, take a picture, take a video and send it in <<< I didn't find this is a normal thing to say if they believed she was killed in the home? It's been awhile since I have followed a 'missing' person though, so maybe it's just me.

 

[unresolvedmystery]

This is a very confusing case, every theory has major problems.

Theory 1- The SIL did this. This is statistically favorable, most people who are victims of violent crimes are injured by someone they know. We know she arrived at AG's home from the Uber driver. We know she came back to the home because the pacemaker pinged there and her possessions were there, hearing aids, phone (which she would have needed for the Uber), keys, wallet and her blood is there, in addition to the camera going offline and face detection. For the SIL to have done this he would have needed to return undetected in the middle of the night, killed his MIL, hid her body, then returned home all while leaving no digital trace and not alerting his wife (or she could be his accomplice). The timeline seems to suggest someone who was comfortable at the site and may have had some familiarity with the layout of the house; i.e. they felt comfortable walking around and exploring, or they knew there was a back door. This seems like a story that would fall apart easily under questioning or a forensic examination of their car, phones, cameras at the Circle K etc...

Theory #2- Someone did this purposely for ransom. Statistically unlikely. The only indication of this is the ransom note but the details in it that seem to indicate the perp was at the crime scene were all available online before the note arrived- pictures of her white apple watch, google images of her home with floodlights, which almost everyone has, news reports showing the home with a damaged floodlight before the ransom note arrived, and finally no actual proof of life. The note could have been produced from publicly available information.

Theory #3- A robbery gone wrong, or a sexual assault. This is also statistically favorable, it is a not uncommon crime in around the US. The issue with this theory is that it less common to take the victim with you and it is difficult to wrangle a dead body, or a live person out of the house, especially if they are injured, bleeding, and perhaps have mobility issues. It is even more difficult to understand how you get away undetected (no traffic cams at all).

Theory 1 remains the most likely I think.

 

[HoveringWombats]

“It's significant because it reveals that they did get some DNA from inside the home or from the collection of evidence at the scene,” says Randy Sutton, a retired Las Vegas police lieutenant and founder of the Wounded Blue.

Snipped by me.

Maybe someone who knows more about this can help me out. Does this actually reveal that they got DNA from the scene? Or could it just be something they're doing to cover their bases in case DNA shows up somewhere? I'm not convinced that it is as clear-cut as the retired Las Vegas police lieutenant makes it sound, but maybe it is. Are they not allowed to collect DNA samples from people unless they already have something from the crime scene to compare it to?

 

[Sadi]

Good point.

This is where I land back on looking inward vs. outward. Back to vehicles, LE now has NG and presumably AG's vehicle in their possession. This comes days after NG is reported missing. At a minimum, I'm comfortable saying these two vehicles are of interest to LE in this investigation. IMO

Has it been confirmed that AG’s car was towed for possible evidence? With media camped outside, someone would have photographed this, IMO.

 

[Cipher Vale]

BE stated he wasn't aware of any warrants.

He wouldn't be aware if they were sealed. I know BE is pretty on spot with his reporting but does he know for sure it was a consent search or a "we won't make a fuss about it" search?

 

[Vaderman]

Fox News Digital has learned that some of Nancy Guthrie’s hired help — like a landscaper, pool cleaner, etc. — are submitting DNA samples. “It's significant because it reveals that they did get some DNA from inside the home or from the collection of evidence at the scene,” says Randy Sutton, a retired Las Vegas police lieutenant and founder of the Wounded Blue. “So now they're going to be comparing that DNA to either eliminate individuals or obtain information about them.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021219367531520486

This seems like a step in the right direction. Be interesting to see who declines (if they decide) to volunteer their DNA.

 

[Athos65]

Good morning to everyone.

Just a brief comment: the word I keep coming up with when thinking of this investigation by LE is "reticulated". The impression of incomplete steps as they move forward, and having to back up to do something they had skipped is difficult to explain other than to say the crime is extraordinary for the area's LE. This is not to say that they are untrained, but rather that the nature of the crime and the identity of the victim have brought on a degree of pressure that is not helping.

The thought that they are being "toyed with" by actors other than the perpetrator(s) doesn't leave me. Why they have not figured out WHO might be manipulating them and the reasons for this I cannot explain. The world has, in recent years, become harder to decipher...there are too many tools that, when used for nefarious motives, can negate their positive utility.

It has been a long time since NG went missing, and there are too many factors pointing at the possibility that she succumbed to the emotional, physical and mental stress, and possibly to injuries conflated with her age-related health issues.

The person(s) who committed this crime, whether intentionally (because they "planned" it? Quite a clumsy plan, IMO) or accidentally (because a moment's flash of anger escalated and they panicked) must be found. Not because SG is NG's daughter, but because this sort of thing is becoming more and more commonplace in our society.

Could someone in a position of experience and, for lack of a better word, "authority" in this forum please peel back the layers of speculation and make a condensed list of facts and times that we have verified as closely as possible? I think that would help at this point. Think of an outline as if for a school project (is that still a thing? It was when I was young, but we wrote on stone tablets back then); Part 1 times and places, Part 2 people, Part 3 verified evidence like blood, etc.

Something like that would be helpful for those of us who are not constantly on here, and need to catch up?

All these are opinions and suggestions offered respectfully. If I'm out of line, please feel free to remove the post. Thank you very much.

 

[SlimPickens]

Fox News Digital has learned that some of Nancy Guthrie’s hired help — like a landscaper, pool cleaner, etc. — are submitting DNA samples. “It's significant because it reveals that they did get some DNA from inside the home or from the collection of evidence at the scene,” says Randy Sutton, a retired Las Vegas police lieutenant and founder of the Wounded Blue. “So now they're going to be comparing that DNA to either eliminate individuals or obtain information about them.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021219367531520486

Doesn't really reveal they have DNA from an unknown source inside the home. Just reveals that NG's hired associates are submitting DNA samples. And likely voluntarily in case they do find unknown DNA in the home and want to distinguish it from known DNA (so that they can rule out or scrutinize it more).

JMO.

 

[txsleuth70]

What I can't figure out is that if it may have been a worker familiar with the home-- if they now say neither robbery nor kidnapping for ransom are likely, then what would have been the motive?

Nothing is adding up.

Extortion gone wrong? Maybe someone had been borrowing money, asking for a little here and there and NG grew weary of it. Then it got ugly, they conked her on the head, panicked, nabbed her.

Or maybe they found evidence of SA. The perp realized he left DNA everywhere, panicked and nabbed her to get out of there.

Too many unknowns to make a better guess.

 

[Jade]

True. Why would this be, I wonder?

Someone might join a “search” to “find” her body and tamper with the crime scene.

A chance they haven’t had possibly to see in daylight how well they did in getting rid of her?

An explanation for DNA being present. Sorry, I touched her, I moved her to see if she was alive, I tripped and fell on her and found her…

Unlikely but the whole thing is an outlier as far as we know at this point.



All imo

 

[missy1974]

Snipped

I agree. They called off the searches so fast, imo.

How do they know NG wasn't abducted but then left nearby? Isn't it worth at least community searches? I find that odd....unless they know for sure she is not nearby.

jmo

I just posted about the Monday Feb 2nd press conference when they said they weren't going to search anymore and wondered if that was odd. Guess I am not the only one with that thought.

 

[cady]

Extortion gone wrong? Maybe someone had been borrowing money, asking for a little here and there and NG grew weary of it. Then it got ugly, they conked her on the head, panicked, nabbed her.

Or maybe they found evidence of SA. The perp realized he left DNA everywhere, panicked and nabbed her to get out of there.

Too many unknowns to make a better guess.

Just my impression, but I think Nancy was savvy enough to not be extorted.

 

[txsleuth70]

Good morning to everyone.

Just a brief comment: the word I keep coming up with when thinking of this investigation by LE is "reticulated". The impression of incomplete steps as they move forward, and having to back up to do something they had skipped is difficult to explain other than to say the crime is extraordinary for the area's LE. This is not to say that they are untrained, but rather that the nature of the crime and the identity of the victim have brought on a degree of pressure that is not helping.

The thought that they are being "toyed with" by actors other than the perpetrator(s) doesn't leave me. Why they have not figured out WHO might be manipulating them and the reasons for this I cannot explain. The world has, in recent years, become harder to decipher...there are too many tools that, when used for nefarious motives, can negate their positive utility.

It has been a long time since NG went missing, and there are too many factors pointing at the possibility that she succumbed to the emotional, physical and mental stress, and possibly to injuries conflated with her age-related health issues.

The person(s) who committed this crime, whether intentionally (because they "planned" it? Quite a clumsy plan, IMO) or accidentally (because a moment's flash of anger escalated and they panicked) must be found. Not because SG is NG's daughter, but because this sort of thing is becoming more and more commonplace in our society.

Could someone in a position of experience and, for lack of a better word, "authority" in this forum please peel back the layers of speculation and make a condensed list of facts and times that we have verified as closely as possible? I think that would help at this point. Think of an outline as if for a school project (is that still a thing? It was when I was young, but we wrote on stone tablets back then); Part 1 times and places, Part 2 people, Part 3 verified evidence like blood, etc.

Something like that would be helpful for those of us who are not constantly on here, and need to catch up?

All these are opinions and suggestions offered respectfully. If I'm out of line, please feel free to remove the post. Thank you very much.

It already exists. Search Media, Maps, Timeline thread.