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

[KellySleuth]

Let me rephrase that to wheelchair dependent. Someone said she couldn't walk further than 50ft (or maybe it was yards) on her own? If that's the case, would seem that she would need her wheelchair or a rollator/walker for backup. Again, probably not capable of loading such on her own.

There’s been no mention of a wheelchair at all. She’s been pictured with a cane.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Here's why I'm skeptical the ransom note is real:

You've got this sloppy crime, with forced entry and blood.

Then you've got this seemingly well planned ransom demand, with a Bitcoin account already set up.

Those two things don't seem to jibe.

You've also got this delay in making the demand, and zero proof of life.

So either this ransom demand is real and was an afterthought, or it's being made by a different person altogether.

Hard to know which way to go here-

I agree its a sloppy crime, like a typical SA, or robbery gone wrong. And the delay in the note.

On the other hand the delay could also fit into the SIL narrative, although I have to think LE has been all over this guy, the sister, and every detail of their story's by now.

We will see

 

[judithannegg]

My husband and I attend church regularly. If we didn't show up, no one would have any of our grown kids' phone numbers to call them and tell them. Honestly, an 84 year old doesn't show up for church and someone has to immediately call the kids? Surely you would think "Oh, she must not be feeling well." Now we have heard that she might have been just watching the live feed every week. WHO took the call? Landline? Cell?

 

[Sadi]

Some churches stream their services at multiple sites.

I checked the St. Andrews Pres FB page, and they post streaming services to the page with a live feed/ability to post comments in real-time.

FWIW, I didn't see NG "liking" or commenting on any of those FB posts streaming the service, so who knows about the report that she only attended virtually.

As others have said, if only the Daily Mail is reporting something, take that something with a grain of salt.

I do have real questions about the timing of the phone call to her family from the church, given that the services are at 9 and 10:45. People would not contact family unless they had tried to reach her first, so LE will no doubt have checked to verify whether that person had tried to call NG first, or who reached out to whom that morning.

That phone call just seemed oddly reminiscent of the Morphew case and "the daughters becoming concerned" and calling the neighbor to go check on Suzanne.

JMO.

So then how would they know if she was attending online or not? Would they talk about the service afterwards routinely?

 

[Izzylizzy]

It sounds fishy to me.

I wonder if Annie had a call on her phone log showing the call from the church goer around 11 am?
Ten minutes later they were at her mom's home. That is a pretty quick response.

Arrived at her home just 10 minutes after a call saying your Mom hasn't arrived at church yet today.

But it's about an hour before a call to LE?

Even with blood on the front porch?

BBM:
What I don't understand is since NG's home was in the condition described below by Sheriff Nanos why wasn't 911 called for an hour?

@ 6:29
Sheriff : The indications at the home were so suspicious, unusual and unsettling that as the day went on they knew it was a crime scene criminal investigation.

 

[Inthedetails]

Let me rephrase that to wheelchair dependent. Someone said she couldn't walk further than 50ft (or maybe it was yards) on her own? If that's the case, would seem that she would need her wheelchair or a rollator/walker for backup. Again, probably not capable of loading such on her own.

I've never seen a reference to her using a wheelchair except this morning on the thread.

jmopinion

 

[Curiousobserver]

My husband and I attend church regularly. If we didn't show up, no one would have any of our grown kids' phone numbers to call them and tell them. Honestly, an 84 year old doesn't show up for church and someone has to immediately call the kids? Surely you would think "Oh, she must not be feeling well." Now we have heard that she might have been just watching the live feed every week. WHO took the call? Landline? Cell?

I am skeptical... Its an easy detail to check, and if either the sister or husband lied about this, one or both of them would be in custody; the posture of the police toward the family would be completely different. Savannah wouldn't have been holding her sister's hand as she was in the statement last night, she wouldn't be staying there. Imagine how awkward that would be.

Not that this couldn't be the case, and the SIL could absolutely be guilty. I am not in that camp right now.

 

[Elle*Bee]

So then how would they know if she was attending online or not? Would they talk about the service afterwards routinely?

Right? But that would be a different phone call, wouldn't it? "Hi, I couldn't reach Nancy after livestreaming service for our usual discussion." That would very different from, "Nancy missed church." Who knows what was actually said, though.

 

[Magic8Ball]

BBM:
What I don't understand is since NG's home was in the condition described below by Sheriff Nanos why wasn't 911 called for an hour?

@ 6:29
Sheriff : The indications at the home were so suspicious, unusual and unsettling that as the day went on they knew it was a crime scene criminal investigation.

Signs of forced entry.
Security cameras removed.
Blood in the home.
Blood clearly visible around the front door entry.

Did the caller report any of those things on the 911 call?

If not, why not?

 

[The OG]

I’ll say this…if the ransom demand is a hoax the real perpetrator(s) have to be thrilled that LE is having to devote so much time to it.

While it may not be THE crime, it would still be A crime

 

[connie9030]

What a strange case. I haven't followed from the beginning so not sure if the sister/son-in-law have been fully investigated yet, but I'd assume so since the son-in-law was supposedly the last person to see her the night before the disappearance.

My own thoughts are that it's more likely that somebody known to Nancy is involved... or somebody who potentially disagrees with her politically? Not sure who would want to abduct an 84 year old woman otherwise. Hopefully she's found safe but it's not looking likely sadly

Yes, most "experts" I have heard discuss this case said it's extremely rare in the United States, but common in countries like Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, etc. I agree with your thought it was somebody known to Nancy OR it was a non-citizen from one of those countries, IMO. Praying for Nancy Guthrie.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

I'm curious if NBC is going to rush out a Dateline episode or if they will give the family a damn break. I hope maybe they'll take it as a learning moment.

 

[Sadi]

Right? But that would be a different phone call, wouldn't it? "Hi, I couldn't reach Nancy after livestreaming service for our usual discussion." That would very different from, "Nancy missed church." Who knows what was actually said, though.

True and I wonder if it was known if NG always attended online only? Earlier it was mentioned she attended an event at church, but then it changed to dinner at AG’s house. The conditions the sheriff of the house makes you wonder what is the reason for the hour wait? Fear? Panic? Or something else?

 

[The OG]

My husband and I attend church regularly. If we didn't show up, no one would have any of our grown kids' phone numbers to call them and tell them. Honestly, an 84 year old doesn't show up for church and someone has to immediately call the kids? Surely you would think "Oh, she must not be feeling well." Now we have heard that she might have been just watching the live feed every week. WHO took the call? Landline? Cell?

There are members of my church with health and mobility issues. If they aren't at church on Sunday, we call the family, always.

 

[SammiSleuthing]

Yes, but I still think TMZ is an odd selection. They aren't the first outlet I would think of for crime publicity, but I would for celebrity news, ykwim?

jmopinion

Honestly, I think TMZ is the perfect outlet for this. Savannah Guthrie is a celebrity, well liked and well known. She was literally getting ready to co-host the Olympics. I used to work in MSM and we monitored TMZ. Everyone does. They have built a highly successful model at being The First. Things are slower at, say, NBC. For one, how do you even contact them. New York offices? Corporate offices? Local affiliate? The process is more sluggish and also dangerously chaotic in a high profile story like this. (When Gabby Giffords was shot in Tucson, we started hearing conflicting information that she had died in surgery. We refused to air it though some other outlets, famously NPR, announced she had died. They are highly reputable so it created a domino effect of other big outlets, citing NPR, reporting she had been killed along with 6 others who tragically did die on that day. They apologized for making a "serious and grave error" by rushing the story. https://www.npr.org/2011/01/09/132785205/editors-note-on-nprs-giffords-coverage)

But TMZ is built for speed and amplification. Because they make it easy. They aren't subtle. Their verbiage yells at you:

Send TMZ a Hot Tip!​

A producer/editor gets the tip (letter, in this case), they run it through rapid legal review, use careful wording (alleged, sources, which is exactly what they used in their headline, 'Alleged Ransom Note for Nancy Guthrie...') and then use their enormous bullhorn to push the story to their huge audience. Their experience, legal strategy, and deep pockets allow them to tolerate a much higher level of risk than the legacy outlets.

TLDR: TMZ is built for this.

 

[Inthedetails]

There are members of my church with health and mobility issues. If they aren't at church on Sunday, we call the family, always.

I think the story of someone at church calling family is completely believable. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's true. (At this point, I happen to think it's true.)

jmopinion

 

[judithannegg]

There are members of my church with health and mobility issues. If they aren't at church on Sunday, we call the family, always.

If I may ask, how do you get the family members phone numbers? We don't have phone books anymore. When we registered with our church, there was no "emergency contact info" on the forms. We know Nancy has a cell phone that was left behind. Did "churchgoer" first try her cell? Did daughter/SIL try it before they rushed over?

 

[dotr]

rbbm.

HUNTER: Is Savannah Guthrie mom's shocking kidnapping a weird proxy?

America is a country where polls regularly reveal that people would rather be famous than rich.

torontosun.com

— Cops are reportedly investigating Guthrie superfans who have bombarded the morning TV superstar with gifts and mail before her mom was kidnapped, the Daily Mail reports.

— Ransom notes were delivered to both gossip website TMZ and the local station, KOLD. The kidnappers demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin.

— Police sources say the notes shared details about damage to Nancy Guthrie’s home, what she was wearing and other details known only to the kidnappers.

— A former FBI profiler believes that the kidnapper is a stranger, likely a man in his 30s or 40s.

 

[Inthedetails]

Honestly, I think TMZ is the perfect outlet for this. Savannah Guthrie is a celebrity, well liked and well known. She was literally getting ready to co-host the Olympics. I used to work in MSM and we monitored TMZ. Everyone does. They have built a highly successful model at being The First. Things are slower at, say, NBC. For one, how do you even contact them. New York offices? Corporate offices? Local affiliate? The process is more sluggish and also dangerously chaotic in a high profile story like this. (When Gabby Giffords was shot in Tucson, we started hearing conflicting information that she had died in surgery. We refused to air it though some other outlets, famously NPR, announced she had died. They are highly reputable so it created a domino effect of other big outlets, siting NPR, reporting she had been killed along with 6 others who tragically did die on that day. They apologized for making a "serious and grave error" by rushing the story. https://www.npr.org/2011/01/09/132785205/editors-note-on-nprs-giffords-coverage)

But TMZ is built for speed and amplification. Because they make it easy. They aren't subtle. Their verbiage yells at you:

Send TMZ a Hot Tip!​

A producer/editor gets the tip (letter, in this case), they run it through rapid legal review, use careful wording (alleged, sources, which is exactly what they used in their headline, 'Alleged Ransom Note for Nancy Guthrie...') and then use their enormous bullhorn to push the story to their huge audience. Their experience, legal strategy, and deep pockets allow them to tolerate a much higher level of risk than the legacy outlets.

TLDR: TMZ is built for this.

I guess what I'm unsuccessfully trying to say - not everyone watches TMZ. Not everyone follows celebrity news, while everyone does know about news stations. But maybe I'm wrong, and I accept that.

I find it significant that the ransom-note writer of a crime in surburban Tucson picked TMZ to send the note but perhaps it's what would be expected. ?

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

If I may ask, how do you get the family members phone numbers? We don't have phone books anymore. When we registered with our church, there was no "emergency contact info" on the forms. We know Nancy has a cell phone that was left behind. Did "churchgoer" first try her cell? Did daughter/SIL try it before they rushed over?

It's possible the daughter also attends that church, even if not regularly. Church offices have phone numbers of members.

It's also possible the church members are friendly with the daughter, attend social functions, etc. and would have her number.

I don't find it strange in the slightest, fwiw, that a friend from church knew how to contact family.

jmopinion