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

[MassGuy]

If this was truly a planned ransom, you’d think they would’ve taken her medications. Leaving the phone makes sense (tracking), but leaving meds feels like someone didn’t know her routine or didn’t plan to keep her long.

There probably shouldn't be blood either.

 

[clearskies1]

The crime was on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. If the perp(s) had a regular M-F job, the timing of the crime would make it easier for them to make sure they got to work on time. JMO.

 

[Vanilla Glitter]

SG, as far as I know, has never indicated personal political views.

Please cite a source.

Many people (thousands) posted their dislike for SG after she interviewed Donald Trump. They felt she was rude and aggressive and very biased during the interview. There were actually posts all over Facebook with pure hatred for SG.

These are not my views. I am just repeating what I read a few years back.

 

[Curiousobserver]

If this was truly a planned ransom, you’d think they would’ve taken her medications. Leaving the phone makes sense (tracking), but leaving meds feels like someone didn’t know her routine or didn’t plan to keep her long.

Here is my problem with the planning- If it was planned, they didn't think how they were going to deliver the ransom note

Why communicate 2 days later by sending notes to the media? Why not email Annie, call her Cell Phones? If they have Nancy, ask her how to get in touch with the family directly. I was able to get Annie's contact information (email and cell phones #s) in about 10 minutes.

 

[The OG]

A dismal thought is today is the day he will abandon NG. If he gets the money today, he escapes and reveals NG's location and she could be found alive. If he doesn't get the money, he leaves but doesn't reveal the location until Monday when NG would've succumbed. He's giving himself time for her death but without having to do the act.

I'm trying to make sense of the Thursday-Monday thing.

jmopinion

He/she would still be culpable.

 

[Justice101]

The FBI spent hours with the family prior to this statement being released, and it was scripted, no doubt by them (not to say the family's words about her weren't their own).

This was very likely choreographed by people from the BAU (behavioral analysis unit). There's a reason for how that was worded.

This! Quantico BAU was involved no doubt.

 

[moonbeams]

Maybe the "churchgoer" was actually the captor calling to notify the family? Or if family was involved it was a fake call between husband to wife to set the stage? Surely Annie identified the caller to LE? But if she hadn't attended in years how would anyone know to miss her? Sorry, but at 84 and wheelchair bound, it's not likely that NG was used to transferring herself into her car, and stowing her wheelchair on her own, to drive herself to church...too may unanswered questions around this aspect of the case.

she wasn't wheelchair bound. she had mobility issues. People saying she couldn't drive herself to church (or that NG needed to be tucked into bed when dropped of Saturday evening) obviously don't have elderly parents. My 89 yo mom had mobility issues: walked with a cane or walker... but she still drove herself to church and to the grocery store and to doctor appointments. And she put herself to bed every night. i live across the country... but i called her every day.

 

[Justice101]

Is there a consensus since the family appealed on video directly to the kidnappers, that the ransom note was legitimate?

 

[clearskies1]

I think it was all very confusing how it was presented if it was specifically meant for making contact with the possible kidnapper(s).

I thought the same thing too. I was a bit taken aback when SG started talking about hearing reports of ransom notes. It did not seem to be the focus of the video. I understand wanting to humanize NG but it just struck me as odd the way ransom was inserted in there. It almost felt to me like SG did not believe in the validity of the ransom notes but had to address it just in case. Just my view.

 

[Cardgame]

We don't know they didn't leave DNA, and if they were a stranger that explains not being found by LE. We see this all the time in stranger foul play cases, where the sloppiest crime in the world takes time to solve.

I can't think of any reason why a delay would be necessary. The sooner you get the ball rolling the easier it is to disappear.

A former FBI agent was talking about this last night, and he thought that the "abduction/kidnapping" messaging probably put this in someone's head. The whole "kidnapped in her sleep" thing sent everyone's imaginations racing, and perhaps that of some unscrupulous opportunist.

The amount of resources being dedicated to this is insane, and I think forensic/surveillance/phone data will pay off soon enough.

Sorry, this is an awful post to write but I'm trying to get my head around it:

I'm thinking about that baby Emmanuel Haro: a sloppy crime, obvious to LE who had done it and what had happened. From memory the kidnapping was reported, parents did an appeal video and then got arrested. And the entire time LE were searching for the body. They knew there was a body, and they wanted to find it.

IF LE think a stranger took Nancy, and it has nothing to do with the note, then why aren't they searching?

 

[DizzyB]

Some churches stream their services at multiple sites.

I checked the St. Andrews Pres FB page, and they post streaming services to their 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.

Strange like Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance. Checking on a person that was alone, no immediate signs of violence that the first people on scene report. The story on how the disappearance was discovered is off (bike ride in a place she didn’t ride, no show for church, then zoom church?). Now blood drops, then bike and helmet. Appeal to kidnapers from family. I wonder how this press conference is going to go.

 

[LAborn]

I just think it's telling the note was went to TMZ as well. The local news stations makes sense. I'm a millennial living in America and while I am very aware of TMZ, many people I know wouldn't think twice about TMZ as a "main news outlet" or consider it if they ever had to contact the media. I think including TMZ tells us something about the perp. JMO

I agree. TMZ started as a "rag" outlet like the National Inquirer, but has transitioned because they get the scoop before anyone else does. They are well connected. Love him or hate him, Harvey Levin is a lawyer and fixture in Los Angeles. He used to report on the local stations, then People's Court, then high profile court cases, and then parlayed into TMZ.

I also think use of bitcoin says something about the sender. And that they apparently sent an untraceable email? I'm guessing they are either in their 20s-30s or in the tech industry. JMO

 

[investigatoroffacts]

Here is my problem with the planning- If it was planned, they didn't think how they were going to deliver the ransom note

Why communicate 2 days later by sending notes to the media? Why not email Annie, call her Cell Phones? If they have Nancy, ask her how to get in touch with the family directly. I was able to get Annie's contact information (email and cell phones #s) in about 10 minutes.

Good points!

 

[KellySleuth]

I may be reading too much in to this, but I find it curious that Craig Melvin (SG's co-host) will not be going to Milan to cover the Olympics. The most realistic assumption is that he is staying stateside in solidarity with SG... but that seems odd to me. There has been no mention as to why he's staying, just they they had to shuffle things around. Does he feel unsafe or concerned for people in his circle?

I’m curious about this too. If they believe the ransom demand has some credibility I could see him not wanting to leave his family.

 

[MassGuy]

Sorry, this is an awful post to write but I'm trying to get my head around it:

I'm thinking about that baby Emmanuel Haro: a sloppy crime, obvious to LE who had done it and what had happened. From memory the kidnapping was reported, parents did an appeal video and then got arrested. And the entire time LE were searching for the body. They knew there was a body, and they wanted to find it.

IF LE think a stranger took Nancy, and it has nothing to do with the note, then why aren't they searching?

You need a location to search, and there very well may be searches going on that we know nothing about.

John Miller was talking last night about how they’re doing everything at once, and not focusing on a single avenue.

So you’d have investigators looking at the ransom, people close to the victims, convicted offenders in the area, analyzing phone data/surveillance etc.

 

[DrGonzo]

I agree. TMZ started as a "rag" outlet like the National Inquirer, but has transitioned because they get the scoop before anyone else does. They are well connected. I also think use of bitcoin says something about the sender. And that they apparently sent an untraceable email? I'm guessing they are either in their 20s-30s or in the tech industry.

Nope, if they were indeed thinking this through in terms of tech they would've asked for ransom in Monero (designed as untraceable) instead of Bitcoin

 

[SMK777]

If this was truly a planned ransom, you’d think they would’ve taken her medications. Leaving the phone makes sense (tracking), but leaving meds feels like someone didn’t know her routine or didn’t plan to keep her long.

That's why I think the ransom/Bitcoin thing is a purposeful misdirection. LE probably thinks it is, too, but they must do due diligence and investigate it fully.

 

[Pharmasgirl]

A dismal thought is today is the day he will abandon NG. If he gets the money today, he escapes and reveals NG's location and she could be found alive. If he doesn't get the money, he leaves but doesn't reveal the location until Monday when NG would've succumbed. He's giving himself time for her death but without having to do the act.

I'm trying to make sense of the Thursday-Monday thing.

jmopinion

If he doesn't get the money, there's no guarantee he will reveal her location period.

 

[clearskies1]

Here is my problem with the planning- If it was planned, they didn't think how they were going to deliver the ransom note

Why communicate 2 days later by sending notes to the media? Why not email Annie, call her Cell Phones? If they have Nancy, ask her how to get in touch with the family directly. I was able to get Annie's contact information (email and cell phones #s) in about 10 minutes.

Exactly! You take all trouble to kidnap someone but don't contact the people who you are trying to get money from directly? Not plausible to me. Ransom notes are not "real" to me. JMO.

 

[bestill]

Anyone consider that Savannah didn't say anything about how to get in touch with them directly? If there's a follow up from the kidnappers I am assuming it will go to the same sources.