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

[HoveringWombats]

By the way, I know there has been some discussion of this, but just to state it clearly..... A lot of the "I wouldn't have let her Uber!" stuff seems to be based on how supposedly frail she was. Obviously it is true that she's an older person with some demonstrated health problems. And I think the need for medication is true. But I also have a hunch that the public communications are playing up her frailty in order to send a message about getting her returned. Going out in a press briefing and emphasizing how she's a "strong, independent woman" does not send the same message as "she's a grandma." Don't get mixed up about this messaging which has a specific purpose, and her ability to take care of herself and get around town as she goes about her business.

 

[whitelilac]

I think the ransom note is a deflection strategy by the same perp who took her.

 

[gammagirl]

My

grandmother is over 10 years older than NG, and is extremely independent and lives alone, catching taxis, going shopping and out to social events regularly-with mobility issues similar to Nancy.
She would be horrified to hear you and others don’t think her capable of doing these things or that her family are neglecting her by allowing her to live how she wants.
Older people are not babies, they are quite often perfectly capable of making their own decisions.

Its not that i dont think she is capable, its just that she is 10 minutes away. I would have picked her up.

 

[Magic8Ball]

I don’t know.

Someone argue me. What evidence is there to show this is someone who was close to get vs something like a SA gone wrong

I do think there are quite a few posters here who lean more toward SA as the motive in this case.

Based on what little we know now, especially with regard to blood outside the home and LE confirming DNA evidence belonging to NG inside the home, SA cannot be ruled out as a possibility.

If listing the most likely motives behind her disappearance, the top 2 for me would be Financial and SA, in that order, with not much separating them. Third most likely to me would be Legal Jeopardy/Fear of Discovery.

Then there's a huge gap, and the rest fall under the general category of, "This ain't it, but I'm going to pretend to be open-minded."

JMO.

 

[Cardgame]

Anyone else think the FBI guy revealed that fact about the 5pm deadline by mistake?!

Sorry if someone already said this, I was typing and am now twenty pages behind!

Just adding to this my own point, I looked back at my (rough) transcript and the FBI guy twice quite clearly refuses to be drawn on whether or not there was a time in the ransom note. Then later, while responding to a different question, he blurts out that the deadline is 5pm today. That was my impression as I watched it. I wonder if that was 'accidentally on purpose'. Then when he's asked to clarify that it was 5pm, someone brings out a piece of paper and he walks away from the podium and checks it and then replies also giving the information he has twice refused to give before: the second deadline is Monday. JMO. Or JMI (just my impression!)

Part of me feels like a lot of this press conference was them cunningly sending messages to the abductor, or trying to mess with them in some way.

 

[boredetective]

I'm interested in the uber info because uber drivers would be familiar with her house and schedule. If she used uber to go just 10 minutes away, she likely used uber a lot. I just took an uber and the older driver said he drove a lot of elderly people because it's free with medicare. He said most of his clients are repeat customers. I suspect Nancy uses uber a lot and likely converses with different drivers, possibly telling them about her famous daughter and the house. I don't think the most recent driver is suspect but I hope LE is looking into other drivers she's used.

 

[Alkali13]

Could have a key pad on the outside. I believe Dulos saw the kids open the door with the keypad and memorized it. This is giving me way too many Jennifer vibes.

I still drive by the reservoir where her memorial was regularly, as well as the Starbucks and Albany Ave trash cans, etc. Kind of stinks to be reminded of her so often and know she still hasn't been found.

In her case, the kid's trust funds were a huge motivator, but what would be in this case? I really don't see how there can be a financial motivation...

 

[osu]

OAN Staff Sophia Flores
Thursday, February 5, 2026

Update: 1:20 PM – The man who is charged with transmitting a ransom demand related to Nancy Guthrie has been identified as Derrick Callella.

The 42-year-old from Hawthorne, California, is facing criminal charges after he admitted to investigators that he sent texts and made phone calls to the family after they released a video stating they are willing to negotiate in exchange for their mother.

Authorities traced back the text messages, which were sent to Guthrie’s daughter and son-in-law, to an email address belonging to Callella. IP address records show the communications originated from his California home.

According to court documents, the ransom notes sent to news outlets have not been directly linked to the text messages.



'Imposter' arrested for faking Nancy Guthrie ransom note ID'd

 

[HoveringWombats]

Totally possible. What was the other motion notification from, then, though? Especially if that camera was totally offline 20ish minutes after it was removed.

The police specifically said that there were multiple cameras. The motion notification was not from the offline doorbell camera.

 

[K.jill]

I have followed cases here before that in the beginning seem like they could’ve been planned by a mastermind, someone intelligent. Seems like it’s a complicated crime until the perpetrator is caught and then it ends up being somebody who’s not even particularly very smart.

Anyway, I’m I’m trying to apply that to this case but the ransom note having verifying things in it makes it seem possible that it was well planned. Is it possible that someone very close to Nancy Took her and is also responsible for the ransom note? I know that doesn’t seem like likely but this case is odd.

 

[Cloudydiamond]

Because Sheriff Nanos has stated earlier in the week that the son-in-law was the last person known to have seen Nancy Guthrie before she disappeared. Sheriff stated earlier that he drove Nancy back to her house.

He has since walked back those comments today and now says "family" drove her home.

Maybe they both drove her home.

 

[Sadi]

Speaking of being a grandmother, how old are the SIL's kids?

I’m guessing maybe 10?

 

[clearskies1]

Its not that i dont think she is capable, its just that she is 10 minutes away. I would have picked her up.

Do you think it's relevant to NG's disappearance?

 

[Cloudydiamond]

Speaking of being a grandmother, how old are the SIL's kids?

I read somewhere 9 and 11

 

[shadowsc]

The perp has to be really, really dumb to think he could get away with such an abduction and demands. Every police, sheriff, FBI, state is looking for her, and, assuming the perp is identified (per ransom), there's just no way.

Yeah, that's so weird. And that's a whole lot of trouble to go through for a ransom. Wouldn't most criminals just make a Grandma call her kids and be like "yes, someone is here. You need to deposit x amount of dollars into this crypto account so they will release me." As in..... before the actual FBI is involved in advising negotiations. Nothing about this situation makes sense.

 

[Aquabot13]

The police specifically said that there were multiple cameras. The motion notification was not from the offline doorbell camera.

Thanks, I missed that. That goes back to my hypothesis about the police having more motion notifications than they've let on, then, especially if there was any sort of struggle.

MOO

 

[MassGuy]

Ok, logically it makes sense that the FBI having days to prepare for paying the ransom would be helpful in tracking down the person who made the ransom demand. I asked AI, and this is what it says:

Yeah — those days almost certainly help if payment ends up happening.

Not in a guaranteed, movie-style way, but in a very real, practical one:

• Law enforcement has had time to prepare the trap instead of reacting on the fly
• The wallet would already be flagged and watched the instant money hits it
• Any movement afterward gets analyzed in real time, not days later
• Exchanges and partners are already on alert, which shortens the window for mistakes

So if payment happens now, it’s happening into a system that’s been waiting, not scrambling.

The important nuance:
Those days don’t force an outcome — they increase leverage. They turn payment from “money disappears into the void” into “money becomes a long-term tracking beacon.”

A lot of cases only make sense later, when:

• funds move again
• or get partially cashed out
• or touch something tied to a real person

That’s where preparation pays off.

 

[SRWCF]

How do we know they are her blood droplets

Eta this was answered

Blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s porch belongs to her, sheriff says.​

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/savannah-guthrie-missing-mother-investigation-02-05-26

 

[Kudzuu]

Speaking of being a grandmother, how old are the SIL's kids?

Or maybe the FBI agent who looked young would describe her as grandma because his grandma was around her age. Gives it a personalization.

 

[Czechgirl]

I think this may be my first post. Its been a while.
I have a couple questions.

Why is a SIL being mentioned?(assuming, sister-in-law) I must've missed that information.

Also, is that a detached apartment / pool house on her property? If so, has it been mentioned? Did she rent it? Has someone lived there before?
I apologize if these have already been asked and answered.

TIA