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

[emigrate]

LE will definitely be telling them not to pay any of the ransom. I just can’t see a way out of this alive for NG which is so sad.
As someone said above, it’s not like whoever took her is just going to let her go once they get their money. That wouldn’t make any sense as then there is a high likelihood they would be cau

It's a shame NG bought the house so long ago. No chance of interior pics or layouts anywhere. I wish I understood her home environment a little better.

If there is an auditor website it should have the measurements and room locations

 

[Charlot123]

Was curious if Nancy regularly went into the home via her garage, or used another entrance ?
Since she was driven home, there'd be no need to open the garage door, unless again it was used as an entryway ?
Questions about that.
Imo.

You know, I think that a garage door is convenient if you are old, and it is dark around.

 

[Van Helsing]

I was also wondering about Mexico as a place the abductors ran to. It would only be for the criminals to hide out, since ransom payment is online,( if it is sent at all), so no need to stay in AZ or even USA to collect $. Mexico might make the criminals feel more secure, while waiting for $.

If they did head south, I really don’t think they would take Nancy across the border, and certainly would not return her from Mexico to AZ.

Sorry, but if the criminals decided to head to Mexico, wait it out, see if they get payment, I highly doubt Nancy would still be alive. Sorry, They may have ended her life, dropped into a body of water, or in a desert area, since they had 10 hours before anyone started looking for her, no alert at Nogales border looking for their car( we don’t know if they have any idea of the car even now).

If they do not get payment, they may think they can just return to AZ, carry on with life.
Just an idea, MOO

DBM

 

[auburnmomof2]

I'm very sorry to hear about the pain that has followed you through the years. There is no doubt that childhood trauma follows us through adulthood and changes our lives forever.
This is the worst case I've ever engaged with on this site. As someone newly retired, I will never forget Nancy and her family, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Nancy became my mom and daughter Savannah I've been watching for years. Absolutely heartbreaking!
If there is a God...

You are so kind! Thank you! I actually did a paper years ago about Wayne Williams and the atlanta case. Nancy reminds me of my own mom who passed a year and a half ago. Similar heart problems and just loved being a mom and grandmother! I can't say what I would have done to anyone who would hurt either of my parents or I would get banned. But I've always liked SG and to see this family go through this literally makes my stomach hurt. I feel like all of us are missing a clue that is right in front of us but I can't pinpoint it. I do believe God is in control of all things and I also believe there is evil all around us.
We are all here because we care. Either deeply for the victims or about understanding the criminal mind and preventing things from happening again.
I consider websleuths like an extended family where we all have extremely analytical minds and don't always agree and that's ok.
If for some reason the kidnapper is here watching...please please return Nancy to her family safely

 

[DizzyB]

So far we don’t know who the person is that made a welfare check right? They don’t seem to want to share that. Maybe that person doesn’t want to be identified?

No word on who ‘specifically’ brought NG home Saturday night?

Same people-“family members”. Early talk was daughter and maybe her husband went to the house Sunday. Early talk on Saturday drop off was the husband, then switched to “family member”. Nothing concrete.

 

[digitective]

Why take that risk? The agreement is for her to be alive anyway.

For any of the reasons I mentioned below. Or just to buy time while they figure out their next step, such as where / when to drop the body.

Not sure what you mean by the “agreement is for her to be alive” part but I don’t think it’s a ransom situation or the kidnappers would likely have already sent proof of life and clear demands. It seems like the ransom notes so far have been from cruel scammers who are not involved and are just coming out of the woodwork.

Maybe they didn’t want other family members to have to find her body if they went to her house? Or they thought they might have left DNA / clues on the body that would lead to them getting caught? Or they wanted to trick / distract LE by making them think it was a kidnapping for ransom?

 

[HMSHood]

I wonder if anyone reported any strange person or person(s) before the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie. So little of who is behind it.

Interesting about the ransom note. I wonder the origin of the ransom note. Is it hoax or legitimate?

 

[clearskies1]

It seems that even if the Guthries pay there is not a good chance that NG will come home alive. Apparently the perp said in the media ransom letter that he will have no further communication with the family. If a ransom is paid why would he let her go and possibly give evidence against him in the future? Who knows what NG may have discerned about the perp so far. JMO.

 

[Luna20]

Have there been any reports on NG medication? Did they count out to see what she should have left? Is it totally missing?

The thing is that without her medication she would be deceased by now. In order to successfully hold someone ransom they need to be alive.

 

[turaj]

There are such things, they are bought on Amazon, small, not great quality, connectable to the internet.

I don’t trust Nancy Grace much, but she may be right here.

Only, if there were such cameras, I doubt that Nancy Guthrie bought them herself. More likely, someone else recommended and installed them.

Who, then?

Also: they could be used to monitor Nancy’s movements, too…

yes I hate to admit but Nancy Grace was right. I saw the Sheriff say there are other cameras inside the home that are now being analyzed.

 

[slowpoke]

@avalonisland
Not sure if you saw my earlier request because the thread is going at a rapid pace.

Did you find a link for “St Philip’s Tucson mass”?

Has anyone else seen a link for this?

You must’ve missed where I answered your post here, and informed that NG’s church is St. Andrew’s Presbyterian. I included a link to the church. They have two Sunday services, 9:00 contemporary, and 10:45 traditional.

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

 

[HMSHood]

Right!? Except when I was 5 living in Atlanta during the Atlanta children kidnappings! To this day I sleep with everything covered up except part of my face. I was terrified of being taken from my bed! And I absolutely can't sleep if anyone could possibly see in my window!
There's my childhood trauma side note for all yall internet sleuthers to disect lol

The Atlanta Child Murders of 1979-1981. Many high profile cases involving children occurred in 1970s to 1990s.

Atlanta Child Murders

Between 1979 and 1981, approximately 29 African-American children, teens, and young adults—mostly boys—were kidnapped and murdered. A majority of the killings shared common details. The FBI joined the multi-agency investigation in 1980. In our files, the major case is called ATKID, short for the...

vault.fbi.gov

I wonder how often elderly people are kidnapped like Nancy Guthrie.

 

[EJB123456]

One thing nagging at me— they kept her disappearance quiet at first. I wonder if there was in fact a ransom demand early on. The sheriff was adamant that something was off, that it wasn’t a simple “missing person.” Something very blatant gave him that feeling, IMO.

I didn’t see a news story until Monday afternoon. NG had already been missing over 24 hours at that point. Anecdotally, I have seen missing person cases local to me where there is a huge civilian search party on the ground within hours. This case was kept very hush hush though and that makes me pause.

I do believe, as I’m somewhat local, that on Sunday I saw a post about a missing or endangered woman as I doomscrolled through social media or whatever, but it didn’t mention the Savannah connection until Monday when it blew up.

So yeah, I agree.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

Quite possible at her age she couldn't identify, especially if she only saw the perp(s) for a limited time.

And if they took her glasses that would make identification of the perp(s) that much more difficult. I have seen some photos that show her wearing glasses. Also, if she has vision impairments, that could prove to be a reason she chooses not to drive at night (people have said that played into the decision process when she made the choice to take an Uber to AG’s house rather than driving her own vehicle).

 

[auburnmomof2]

It sounds like the medications she needs are likely common. Many older adults take blood pressure medicine and or a diuretic. I think a diuretic would be vital if she's taking that. My mom started retaining fluids in her final months and that could be the medicine that could be fatal if NG doesn't have it.
Purely my speculation and opinions based on life experience

 

[Beans]

I think about this too. However what dissuades me is that criminals usually fall into a typical profile. You don't really have elderly kidnappers unless some financial motive is involved. There is nothing released by the Sherrifs or FBI that point to this being a botched burglary.

Unfortunately that makes me believe either it was a planned kidnapping for ransom or opportunistic SA that went wrong. If it's the latter, someone who feels they lack control in their life and seeks to prey on others through forms of SA doesn't seem to fit the profile of someone who'd successfully send a well crafted ransom letter via email with enough precautions to limit authorities ability to track them.

So this is either an opportunistic lowlife cyber criminal trying to profit from someone else's random crime. Or this is someone who planned out an abduction/ransom but is erring on the side of caution.

JMO

Once upon a time I might have agreed with this SA profile comment but now I think they are every type of person and come from every walk of life. I can absolutely imagine an SA-driven perp who is highly organised, controlling, sly and digitally literate.

 

[Trino]

The kidnapper(s) have an 84 yr old woman in need of daily medication. She is described as not being able to walk far. These problems grow as time goes on with no ransom. What if she has medical problems? What if the idea is abandoned? What happens to NG?

 

[turaj]

Have there been any reports on NG medication? Did they count out to see what she should have left? Is it totally missing?

The thing is that without her medication she would be deceased by now. In order to successfully hold someone ransom they need to be alive.

For most medications you can get by missing them for days...not great but I don't think she necessarily would be deceased.

 

[emigrate]

Right!? Except when I was 5 living in Atlanta during the Atlanta children kidnappings! To this day I sleep with everything covered up except part of my face. I was terrified of being taken from my bed! And I absolutely can't sleep if anyone could possibly see in my window!
There's my childhood trauma side note for all yall internet sleuthers to disect lol

WOW never heard of that, sorry about that. I did have a guy try to break in my bedroom window when I was 4 and my neighbor saw it and went after them with a shotgun. I have always been a person who is up all night and sleeps all day, you got me thinking it might be from that incident. I go to sleep around 5 or 6am, when the neighborhood gets active with people leaving for work.

 

[DizzyB]

So it sounds like the “kidnapers” made their demands and offered whatever it was that proved they were real. They set two deadlines, and said that would be the only communication (if what we are hearing is true). The family is asking for proof of life and for the kidnapers to reach out to them. Do the kidnapers expect payment without any further communication? Do they have to make a decision to pay?