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

[Cassie P]

a break in gone bad is all i can think of to make sense at this point
remove the person/body, removes the evidence
but even that seems like a dumb move

What does an elderly woman have in her home that a thief would want? Cash?
How much cash do people keep at home these days?

 

[Tortoise]

Question for Sleuthers: why do you think there are pieces of boxwood or other shrubbery by the front door? Near the doormat and drops of blood?

It looks to me like fine purple flowers and greenery used as filler in a vase flower arrangement. I've been wondering if such an arrangement might have been on a table near the front door and was knocked or stuck to a sleeve or in hair, as someone brushed past it, taking it outside.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

I keep thinking of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping.

This mostly reminds me of Al Coors -- they didn't find the perp or find his body for years, but I'm still hopeful that Nancy is alive and will be released.

Adolph Coors III - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This is a very interesting read about how the crime was planned and the perp caught: The Death of an Heir by Philip Jett.

Also, "Forensic Files": Season11, Episode 41

 

[merrymary]

I'm having a disconnect here because I have no idea what time I open my garage door and what time I close it.

Also, I come in through the garage a lot because our front door is super moody.

How do they know what time her garage door went up and then down?

Alot of the more modern openers you can monitor with an app.

 

[acutename]

They may be educated, but IMHO, it's pretty stupid to kidnap an older person with serious health problems. If the victim dies, the suspects would most likely be looking at a homicide or manslaughter charge (IANAL, MOO.)

just wonder if they considered that they might get nothing and be murderers, but if NG is dead, they have no leverage...they assumed responsibility for her well being when they took her- or they didn't

 

[IQuestion]

Hey Everyone.
I thought I would try something different.
A video message from me to you. It;s only about 90 seconds long.
Love,
Tricia

Tricia... a little off topic...but you look amazing! Are you aging in reverse or what? I don't take offense any more because I know how to "roll and scroll."

 

[wyome]

MOO.

I think the "family member" who drove NG home that evening entered the home quick enough to unlock one of the doors for quiet access later.

 

[Trino]

I actually wondered if they could provide the requested crypto but lock it....

Bitcoin just crashed. Now what? Did the abductors pick a bad economic time to demand a bitcoin ransom?

The bitcoin price has plummeted under the closely-watched $80,000 per bitcoin level, sparking fears that a full-blown bitcoin and crypto crash could be looming.

 

[cady]

What does an elderly woman have in her home that a thief would want? Cash?
How much cash do people keep at home these days?

LOL. OK let's all publish how much cash we have at home......

 

[LivvyL]

It looks to me like fine purple flowers and greenery used as filler in a vase flower arrangement. I've been wondering if such an arrangement might have been on a table near the front door and was knocked or stuck to a sleeve or in hair, as someone brushed past it, taking it outside.

Maybe a spare key was in the vase and it was emptied for that reason. There is an empty vase upright in the corner of the doorstep.

 

[Inthedetails]

know how to "roll and scroll."

snipped

I need constant remedial lessons, lol. Truth!

jmo

 

[Jade]

those clippings by the door have been bothering me this week as well.

How so?

It sort of looks like my Mom would do “working around the yard” doing what she can reach and since she uses a cane she can’t really use broom and dust pan too well, drops some if she collected it at all but doesn’t worry about it the lawn guys will blow anyway. Maybe NG’s housekeeper sweeps the porch and walk so leave it for her it’s just a bit.

As a WSer I suppose I should be examining the front landscape for that greenery it should stand out in the landscape...

Maybe its from a seasonal decoration from a nursery or florist in that pot that NG tidied up and some dropped.

all imo

 

[merrymary]

MOO.

I think the "family member" who drove NG home that evening entered the home quick enough to unlock one of the doors for quiet access later.

hmm....didn't think of that angle

 

[Trino]

just wonder if they considered that they might get nothing and be murderers, but if NG is dead, they have no leverage...they assumed responsibility for her well being when they took her- or they didn't

It's even dumber now that Bitcoin is down in value.

 

[CuriousCricket]

The fact that this happened on a Saturday night and not Sunday when the moon was actually full, might - in my own thinking - indicate someone who had to work on Monday. I'm wondering if the homes of other elderly people in the area have been broken into on bright nights?

Was NG's hearing better than the average older person? Did a noise awaken her and she went to investigate?

The thing is, though, people who have lived in their homes a long time have things stashed away they don't see on a daily basis. A burglar could break in, take something, and it not be discovered for weeks, months, or never.

However, that would indicate the burglar would have knowledge of those items.

I would think the electric company who did the last work at the home is being scrutinized very closely and any elderly clients being contacted. But, if they never woke up and haven't noticed anything missing, they won't be much help.

 

[SaraSmile]

Could have been a bruise from a blood draw or IV during surgery (I saw the picture, too, but can't remember the placement of the bandage).

Bandage was a “medium size commercial bandaid”(1.5”x2” approx), under right forearm(thin bone area), near elbow( not on elbow), my memory only. Probably a scrape because it’s not where an infusion or blood draw would go.

 

[Lamima]

It looks to me like fine purple flowers and greenery used as filler in a vase flower arrangement. I've been wondering if such an arrangement might have been on a table near the front door and was knocked or stuck to a sleeve or in hair, as someone brushed past it, taking it outside.

There is a big empty pot/jug outside the front door that I assumed the dried flowers were in. But maybe inside the front door.

 

[wyome]

hmm....didn't think of that angle

Just thinking of my own situation - I had keys to my parents' home when they owned one, but I always used their garage code because it was just easier. If that was the situation here, the perp would be an idiot to go through the garage.

 

[acutename]

I had the same thought, so I looked into it. Although it is possible to send an email that is very difficult to trace, by attaching a photo or video, you are sharing data that may very well lead to your capture. Not the photo itself, but the technical data inside of it - super complicated stuff that I could never understand.

well the photo - and you could try to "wipe it" I guess, has meta data about where when how it was taken.

 

[LAhiker]

I’m curious about the scene at the front door. It appears there are dried/dead flowers on the ground by the door and a large empty vase in the corner. I wonder if there was a spare key in that vase and it was emptied of the flowers to get the key.

Interesting idea. That said, LE initially said there was forced entry and now won't say. Another possibility is that the abductor took NG out the front door and knocked the flowers out of the vase in the process (in which case you'd expect the vase to have tipped over) or when he/she pulled the doorbell out of its bracket.

It sounds like NG may have usually gone in through the garage and others have suggested that the front door stoop may have been dusty. In that case, I would hope there were footprints. But those might've been obscured by family or investigators during the initial search.

JMO