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

[shadowsc]

I am thinking that the Apple Watch would likely have to have been left in a slightly unique place for the ransom note to cite its location correctly and have it be meaningful. Something like, "the Apple Watch was charging on the nightstand next to the bed" isn't exactly going to point to information that "only the person who took her would know."

A few other thoughts:

I've been thinking the same, and mentioned it a few pages back. Spending 41 minutes in the house, trying to get what he wanted from Nancy, financial info, passwords, safe contents whatever, threatening her....he didn't succeed, in anger he may have killed her then, took her away with a new ransom plot in mind.

I just tend to think that Nancy wouldn't be someone likely to have all these insane financial accounts or safes full of expensive jewelry. The house is nice and everything, but it's not some multi million dollar estate and Nancy doesn't come off like the type who has vaults of family jewels. Her biggest connection to actual wealth and assets would likely be Savannah. To me that seems like more of a motive from the start than robbing an old lady and then kidnapping her if it went sideways. An opportunist who decides to rob an elderly lady living alone for cash seems like a very different criminal profile than someone also setting up an elaborate ransom with a national news figure, celebrity media channels, anonymous bitcoin accounts, emails, and messing around with the FBI. Has the police said if anything was actually taken? Like jewelry, atm cards, cash. My personal feeling is that Nancy was the prime target, not a robbery. But who knows.

I think that's just his way of communicating. The "we believe so and so is alive," is pretty standard. I've actually seen it in cases where you can tell without a doubt law enforcement is looking for a body.

A much better way of handling this would have been to say "we believe a crime occurred in that home," and leave it at that, as opposed to saying she was "abducted in her sleep."

There is no way they could know she actually left that house alive, but that's the picture he's painted. I believe it's entirely possible that this resulted in some opportunist taking advantage of the situation with the ransom notes.

I think this too regarding the sheriff. He said yes they believe she is alive, but I think that's only because they haven't found a body or definitive conclusion of otherwise, so that's what they're going with even if they don't believe so. The reward also said for the "recovery" of Nancy, not the safe return of Nancy alive which I think is pretty telling.

Struck me as odd too but brushed it off for two reasons.

If their mother is alive, the kidnappers would surely show her this video. This may be the last time Nancy hears anything from her children and they wanted to speak directly to her and show her how much they love her.

This is a cry for help, they are asking their mother directly to communicate to these kidnappers "we will do whatever you want us to do to get our mother home." They know how smart their mother is.

Mom if you can, help us here.

99

I thought AG's message on the video to the abductors was so odd. Not suspicious, just odd. It felt to me like she was speaking at a service. But, since she's apparently a poet, that may just be how she speaks and was her heartfelt way of speaking out to her mom as authentically her, especially if they hoped Nancy would see it. It just felt less like a plea or a normal way to speak (although I guess is there even a normal way to speak to your mother's possible abductor?). I couldn't tell if there was any coded message in her words. They just felt a little stilted and an off way of speaking, but again, that may just be her and how she writes and speaks.

Exactly! I saw Megyn Kelly speculate that, because the family was getting so much grief online for waiting an hour to call 911, they changed their story. With no working cameras, LE cannot easily determine when the family arrived.

I suspect that this may have come about because of how it was first reported that someone from church called the family to say that Nancy wasn't there. And then an hour later, the family called 911. When in reality, however the family became concerned, they were there at Nancy's house by noon and called police within 7 minutes. I think that is likely accurate. How and when there was first reason for concern that Nancy wasn't reachable is unclear. But I don't know that it would raise immediate flags. It maybe wouldn't be that big of a stretch to think, she's in the shower, her ringer is off, she's taking a nap, etc. Once they got to the house, they appeared to call 911 fast. I think cell phones and car gps and smart watches would likely easily show when they arrived.

 

[Cassie P]

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

Yikes. My point being people don't keep much cash at home these days? Everything is credit card, Venmo, Apple Pay, etc. ????

 

[ly502]

I think it's really important to notice that the call from the church friend appears nowhere on the official timeline. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, but I don't think that we can just interleave events from the official timeline and from other sources and assume we have an accurate picture.

100%

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I need to chime in on this.My husband is Italian.He looks scary, very.He looks brooding because he is socially awkward.But he’s the first to cry when watching a sappy movie or presented with a gift.You really can’t judge a book by its cover.

My husband was Italian as well.... Being a social butterfly he always had a smile and twinkling eyes, and played a wiked blues piano. Eveyone fell in love with him. BUT he is exactly the same as yours when it comes to sappy movies, songs, gifts, feeding the birds, rabbits..whatever. Oh, and that great Italian wine could enhance some of all this as well.....

Can you tell I miss him.
ohhhh we are so off topic.... but its pleasant thoughts in the midst of.....

 

[SlimPickens]

That's an excellent point, Slim. Maybe she had a substantial life insurance policy?

Uh, strike that. The family would have to produce a death certificate. Lol

To counter my own post, there is the "if incapacitated" clause generally in living wills, so I suppose whomever is POA would have tentative rights to execute financial transactions on her behalf. That would likely be SG though, or her brother, if she was advised to make the most rational choice. In any case, I imagine if it is anyone related to AB's claim that there would be no way they could execute any transaction within their self-interest without it being heavily scrutinized by all concerned.

So still thinking that even with this caveat that it is almost certainly not a family financial motive here.

JMO.

 

[tbgo]

Brian Entin made me laugh when he said that the sister and son-in-law don’t have real jobs. They’re poets and he could find very little on the son-in-law being a teacher. He did note that he had been in a band. I’m sure law enforcement are looking at who would stand to benefit the most financially.

You never know though, the perp could someone completely off the radar. Some random weirdo.

 

[Greenestdays]

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.

Yes, this is a very interesting twist in the tale. If (and that’s a big if, imo) the ransom note is real, I wonder what the perp is thinking right now. Odds are the value will bounce back. What caused the dip anyway? Off to google…

 

[LaLaw2000]

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."

Tricia, you look fabulous! Sorry, I just couldn't resist saying that. I hadn't seen you in awhile!

 

[ly502]

Forgive me but I cannot find where the "newest" timeline was posted, the one with the someone from the church calling the family at 11:00 am. This was not in the official timeline released yesterday during the press conference. Does anyone have this link, because this was notably missing from the press conference completely yesterday?

 

[Van Helsing]

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.

I'm 70 and the skin on my arms breaks very easily (sun damage according to my dermatologist). I almost always have band aids on my arms.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I've been leaning on the AB theory, but now leaning on a possible scenario in which this is someone living in Tuscon, who knows TC/AG. Previous criminal background, maybe a drug problem and/or psychopath. (TC's bandmate is reported to have a criminal history).

Given NG's connection to SG the 'abduction' would get the media attention they crave, and with SG's wealth, they might have a chance at actually getting the Bitcoin. A nice older lady with trouble walking, living alone in an isolated neighborhood, would not be hard to subdue for them.

Did the perp know that TC went to drop NG off that night, and therefore, if they did it then, TC would be the last person to see her, and they were alone together, so TC would be suspect not them, throwing LE off.

Either way surely LE is onto not only looking at family but those close to them. Maybe when LS declined the rule out family publicly, it was a red herring, they were trying to make the perp or perps think that family was the suspect instead of the actual suspect they are looking at.

Maybe it did not go as planned, and NG was no longer with us which is why the ransom letter says this will be the only contact. They can't give proof of life, and also more risk getting caught.

Such a disgusting, sad, shocking and unbelievable event. My heart goes out to SGs family and friends. Heartbreaking to watch this go on.

agree on a lot of this...
I really do think a lot of us are thinking of those peripheral people to the relatives or NG herself.....
Sooooo often the case....

This thought has constantly gone through my mind:
"Maybe it did not go as planned, and NG was no longer with us which is why the ransom letter says this will be the only contact"

Have they clarified succinctly that ONLY NG, AG, and TC were at dinner that night?

It was Nancy's birthday after all,so others could have easily been there?

 

[tbgo]

If the ransom notes are fake, unrelated, and the abduction or possible murder was done by someone else, the ransom is definitely helping the actual abductors. Beginning to think she awoke to find someone in her home, confrontation, possible murder. Who?

Still though, why take the body?

 

[SaraSmile]

I agree. I’m feeling this may have nothing to do with a ransom and that the actual motive is something entirely different than what’s being discussed. Not wanting to elaborate just now.

I’m interested in your ideas. Your post piqued my interest, got me thinking.

Perhaps TC and his bandmate friend were helping Nancy with some errands or tasks at home. Example:Nancy witnessed the bandmate with a large quantity of drugs in the trunk of car.

They were not sure if it registered with Nancy what she saw, if she might tell someone.
So the bandmate hatched and carried out the plan. TC was not involved with the abduction, but maybe knew about the drugs.
All just ideas…
MOO

 

[Gr3yW0lf78]

Has anyone the possibility that the ransom email was written at NG’s home using either her computer or phone? Then delivery of the email may have been scheduled for delivery to several outlets at a later time to give the abductors time to get wherever they were going?

This explains the untraceable nature of the email. But leaves some uncertainty as to whether a hacker sent it or someone physically in possession of NG’s device.

 

[merrymary]

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.

UNLESS, like I said before, the door was open long enough for someone to run in and hide.

Happened in my prior subdivision...couple came home...had door open long enough...and don't want to even say what happened next. Perp never found and since then, that subdivision is now a gated community

 

[diggndeeperstill]

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.

10 million in BTC is still 10 million in BTC - and if held long enough greatly compounds. It’s a good time to buy.

 

[aafromaa]

The first report I heard of this simply said SG’s mother was missing from her home in AZ. Like many, I’m sure, I thought perhaps Alzheimer’s or dementia was involved and she wondered off and would be found shaken and afraid but okay within a relatively short time period. But once I learned that there was no cognitive impairment and that there were signs of a break-in, I’ve had a pit in my stomach ever since.

It reminds me of how I felt when I first came to WS when Caylee Anthony was reported missing and every day we hoped to learn that her mother had sold her to someone or something along those lines — sounds awful but it was better to hope for that than to think about the alternatives - and every day the reports got more bizarre. It also remind me of how I felt when we started hearing about Tylee & JJ missing and we hoped to learn they were found in some cult compound or something - again not pleasant thoughts but better than the alternatives - and every day the reports got more bizarre.

And hours turned to days and days to weeks and weeks to months.

As awful as the thought of an 84 year old being held for ransom is and as uncertain as the outcome would be if that is the case, it seems better to hope for that the alternatives.

I pray those of you who are predicting an arrest is coming soon are correct and that whatever her condition NG is found soon. My heart breaks for her children and grandchildren and all they are going through. I truly hope that she is still alive and will be brought home to them. But each day that hope dims. If it is this difficult for me as an observer to try to keep believing that she may still be alive, I can’t imagine what a struggle it is for her family to hold on to hope. They are all in my prayers.

 

[shadowsc]

I think it's really important to notice that the call from the church friend appears nowhere on the official timeline. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, but I don't think that we can just interleave events from the official timeline and from other sources and assume we have an accurate picture.

Yeah, that part is weird, especially since Daily Mail reported Nancy hasn't been going in person to mass since Covid and Brian Entin said his producers went to the church who told him the same thing or wouldn't confirm. I wonder if it's one of those rumors that got started early and then just takes on a life of its own. (Like in the Moscow Idaho murders where for for months the narrative was "someone ran outside in the morning and passed out" because the 911 call had reported an "unconscious" person and it didn't get cleared up for like months or years that no one passed out outside.) Someone may have said, "Nancy usually attends mass on Sunday morning" and for all we know, that statement took on a life of its own in the early days and LE hasn't publicly corrected.

 

[bkgregg5]

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?

I get a text alert on my phone anytime the garage door is open or closed. Also, I can open and close the door remotely using the app. So there are tons of ways to track the door going up and down

 

[wyome]

IMO the only way family could be involved with this, and it have a purely financial motive like inheritance or property, is if she were left in a location where she would actually be found or someone associated with them facilitated a ransom demand (in which case she would likely be alive and medicated). But family can't get an inheritance or claim someone's property without a death certificate, and the state wouldn't declare her deceased for years without a body. So if they were involved it would not be in their financial (inheritance) interest to take her away from the scene at all, and if they did take her away not to put her in a place that she couldn't be found easily.

This is why I'm not thinking family financial motive.

JMO.

This is an excellent point. Perhaps IF a family member is responsible, he/she is probably shocked her body hasn't been found yet. Maybe that ransom to throw LE off the trail for a bit has backfired because she should have been found deceased by now.

Have no idea how much NG has as a nest egg, but whatever it is divided by 3 is still a phenomenal payout for someone.