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

[WillenFan21]

Nancy Guthrie Alleged Ransom Letter Makes It Seem Like She's Being Held Near Tucson

The alleged ransom letter in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping has a few details that make it seem like she hasn't been taken too far from the Arizona home where she was abducted ... and that should narrow the search radius for law enforcement.

www.tmz.com

 

[thefragile7393]

Nancy Guthrie Alleged Ransom Letter Makes It Seem Like She's Being Held Near Tucson

The alleged ransom letter in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping has a few details that make it seem like she hasn't been taken too far from the Arizona home where she was abducted ... and that should narrow the search radius for law enforcement.

www.tmz.com

intersting. Love them or hate them or no opinion either way, they often have things pretty accurate.

 

[acutename]

I understand where your professor was coming from. I am a data nerd, I love it and the patterns that emerge from it. I apply data patterns to “typical” human behaviors and then gather as much info on the main players to inform interpretation of the unknowns. My amateur skill is aerial mapping and predicting recovery sites based on known factors. In this case, (if this is recovery) it will be extremely difficult with the vast desert. But I do know this. Perps rarely go far with a deceased soul in their vehicle. Sorry to be so creepy. I pray this dear lady is still on this side.

Amateur opinion and speculation

well, they were aerial surveying the neighborhood.

 

[moonbeams]

Oh my I get the cash thing. My father kept wads of cash in briefcases, drawers, and cigar boxes. When he moved into memory care I had to pry it away from him and deposit it into his bank account. It was difficult because in his mind, he NEEDS to have ready cash.

my mom found so many different stashed of cash that my dad had.... almost every day as she was going through his things, she'd find another.

 

[missy1974]

I’m not sure if this has been mentioned, but why send a ransom demand through TMZ ? Why not NBC, for instance, or FOX, CNN, Etc ? Isn’t TMZ more of a sensationalist news program ? Idk, I remember it being like that a while ago.

It was sent to a local Tucson news station first. Was also sent to another news station (can't remember the name). Then was sent to TMZ on Tuesday.

I think it may be more about accesibility. TMZ has an easy to use tip form and they probably monitor it all the time. I did a quick search of email NBC.. I got a lot of emails come up and it says, depending on your needs.

I have thought that they maybe were concerned the News stations didn't receive the ransom letter, because LE kept saying that there was none. TMZ posted about there copy shortly after the press briefing by the Sheriff on Tuesday.

 

[K9Enzo]

intersting. Love them or hate them or no opinion either way, they often have things pretty accurate.

Agreed. I think they are more ballsy to get a story out there is all. IMO

 

[Starkville]

There has to be a reason she was abducted. If it was not ransom, what do you think it was?

IMO, it’s possible that she was killed in the house and was taken away to be hidden or disposed of. I don’t know what percentage of murderers do this, but it’s not uncommon.

FWIW, I don’t feel strongly about any particular scenario. It’s a completely baffling crime.

 

[muddlehead]

I just randomly saw this and sent her a message! it has made Websleuths so much easier to navigate and will result in me coming more often

yup
can't believe it was an option all these years
maybe it wasn't ...

 

[ab01]

I did a quick google search and I'm sorry if its been mentioned before. But in general it seems most manufacturers recommend phone be within 3-6 feet of a pacemaker in order sync and provide status updates etc.

#Modern pacemakers use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to sync with phone apps for remote monitoring. The effective reach generally varies between
3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) depending on the manufacturer and the specific activity.

With that said, It's possible that a persons pacemaker would disconnect if they were, for example: moved from the room where their phone was into another room of the house. I think it's just as likely a person could be harmed in their home and no longer be synced with their phone app. I'm not sure that its possible to be certain that the time ones pacemaker stopped communicating with a phone was the time they left their home. And I'm also not sure that you could use that to deduce proof of life when they left. MOO

 

[allboys]

There has to be a reason she was abducted. If it was not ransom, what do you think it was?

How do we know for sure that she was abducted?
- the sheriff has said it, but he’s basing that off of her pace maker disconnecting from her watch. This only proves she or her body got out of reach from her watch
- he/LE is basing it off of the fact the blood on the porch suggests bleeding from a live Nancy (that only suggests she was alive at the time that she bled on the porch)
- it is still possible she was murdered in her home (there are traceless forms of murder without a body holding evidence).
- the cameras being deactivated doesn’t prove abduction either. It does prove someone(s) was covering their tracks.

There’s still a possibility she was abducted (and later murdered), but that does not equal kidnapping. In legal terms, there is a difference between abduction and kidnapping. All this to say, just because we have been told that LE suspects an abduction, IMO, I haven’t heard anything that proves it conclusively. On the other hand, LE is not disclosing all known info. Even though I think likely not, obviously, I do hold out hope she is alive.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

In other cases we’ve heard LE say things like - if you’ve noticed something odd from a loved one, someone missing from work, etc, reach out. We’ve not heard that here.

 

[Jade]

right!? like thinking she needed to be taken in to the house and settled or tucked in to bed.

Some of us consider those suggested actions polite!

Not age specific necessarily but we are known for our spoiling of our elders around here.

After a long night go in and help get set up for bed. Make sure her book is handy so she doesn’t have to get up again. Maybe offer a cup of herb tea to settle in.

My elderly mom although in decent health would get tired and I worried about a stumble and fall when she was. What I wouldn’t give to still have her to be able to spoil her still.

Our community is safe in general but my elderly Mom lived by herself in a big home on a wooded property and the affluent neighborhood had break ins despite paid security that drove through periodically.

So I would have definitely gone in, as she would assume I would, when dropping her off after dark especially that far after dark.

I never leave anyone I’ve dropped off after dark without a got in the door ok now I’m locked in wave from the window; at the least.

Just habit and expected behavior for a lot of us.

All imo

 

[acutename]

She was very adamant about it. Definitely didn’t seem confused or like she misinterpreted something. She claimed her source was very high up in law enforcement and she stated that over and over. & she’s not known to be “sensational” or irresponsible, so this is very odd for her.

Editing to add that I’m not saying she’s right or wrong. I’m just baffled by it. Very strange for HER to make such a claim

weird too for a "high up reliable source" to be spilling info IMO

 

[Nikynoo]

I'm confused about the 2 minutes between the garage door opening then shutting.
This data shows that NG entered through the garage and the door was closed right away, yes?

So either whoever dropped her off at 9:48 ish did not enter with her and help her settle or could they have entered with her from the garage stayed a bit then exited through another door?
Would that exciting have shown up?
I find it hard to believe whoever brought her home did not go in with her, put lights on, help her get her settled etc.
imo

Unless the inference from timings etc indicates otherwise

 

[moonbeams]

I wonder who was responsible for making sure the Nest Camera Subscription was paid. Not likely Nancy. Probably just an oversight. Maybe not.

the ageism comments are really starting to get to me. My 87 year old mother paid her own bills right up until the end!! she made her own decisions including to continue to live in the home that she and my dad purchased years and years ago!!!!! i truly wished she had moved as her home was a 2 story... but that was HER decision! i'm going to assume that NG made her own decisions, too! all MOO

 

[Trino]

This discussion has drifted into the ethersphere...
I don't think we even got clear evidence that this act was done.

Hopefully someone will clarify if otherwise...

Gardner, pool maintenance, cleaning persons. Sure they have all been interviewed.

 

[whowy]

Unfortunately and sadly, I do not think NG is alive. I think she was killed at her home early Sunday morning and taken out for unknown reasons. I am firmly on the fence about the perp and the ransom. I wish I could come up with a good working theory, but I'm mostly baffled.

In this theory - reason to remove a body might be to prevent LE from analyzing all the forensic info that we know a body can yield - including info that could help ID the perp. Is there any on-line Mahjong game site involving live players? Might NG have let her guard down in such a context ?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

We don't know the details of the family dinner, but since Nancy's birthday was Jan 27th, many have surmised that it was likely a birthday celebration. JMO

January 27th was my birthday, too. I'm 76.

ETA: I'm not posting but have been following along on the thread. It moves quickly, so I try my best to keep up

 

[serenebee23]

Not sure if someone already mentioned this but regarding the flowers on the ground by the blood at the front door...I just watched on my big screen TV a video (versus looking on my phone like usual) that showed a close up of the Nest cam bracket where the camera was taken from. It looks like on the top left corner behind the bracket is a green stem/leaf. Maybe she had flowers tucked behind the Nest cam as a decoration that got knocked down when the person removed the camera?

This video at 19:28:

 

[CandyKiss]

So Monday comes with no ransom. Assuming the abductors are not family, they are painting themselves into a corner. Guesses are they are concerned with NG's health but more concerned with themselves. Assuming she is alive, with no ransom, would they just leave her off somewhere to be easily found and attempt to exit the situation?

only if they can not be identified by NG