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

[iamshadow21]

Is there any proof that NG ever arrived home that night or do the sensors and alerts only prove that someone was there?

Her apple watch was there, and her devices had contact with her pacemaker until the window of her suspected abduction.

MOO

 

[tricia]

You know SG personally? I'm just reading here but interested in your perspective. You could get yourself verified as an WS verified insider perhaps. Especially if knowing about a white van being ( what ...collected by LE?) is related to that. It is fact and approved source based on WS, so wondering what your source is for that info.

Aphrodite Jones IS VERIFIED. She is an expert in true crime. She does not need to provide links. She is a friend of Websleuths. Be respectful, or I swear I will turn this car around and will be grounded for LIFE.

 

[SaraSmile]

great point and not something I'm knowledgeable about so thank you. Does Neurontin eliminate the need for additional pain medications due to discomfort from diabetic neuropathy? Or is it typically used in tandem with another pain med? Just curious. Would make me feel better if used solo because if its a drug related disappearance, I don't see it ending well.

I’m on Lyrica, take every day, newer generation of gabapentin( neurontin). Yes, it works extremely well for nerve pain.both are controlled substances, but I don’t think you can get high on them. I also have oxycontin ( well supervised, no worries), as a back up for flare ups( don’t take every day).
The problem with Lyrica, and neurontin is that if they are stopped abruptly, it can lead to seizures!
I doubt it was a “drug crime” stealing Nancy’s pain meds, as they are doled out one bottle at a time nowadays.

 

[korncrasy]

Apologies in advance if this is already being discussed, I'm a little lost in how fast moving this story is, but police also reportedly removed a camera from her roof, a roof that might have had recent work done on it.

“Apparently on that roof, the agents recovered a new camera, a camera that apparently they hadn’t been aware of and they took it into their custody. I don’t know anymore than that as to why it hadn’t been recovered, what it might see." -Retired NYPD Inspector Paul Mauro.

And from a neighbor:
Laura Gargano, said she tipped off the police to investigate the roof because of how clean it looked compared to other homes in the neighborhood.

“I did notice on an aerial shot that it looked like her roof had been recoated recently,” Gargano told CNN on Friday. “When you recoat your roof it gets dirty pretty quickly and we’ve had lot of rains the previous three weeks, so it would be normal for a roof to be a little dirty.”

I live in an old house too big for me (downsizing and going broke from taking care of it) so rely heavily on contractors and assistance. There are a lot of shady contractors, we all know that, but I am starting to fear one of them saw this very vulnerable woman as an obvious easy target. If Savannah was brought up in casual conversation or he otherwise discovered the connection, I could see this being a ransom case. Something that seemed absurd to me in the beginning. Just dreadful, each bit of news is more frustrating and terrifying than the next. It's been a week, I just keep praying for her return home.

From NY Post: Police tow SUV from Nancy Guthrie’s home, take down wired device from roof after tip from neighbor: report

Agree, I hired a reputable roofer.He then subbed it out to very sketchy people.The girls of this crew asked to use my bathroom throughout the day.I quickly moved our medications.Very unsettling.

 

[DancingMuse]

The neighbors 44 year old son has a criminal record that includes Criminal Trespass and Stalking. And, ironically, owns or previously owned a roofing company.

very interesting. Outloudthink: Thx so much.

 

[birdbox]

Hey does anyone have any thoughts on any steps the Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos could have done early on or differently?

 

[BigCityAccountant1]

Apropos of a number of posts saying they would "push the button" or some such to send the money, as if it's an easy decision: It is much easier for us here, with a theoretical missing loved one and theoretical millions, to say what we'd do, than it is for someone with a real missing loved one and real millions, getting advice from the FBI and weighing the dangers of giving bad guys a roadmap to free millions (if the ransom notes are hoaxes), to actually push that button.

Add to that, how many have that kind of cash? Most likely invested in investments of some kind. It would take some time to convert those investments into cash and then bitcoin, especially if you have never used bitcoin before. I don't have the first clue about bitcoin, nor do I want to know.

 

[SaraSmile]

I think the best course here would be to assume AJ is telling the truth and that she will return later to confirm, or if she misspoke, to clarify.

So assuming it is true, what does the retention of a white van by LE, with our understanding that a neighbor of NG reported a suspicious white van in the neighborhood, suggest?

We want to know any details about the white van, if it is relevant. We are seekers of new news!

 

[DizzyB]

As far as blood being in the car, when Patrick Frazee murdered Kelsey Berreth, no blood was ever found in his car. (He carried her out in a tote). Terrible case to be remembering. I can imagine scenarios where blood might not be found in a car, even if a victim is bleeding.

Not a bit of blood in Kohberger’s car, although he had a long time to clean up. The more that they come back and take things like cameras off of the roof, the less confident I am in the path being taken to solve this. Is their methodology common? I understand how specific warrants can be, but did they go up on the roof based on a neighbor’s observations? Should they have asked for camera footage long ago before it became overwritten? I am thinking of Barry Morphew at Poncha Market going through a garbage can.

 

[Cebavl]

I AM REPOSTING my comment and will check back later this afternoon to see your responses, still hoping that LE will have something new to report later today.

SO -- I've waited before making any comment because I felt we were all rushing to judgement. It's a human reaction to pin the crime on one of the nearest relatives, but it can also backfire. I know Savannah personally, and the last thing I want to do is bring more pain to the Guthrie family. Imagine if your mom was abducted and the public was pointing the finger at you. The sting would be that much greater. All that said, as of this AM, they have collected the elusive white van and as you all know, a second note was sent to KOLD yesterday which has been verified as coming from the same encrypted server. This note apparently made contact with the family, responding to the videos made by Savannah and her siblings. We now have President Trump indicating that officials are close to identifying the abductor or abductors. The horrible thing now, of course, is that we have no proof of life. I PRAY that Nancy is alive after being without her meds for 7 days. It is totally possible. Let's remember that. In fact, billboards are now being put up in AZ and surrounding states asking for the public's help. The hard question now is: WOULD YOU HIT SEND to give millions in crypto to this abductor before the deadline on Monday? If no one is caught this weekend, Savannah will be struggling with the possibility that non-payment could mean death for her mom... MY HEART IS BREAKING FOR HER...

Would I hit send? Let me first say, this is hard for anyone to really say unless you’re actually in this situation. For us, the money and the situation isn’t real, so we can more easily say we’d do this or we’d do that. I’ll tell you what I think I’d do, but I know, for Savannah, the decision won’t be so easy.

Now, to answer the question. I wish I knew how much they were asking for and what Savannah’s net worth is. Does she even have as much as they’re requesting?

For this purpose, let’s assume they want $30M and her net worth is $40M.

Maybe in a public statement today, she could try to negotiate? Offer them $20M and plead for the return of her Mom in exchange.

Hope for a response tomorrow (maybe during the Super Bowl?). If they agree, pay the $20M. If they don’t agree (or respond), wait until Monday morning, and (assuming FBI or Nanos have no chance of immediately finding Nancy) pay the entire $30M.

I think this is how I would handle it. I would NOT request proof of life, as I don’t believe they’re going to send any kind of photograph or other evidence that could be traced.

You’ll just have to be comfortable you made this decision knowing the possible outcomes:
1) it’s a complete scam and you lost most of your life’s savings;
2) you may get your Mom back in very poor condition or worse, or;
3) the amazing chance you’ll be reunited with your Mom, who is alive but will need time to heal physically and emotionally.

Speaking as a mother, and if the tables were turned with Nancy having to make this decision for Savannah, I feel like she would pay what they’re asking. No matter the outcome.

I think it’s important to ask—what is the choice, in the end, I can live with for the rest of my life? For me, (while it might suck!) the loss of money would always be worth the chance to have my mother.

Again, no matter what Savannah chooses, I know it’ll be the right one for her and her family. None of us know nearly enough of the situation to truly be giving any advice or opinion on this. But, here I am, giving my two cents. SENDING SAVANNAH AND HER ENTIRE FAMILY ALL THE LOVE, STRENGTH, CLARITY, AND LIGHT DURING THIS TIME

 

[Fargo]

Is there any proof that NG ever arrived home that night or do the sensors and alerts only prove that someone was there?

I suppose that depends on what you consider proof. "Family" reported they dropped her off at her home following an evening dinner. The garage door opened at that time. The garage door has no reason to lie so I think it can be assumed the garage door indeed opened at that time, but there is no concrete proof (in my opinion) of what time Ms Guthrie returned home or in what condition.

My personal opinion.

 

[jepop]

Dbm

 

[SaraSmile]

Hey does anyone have any thoughts on any steps the Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos could have done early on or differently?

Bring in FBI right away. They could have taken the case right away because of the communication, internet use. ( as soon as first ransom note delivered.)
Kidnapping is now usually a fed crime.
JMO

 

[tlsmi]

I think this was just in the context of how SG used the "Talk to her and you'll see" line from Silence of the Lambs in the family's first video response to the possible abductors. The thought amongst talking heads was wondering if it was either a coded message to kidnappers, or that SG was advised to use that line by the FBI.

And that if FBI advised it, it may have come from their profiling studies that they used way back in 1991 when the FBI consulted on the Silence of the Lambs movie script. Meaning they had advised using it in the movie script and advised it again to the Guthrie family in an attempt to humanize. (Not so much that the FBI hasn't updated their profiling in 35 years, just that they still thought that kind of phrase might be effective, etc.)

May have been mentioned already but did anyone notice SG's brother in the plea to alleged kidnappers is wearing a shirt with similar design on it as the scarf actress is wearing from SOTL movie ?

 

[moonbeams]

With the neighborhood having restrictions on outdoor lighting, is it allowed to keep your front door light on at night?

i'd like to know this, too! we are in a dark sky area and allowed to have outside lights that downward face, warm (not cool blue) etc.... seems this area is particularly strict! yikes

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

Couple of thoughts:
1) I think the person responsible is close (family, neighbor, someone who works in the house). This would be irrationally random otherwise. NG isn't a celebrity - even if her daughter is. She isn't wealthy in the manner that usual targets for ransom are and she doesn't live a lifestyle where she's neccessarily exposed (she's not followed by papparazi or the media). There is clearly some knowledge of the house and the fact that there is no subscription for the cameras. Any halfway intelligent person would know that even destroying a camera uploading to the cloud will show everything up to the destruction of the camera - so I think destroying the camera was to avoid anyone watching live (NG? AG?)
2) The perp has a normal M-F 9-5 job. Saturday night / early Sunday seems to fit this AND 2nd note comes out Friday afternoon. Something tells me, based on the timeline - the perp has someone at home expecting them. The times loosely fit a night out: I tell my spouse I'm headed out with the boys. Bars close at 2am. Plausable to say we were kicked out at 2:15am. This would be a valid arrival home closer to 3am if I claim I'm going to a bar across town, stopped for gas, cigarettes, whatever.
3) Blood spatter on porch (as many have pointed out) appears to be aspirated at the doorstep and drops thereafter. The doorstep looks like a small step down or, at least, a threshold to step over - with NG's limited mobility, this step over/down might cause her respiratory exertion resulting in either coughing or heavy exhale through her nose. I think it was a nose bleed - the drops are round and mouth bleeds just don't seem like they fall that way. It looks like she was walking slow on the porch, the drops are close together.
4) I also believe the ransom notes are a distraction or a layer added to cover the real intent. I won't go so far as to say she's no longer alive. But something about the family theory seems to check the boxes. Let's say, hypothethically, you have three children. One is a TV personality on national TV, one is a poet married to a school teacher, and one is a retired Air Force pilot. Would one of them be in a position to feel not as financially secure or not as happy with their lot in life as compared to their siblings? Hypothetically, let's say someone at 10pm calls their spouse letting them know they just dropped off their mom at home safely - but now is headed to the bar in downtown Tucson to meet up with friends - after all, it's saturday night. Same person grabs a few drinks and then heads to NG house. They know the cameras aren't saving any recordings, but disconnects the doorbell cam because it would alert NG or even AG when the doorbell is rung or perhaps it can be turned on remotely by NG is she hears forced entry. Entry is made. No signs of a real struggle because you are known to the NG - until you assault her or she falls. You help her to your car (or a car). You may or may not have a 2nd person helping you - but you do have a place you keep her (is it a storage unit? a partner's place?) Either way, you realize quickly you ARE the prime suspect. You cannot leave your own house now without scrutiny or surviellence by police. You cannot provide proof of life because you simply cannot go to where you are holding her without being found out by LE. Your motive was money - maybe you did intend to kill her and sobered up and realized that was stupid. Maybe the ransom idea then becomes what you go with - which explains waiting so long to send a ransom note. The family records a message on Instagram because they know you'll watch that. References are made to Silence of the Lambs - perhaps because they know it's probably you and that's meaningful to you. You see your wife struggle because you were "out" that night and arrived oddly late. Your brother in law also suspects you and his demeanor is flat because he's talking to you and you know it. You sister in law is full of emotion because she lives in NYC and isn't part of the everyday of the family dynamics in AZ. LE knows it's you and that's why they really haven't done extensive searches with cadaver dogs, sought that TX equestrian group, or had volunteers walking the desert.
With all that said - it could also be someone close to the family following the same script. I just don't believe the excess stuff LE is doing is really progressing the case. I think it might be to gather evidence to make the case stronger - but I think they already know who did it and they are either waiting for him to go to her OR they are negotiating with him in the background while maintaining "no suspect" for the public.

This has been my line of thinking all along...With that being said, I know that we don't have all the pieces of the puzzle. Therefore, I reserve the right to be wrong (which I usually am)!

JMO.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I’m a little behind and not sure if it’s been discussed as to why NG’s car was towed last night.
I’m thinking LE saw evidence from a license plate reader or security camera not at the home that it was being driven that night. Why and by whom? Those are the questions.

 

[SlimPickens]

We want to know any details about the white van, if it is relevant. We are seekers of new news!

Of course we are! So let's assume it is true. What would it being true suggest to us? That's not rhetorical. I'd really like to discuss it. I just don't have any interesting thoughts on it currently, other than I suppose it would support the idea that an elaborate scheme could've taken place here.

JMO.

 

[Starkville]

Agree, I hired a reputable roofer.He then subbed it out to very sketchy people.The girls of this crew asked to use my bathroom throughout the day.I quickly moved our medications.Very unsettling.

When I heard the mention of roofers in this case, even tangentially, it reminded me of some shady roofers my mother used. Same situation. Someone said that roofers are often in pain due to the nature of their work; it’s pretty grueling and rough on a body. Sometimes they get addicted to pain meds, and, well, you can guess the rest.

In any case, she could have directed them to use the bathroom in the guest house. I would have!

 

[moonbeams]

Random speculation..
Wondering if NG regularly attends hair or nail salons?
Has a favorite Italian restaurant?

i don't know about italian... but SG had her at a mexican restaurant in the home town segment!