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

[lucegirl]

The case of Corey Binderim is food for thought. He was a handyman with a lot issues - drugs, debt. Kept up a facade as a family man with kids. Generally a likable guy - not a white van creeper. He agreed to help an elderly lady remodel her bathroom. She prepaid him $12K. He then proceeded to spend the money on drugs, alcohol. He started flaking on the lady. She got frustrated that her bathroom wasn’t getting done and started complaining and asking for her money back. She told him she would report him to the police and had an attorney. He went into a spiral because he could not pay the money back and he was about to be exposed as a fraud and drug addict. He was hiding the problem from his wife and 2 daughters, but they were on the verge of finding out. Desperate to cover up this mess he created he went to the lady’s house and strangled her. Took her remains to the dump. He was eventually caught.

Point being - a motive could be payment of a debt - even a small debt. $12k to a handy man or other average Joe with no money could be a pain point for a desperate person to try and make the issue go away. So perhaps the motive revolves around someone she paid for a service that wasn’t done. Going into the house at night and disappearing her aligns more with needing to silence her over something versus breaking in looking for a coin collection.

 

[girlhasnoname]

I agree with you, and this is the point I have been making.

Gotcha @Cassie P - This thread is moving at the speed of light and I've only been able to check in occasionally.

I personally don't think anyone in the family did it. I think someone who might have known her or the family carefully planned this and the 1st crazy ransom letter may have to throw off LE and the family in the beginning. The longer it goes on the more emotional everyone becomes. Maybe they're not in communication purposely to drive up the anxiety and willingness to cooperate.

But if it's not a legitimate ransom and was just some random stranger abduction, I fear Nancy is no longer with us. What would that prove? They reportedly didn't take anything of value from the home. That makes no sense to me, none of this does.

 

[MarciB]

and you can bet the next time someone on the local FB group complains about lights that i'll be posting links to this case! a headline popped up on my apple watch the other day... how the night sky ordinance played into NG's abduction

people chose to live there for that reason. Probably why most of the neighbors have some type of cameras and alarm systems

 

[allboys]

But why would someone seeking ransom point to the body???

The only thing I can think of is knowing they won’t be paid the ransom due to not being able to provide signs of life, they settled for taking the $50k reward for providing info. that led to her recovery. (Telling LE where the body is). But this possibility seems to be ruled out as the news station indicated the new note does not discuss ransom. Although it could be about semantics… this would be about collecting a reward vs. ransom. Just a thought.

 

[turaj]

Apparently it was a neighbor that instructed LE to go back and check the roof!!! I mean . . . it was never checked???

when all is said and done I think a serious review of the sheriff and the LE done in the early days will require some serious analysis.

 

[Arkay]

You want a lock of your mother's hair or something to the effect .This can be analysised to see if it is from a living or deceased person

I agree with you that proof of life is non-negotiable, but I wouldn’t accept a lock of hair. It doesn’t prove she’s still alive as they could have cut a lock immediately, and I wouldn’t want to wait for lab results to tell me.

I wish there could be an exchange like when hostages or prisoners are swapped in the middle of a bridge or something, but obviously the kidnappers won’t do that and reveal themselves.

I don’t know how it could be done, but I would require speaking to my mother in real time, which unfortunately doesn’t preclude them from killing her the instant the money went through.

JMO

 

[jillybean51]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2020188989937053719

The Word of God comments ….Why does he post a white van on his X feed, from Jan?

 

[Ladyotm]

I appreciate reading everyone's thoughts on this case.

Something I'm finding strange and just thought of.
One would think that most elderly people take some type of medicine or supplement. The ransom note gave a deadline several days away from her actual kidnapping. Do you believe they hadn't made plans to make sure these meds/supplements were available for her while being held hostage? It's said that her meds were still there. Was it the rx bottles from the pharmacy or one of those daily medicine organizers or both?

I don't believe they intended to keep her until Friday. I believe they thought a ransom would be paid immediately. It also brings me to wonder why make this into worldwide news fairly early with sending ransom notes to news organizations, rather than directly to law enforcement or the family?

Another question - do we know if AG or any close family members dealt with Bitcoin?

I don't believe this was random, but planned in advance. MOO

 

[Tiger Stripes]

Im mentioning it from a very technical standpoint because if the attacker knew the pacemakers had a range of contact with her phone, they may have wanted the phone near her while they were moving about the home, possibly placing it in her car as a last thing to do before loading her up. Another technical detail I'll mention since I am going down the rabbit hole is pacemakers ping every second basically. The readon is so at the Dr's office they can connect up to install updates. Pacemakers are actually easy to hack and we studied them in my PhD program in regards to cyber security. I won't go in more detail but as part of a cyber security investigation id want to know every detail. And also if she steps within 7 meters of any hospital or dr office it would pick up her device mac address. So, if it were LE, id get her device mac address and let hospitals and dr offices know to see if they have equipment to pick up her device if it came in range. Far fetched. Yes. But believe it or not, its an actual topic that ive studied in a cyber war class.

Wow...really interesting, @birdbox; thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us here on WS!

 

[MassGuy]

Apparently it was a neighbor that instructed LE to go back and check the roof!!! I mean . . . it was never checked???

I don't believe that.

They amended the search warrant, towed a car, appeared to have removed a camera, and were clearly doing a bunch of other things.

It's going to have nothing to do with some neighbor making a suggestion, or verifying that newest tip (although I'm sure they did that too).

 

[diggndeeperstill]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2020174121708159305

 

[thefragile7393]

people chose to live there for that reason. Probably why most of the neighbors have some type of cameras and alarm systems

I personally hate the night sky ordinance in the city part because it makes driving difficult-and I'm only close to middle age. We have such a large population of people here who will run across the street, sometimes at the last minute and if they are wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them.

 

[ivyvanmad]

Sorry I’m trying to get clarity about the cameras around her home - did Nancy have a nest camera inside her home, and that was the camera that detected a person but was not set up with an actual account? Does that mean it’s essential just a live feed with no recorded history?

 

[SlimPickens]

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 ? View attachment 642400

Bad 90s fashion is certainly an epidemic.

Or, perhaps the FBI's kidnapping protocol is to have a victim wear Rorschach apparel.

JMO.

 

[MarciB]

I personally hate the night sky ordinance in the city part because it makes driving difficult-and I'm only close to middle age. We have such a large population of people here who will run across the street, sometimes at the last minute and if they are wearing dark clothes its very difficult to see them.

yeah, these days I like to have more lights and like that more of my neighbors have alarms or cameras now.

 

[iamshadow21]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2020174121708159305

I don't think it has to be known for a fact, though, just suspected that it's a possibility.

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

and you can bet the next time someone on the local FB group complains about lights that i'll be posting links to this case! a headline popped up on my apple watch the other day... how the night sky ordinance played into NG's abduction

Our HOA tried to enforce this in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, I think that is because some people stay up all night with lights on their lanai or pool area that shine into a home's bedroom that is directly behind them. The rule is for the few who are inconsiderate not the majority. We actually have trail lights in the back and dusk-to-dawn lights on our garage. No houses behind us, fortunately.

That being said, there is so much distance in NG's neighborhood that I can't see how anyone's floodlights would disturb another home?

Why not just have motion detection lights that come on and record when there is motion around the home?

JMO.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

We've now seen SG and her brother make recorded pleas for their mother's safe return. Does anyone wonder why AG hasn't issued her own direct plea for NG's safe return? She read a short "poem" of sorts during the first recorded plea during which she looked nervous and uncomfortable. I would think that all three of NG's children would be eager for their mother's safe return, so it's puzzling to me that AG hasn't spoken out on her own. JMO

 

[dotr]

Feb 7, 2026

Savannah Guthrie Silence of the Lambs quote in Nancy Guthrie kidnap video plea sparks buzz; 'did the Feds...'

Savannah Guthrie. TODAY show host, issued a video after her mother Nancy was kidnapped from her Arizona home over the weekend.

www.hindustantimes.com

''Many have picked up on the Silence of the Lambs reference and commented on it online.
“Savannah Guthrie quotes a line from Silence of the Lambs during her plea for her mother’s release,” one person commented. Another added, “In an astonishing coincidence, after hearing Savannah Guthrie's televised plea to the abductor(s) for her mom Nancy’s safe return, a partial quote of which was directly from the movie Silence Of The Lambs, I discovered through Grok that the recent abduction occurred EXACTLY 35 years to the day as the movie’s limited premiere release in Century City on Feb 1, 1991.”
..........................
''There is no indication that Savannah was deliberately quoting Silence of the Lambs. In all likelihood, it was a coincidental matching of phrases. An account sharing the video also remarked ‘Merely coincidental.’''

Feb 6, 2026
Megyn Kelly is joined by Ashleigh Banfield, host of Drop Dead Serious, to discuss new details about Savannah Guthrie’s emotional video appeal about her missing mother, its similarities to the movie "Silence of the Lambs," why the messaging from the family appears carefully coordinated with law enforcement, what it suggests about the case, and more.

 

[emigrate]

To me, not a lot. Nothing. I’d have been hearing of white van in news and hidden it if it were mine and I was responsible. I don’t think it’s involved.

Only if the circle k video footage showed it with the real plates on it. Things just normally don't fall into place that easy so I doubt that happened.