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]

Harvey said that “maybe they’re (LE) looking for a really intelligent person, who’s text savvy and who also has gone missing in the last week”. He also went on to say the letter is “constructed well, it’s layered, it’s grammatically all correct”. It appears the letter comes from a sophisticated, intelligent person.

So not someone young. At least someone in their 30's, college educated, high IQ. Tech and finance skills. Also able to plan a kidnapping, and house the victim in way she cannot identify the kidnappers.

 

[DizzyB]

What if NG was planning to spend down her estate in some way? Not necessarily changing her will, but thinking about selling the house and moving into a retirement community or something similar? Maybe she had gotten that advice from her doctor or was being hounded by a kid? Maybe even friends who had recently made the move?

My grandparents were in beautiful, upscale continuing care communities. However, the buy-in was several hundreds of thousands of dollars and the monthly fee varied from $4-$10k+. Something like that would be appropriate for someone like Nancy (not saying that she wanted to go!), but would mean that her estate would be significantly smaller when she passed, if there was anything left at all.

Just spitballing because, to me, money as a motive doesn't make sense if someone in the family is the perp. They'd get the estate within the next decade. However, if there wasn't an estate anymore and someone had been counting on that......

Either that or someone needed money much faster than the time it takes to go through settling an estate.

If someone in the family is involved, I think it would be for something like debt or drugs (or both) - they can't exactly start living a super flashy life with their millions in bitcoin while evading suspicion. A hidden expense would explain the desperation behind the crime.

MOO

Sometimes families will compensate a member who takes care of an elderly relative in some way-they end up inheriting the house, or actually receive money to help with a parent. It can work well, especially if there is a disparity in income between family members. It would not make sense for an individual to eliminate the source of income, unless circumstances were changing. Although murder makes zero sense period.

 

[Starkville]

There is evidence suggesting that Nancy Guthrie's front door may have been locked, as a blood trail was found outside her home, indicating that someone may have entered through the front door.
So if Nancy used the garage due to Mobility issues, how did the possible perps get in the front door, Did they take her out the lock it again afterwards?

IIRC, when the family arrived, the back door was “open” (I don’t know if that means “unlocked” or “ajar”). The front door was locked. Allegedly. No mention of the garage door, but I’m assuming it was closed.

 

[MesquiteO21]

There’s something nagging me about them releasing a detailed timeline within the first few days. While the logical part of me understands that they are probably doing it in part to jog people’s memories/to check their own cameras at certain times, there’s something else I can’t put my finger that feels weird and unusual about it.

Anyone else feel the same, or am I just off my rocker? (Ok yes probably am regardless )

moo

 

[aTexasDarling]

Who called the family saying NG wasn’t at church? I’ve read she didn’t attend services since covid and watched the livestream from her home. I haven’t seen anything about this.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

I have been gone the whole day and cannot catch up on the 50 pages. Does anyone mind summarizing what has happened today?

Nothing

 

[shonyakay]

DBM

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

Another possibility is that she was giving them money/supplementing their income and told them that had to stop.

Or, she lent them money for the downpayment on their $650k home (in order for them to be able to qualify for a lower amount of money borrowed through the bank). Perhaps, they promised to pay it back with the sale of their former home and didn't do so...or they paid some of it back but not all of it. What if NG was pressuring them for the rest of the borrowed money?

So many times I have seen the borrower actually resent the person who lent them the money in the first place. It never made sense to me. People rationalize all sorts of things. Maybe, they figured that they were there locally and were the ones helping her with the children that she always bragged about nowhere in sight when needed.

JMO.

 

[CandyKiss]

Another sheer speculation is that NG may have always bragged about her "famous" daughter, SG. I'm sure that she was very excited about SG being part of Winter Olympics' coverage and probably told everyone at church and in the community to make sure and watch! It's natural for any mother to be proud. Perhaps, AG, who felt that she has always physically been there for her mother, never got any credit. Plus, it is very hard being the middle child sandwiched between two successful children. Just trying to speculate on possible family dynamics.

JMO.

AG was the oldest, CG middle child and SG youngest.

 

[cady]

Kind of off topic but I happened to do some work for the mother of a very famous music mogul almost 20 years ago. She had moved back to her hometown for about a year or so. I got the feeling she was either famous or connected to someone famous. But she didn't divulge that information until I point blank asked. All that to say sometimes family members of famous people don't talk about it unless they trust the person they tell.
I just can't figure this all out

I hear you, but probably close to everyone in Tucson knows who SG is, and she grew up there, so they know who Mom is.

 

[Lyanna]

I don't find the call strange at all. I'm assuming someone called NG to check on her and when she didn't pick up the phone, they were rightly concerned.

Now, it might turn out not to be legit, but unless we hear otherwise, I don't find the call from church friends strange in the slightest. I'm guessing she was a member of the congregation for decades, not just some casual aquaintence people nod to on Sunday.

jmopinion

Don’t find it strange either, could be an arranged regular phone call, arranged at the same time every week - my mam does this, also in her 80’s, rings her friend of 57 yrs, same time, same night every week unless they’ve arranged a different day/time cos they’ve made plans for the usual night. Perhaps Nancy and some of her church friends do something similar after the service each week

jmo

 

[Stunned]

I've lurked around and researched old threads on here for awhile but I've never been able to jump on WHILE a case was unfolding.

This is a wild situation. Personally, I'm starting to think the ransom/kidnapping & disappearance are two different crimes being committed, with the ransom for a kidnap return just being someone attempting to take a really unsavory advantage of a sad situation.

Something I saw mentioned a ways back, who knows how far, but sexual assaults on elderly women do happen more than we'd like to think they would. Elderly women don't strike people as "sexually appealing" but we know rape isn't about sex, it's a violent crime of power. For someone who maybe has not previously acted on their desire, an 84 year old woman with a pacemaker and mobility issues is a bit of a "wounded gazelle" in terms of potential victims. Not saying that this is the case here, obviously JMOO but a beginner predator who perhaps had previously encountered NG (whether tangentially known as someone who worked on the home or for NG) may have entered with one crime in mind, a sexual assault, and the next thing you know, between being off balance and blood thinners, bad heart, etc. suddenly someone is deceased...it would not shock me at this point. But the timing of that first ransom demand, the repeat with no new demands, and then ultimately sending it to TMZ? I think that may truly be a different sicko taking advantage of a sad situation.

Excellent first post! Welcome!

 

[Napoli]

News says she went to Annie's house via uber and uber driver has been interviewed. My question is Trump's remarks last night. He said in part" im not talking about search. I'm talking about a solution." I don't think, just by the look on his face, he's thinking she's alive. I do wonder if there is going to be an exotic twist here because something is waaaayyyy off.

 

[EightiesBoo]

I really think Occam‘s razor will be the scenario. Someone pounds on her door just after 2am, no camera is recording. She opens because she’s a sweet older women wanting to help. They think they can get money from her, they take her but it just ends up being too much for them to handle. She’s either still with them and struggling and they are freaking out because they know they’re screwed or she’s passed…and they are still freaking out. Probably a single person that the lifestyle change isn’t noticed.
JMO

 

[Laura Avery]

That's a good point - if they took her out the front would they really have taken the time to lock the door? Was Nancy just standing there while they did that? I mean, I can't really picture that would be a priority.

Strange right? So they must have had keys, but they why break in the back..To make it look like a robbery? I wonder if they checked to see if it was broken from the inside or out. I guess they have a lot of info they are not ready to release,

 

[bestill]

Follow the exercise and see what result you get.

I used GROK, I can't find your original post -

https://x.com/i/grok/share/663c16e4a9244a0b83e1b03a662a8619

 

[Charlot123]

Your guess is as good as mine. Why not all 3 stations? or why not KVOA, the local NBC affiliate that she worked for when she lived here? We all know something is weird and something isn't right of course, but it's just....totally bizarre to me

If something is bizarre, maybe the goal is unusual. Bizarre means, "not thinking logically", like most people would. Or "the goal being different, even illogical". Or "the person has not achieved the goal yet, and NG's abduction was just the means".

So we discussed the following goals:

- ransom. Yes, a very successful daughter (and the other kids are no losers).

- money (robbery gone wrong) - what i thought happened

- inheritance (not immediate and IMO, unreasonable

- maybe something sexual, ugly as it may seem?

- or weird political goal?

This is what we thought of.

But "lack of logic" can mean, there is something we are not factoring in as a goal

(We have another case, the Tepe's one, in Columbusis, equally bizarre. Who'd think of such a weirdo for an ex?)

So here in NG case:

- What if it is someone from distant past trying to gain someone's attention?

Let us see what the abductor has achieved:

- SG did not cover the Olympics. Could be a worthy goal for someone

- more important IMO: all three kids of NG are in AZ. Did one of them have an obsessed ex 40 years ago?

- the country's attention is distracted from what is going in other parts

- maybe even the Olympic games are not followed that much?

- What is constantly repeating itself: attention to cryptocurrency. Advertising or anti-advertising, I can't understand now, but: we are unsure of NG's fate, of who was involved, but we hear about cryptocurrency daily.

Who profits?

 

[Laura Avery]

I really think Occam‘s razor will be the scenario. Someone pounds on her door just after 2am, no camera is recording. She opens because she’s a sweet older women wanting to help. They think they can get money from her, they take her but it just ends up being too much for them to handle. She’s either still with them and struggling and they are freaking out because they know they’re screwed or she’s passed…and they are still freaking out. Probably a single person that the lifestyle change isn’t noticed.
JMO

Oh you know I never thought of her opening the front door, once inside, but then it's seemingly locked again.

 

[October]

Curious, has this been reported that the house is in a revocable trust (source)? TY

The house is in a revocable trust, as indicated on the Pima County Assessor’s site.

 

[Moonchime]

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 TIM

Latest from Vinnie Politan of Court TV. posted approx 3 hours ago. Per Vinnie, a new roof camera discovered at Nancy's home: WTH? Link here: Vinnie Politan Court TV

Hopefully, there's something helpful on the camera. Fingers Crossed.