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

[auburnmomof2]

SG is a well respected, high profile, experienced reporter...I can't see her posting these videos if there isn't some merit to the hostage angle. Not only is there multi level law enforcement agencies working on this, she has her own personal security team. She's not just the average citizen dealing with a missing parent.
Just my opinion but after the last video, I'm feeling strongly that this is either a kidnapping for ransom or a complete smoke screen!
Where is Nancy!? And what in the world did that last note say!?

 

[birdbox]

Here is what is mind-boggling. How the heck does a perpetrator have 100% confidence that there aren't internal cameras? Its a fairly large home for an 84 year old lady. A lot of folks i know monitor their older parents, grandparents with an inside camera (sure creepy) in their living room, etc. It would be again, out of character of some mastermind "outsider" to boldly adopt a position that there is no ring subscription, no internal camera, no silent motion sensors that call cops. That is a hell of a lot of assumptions baked in that cake.

 

[BigCityAccountant1]

I had that thought too. That they now know she is dead and they want to simply bring her home. But the "celebrate with her" seemed to suggest she is still alive. So I concluded the family have received a threat to NG's life and are now resigned to paying whatever amount is being demanded. But then the "this is very valuable to us" is a very odd thing to say about a live person being returned

I'm wondering if mom is having some health issues now due to not having her meds. Maybe the message was you better pay up quickly, mom's not doing so well. Maybe perp said something to the effect that since they haven't paid yet, mom must not be valuable to them or something along those lines. IDk--this is the strangest case I've ever followed.

Edit to add---I think there might have been direct contact to the family. Phone call or something along those lines. IDK---seems really strange. They are definately talking to the perp directly about something he said or insinuated to them.

My heart breaks for them.

 

[dotr]

Feb 05, 2026

Retired FBI agent & profiler provides insight in Guthrie disapperance

The search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, is in its fifth day.

www.10news.com

"This is a very arrogant crime,” Mary Ellen O'Toole, a retired FBI Agent & Profiler, said.'

''She told ABC 10News that when building a profile of a possible suspect, investigators will look at the victim’s surroundings and day-to-day schedule.

"You start to look at the victimology. Who is the victim, and where did the crime occur? The more we know about the victim, the more we know about the offender. That's kind of our mantra,” O’Toole said.''

 

[mikeshanty]

this may be a small thing but I am really surprised that LE has allowed comments to remain on. I really figured they would disable them. I wonder if there truly is someone sending the notes who is the real perp, if they would want that person to read the comments. JMO

It is strategic. The perp would see all of the sympathetic comments and support and LE would hope this influences the perp to do the right thing. FYI federal LE have an agreement with Instagram to monitor social media (in this case, SG's social media).

 

[Bluewing3102]

I read that "this is valuable to us" is something the kidnapper said, it may not have been proof of life, but they are responding to what was said.

Agreed maybe the kidnapper doesn't feel like the family is taking their demands seriously. So the family is reinforcing that it IS VALUABLE to them.

 

[FoldInTheCheese]

If the kidnappers gave that information away, they are utter idiots. The smart thing to do would have been to keep quiet on the death and just insist on payment for Nancy's return, then just disappear with the ransom and leave the Guthries with nothing.

They likely couldn’t provide proof of life and knew they’d get nothing. IMO it’s telling that they’re desperate enough to barter for a payment for her body

 

[EJB123456]

But "celebrate with us"? Idk, i'm not American so i'm not familiar with using celebration in combination with a deceased family member. Is this something common in US?

Yes, funerals are often called celebrations of life

 

[soap mama]

No matter how this shakes out, i wonder if we will ever know why NG? This is the genesis of this story and it's so confusing and inprobable.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

"We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. She is very valuable to us, and we will pay."

What I heard Savannah say on this most recent message.

Savannah, and perhaps her siblings too, are religious.
I am certain they have had to think over and over again about whether she was alive or dead.
With their faith, I am sure they know for sure that their mother will be in a good place when she passes, and perhaps their thoughts have been similar to mine-- the hereafter is certainly better than a horrific near death.

 

[Sundog]

I guess I was trying to figure out why they would pick up rocks and look at them. Also on the main roof it appeared that they were looking for something on the smaller side. You could be absolutely correct. Any idea why LE would examine small rocks?

Could they be looking for a rock or rocks that show a relationship to the broken light? chips of paint on it, or something?

 

[Vegasgrl]

Is there a reason this is all playing out over Instagram? And not privately?

Only way to contact perp/message sender

 

[soap mama]

this may be a small thing but I am really surprised that LE has allowed comments to remain on. I really figured they would disable them. I wonder if there truly is someone sending the notes who is the real perp, if they would want that person to read the comments. JMO

These clowns probably don't know HOW to doable commenting

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

Maybe Sheriff Nanos wasn't incompetent after all. Maybe witnesses were changing their stories.

Totally agree. He has that folksy way about him that might initially come across as not highly competent, but I think that behind his "aw shucks" demeanor is a very competent Sheriff.

And, he got different stories at the beginning than are being revealed now (e.g. family wasn't noticed because NG wasn't in church etc).

And the fact that he's not saying anything now is a very positive sign, I think. He's not fishing for tips, witnesses, etc. JMO

 

[CSIDreamer]

I just worry about this. Opens up more scrutiny for the 3 of them...claiming they aren't emotional enough or too emotional or too this or too that...it's exhausting.

I'm shocked anyone thinks they can stand in judgment of any of those 3. Annie looked on the verge of hysterics. In Cameron's video he was seemingly so shaken he couldn't even get a full sentence out without checking his notes. JMO

 

[saztina]

This wording is so odd to me. I wonder do they now have confirmation as to WHY Nancy has been taken and is it to do with Savannah’s job?

 

[missy1974]

Is there a reason this is all playing out over Instagram? And not privately?

the family has no way of contacting them other then this way. It separates them from LE/FBI too, so hopefully this doesn't become a trend. The FBI made it clear, any decision the family makes is solely their decision.

 

[SlimPickens]

That latest video just convinced me that it is almost certainly a verified kidnapping and ransom demand, There is little to no chance that these poor, grieving folks are going to spend so much time and effort devoted to this type of scenario if they weren't convinced by those 'in the know' that that is what is going on here. SG has so many more resources at her disposal in terms of publicizing and finding her Mom that there is no way, at least that I can see, that she'd devote all of her time and efforts to something that she wasn't virtually certain of.

JMO.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Yes, funerals are often called celebrations of life

I would suggest that Celebrations of Life are highly differentiated from funerals....
And I believe they are becoming more and more a replacement for funerals.

 

[mikeshanty]

i got the impression is "celebrate her life" ie memorial service. I thought it was just me but I think many here got that same message.

Where would a body even be deposited in this kind of scenario? It would have to be somewhere extremely remote and undetectable by cameras and to allow enough time for a getaway. It is truly unthinkable that someone's body could be dumped somewhere remote for LE to collect. My heart breaks for this family.