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

[nhmemorymaker]

"This" is very valuable to us

Why not SHE is very valuable to us?

The addition of "with" when saying celebrate with is interesting

And why didn't they pay before?

My interpretation is the THIS is very valuable to us.... is the getting Nancy's remains back at an expense, but at least getting them back.

 

[Campizi67]

This is heartbreaking. I really hope they find Nancy safe soon.

Catalina Foothills is such a pretty, upscale neighborhood — big custom homes, mountain views, saguaros everywhere — but it's super private and gets pitch black at night because of the dark-sky rules (no bright streetlights, huge lots). Someone could slip in and out way too easily.

The LA Bitcoin guy they arrested was just a scammer with old fraud charges; authorities already said he's unrelated to the real ransom notes. The family posted another video yesterday saying 'we will pay' and begging for proof of life — second deadline is Monday.

I can't stop thinking it might be jealousy or resentment from someone who works around those homes (gardeners, cleaners, handymen, church acquaintances, whatever). Nancy was the proudest mom ever — she lit up talking about Savannah's career, the grandkids, and she was close with Annie + husband (they had dinner with her that night). If she mentioned any of that casually… or if someone was just sick of hearing her brag about her famous daughter and successful family all the time… that kind of resentment can really fester, especially when you see the lifestyle up close every day. Then greed kicks in with the celebrity connection.

The forced entry, blood on the porch, and how specific the demands are make it feel targeted.
Just my thoughts.

Praying they get her home safe.

 

[turaj]

I get this vibe too but why would a kidnapper who hasn't received payment reveal she's dead? That's their only leverage. If they were that desperate to get paid they would've provided proof of life. Could this be some sign of remorse by the author of the ransom?

no remorse. With the attention on this case not sure how they will deliver the body but for sure not releasing NG alive.

 

[Icebear]

Nancy could've been a victim of a romance/sweetheart scam.

Think about it. She's an elderly, single woman who may want some romantic companionship. From what I've heard, she recently lost her dog so she's probably extra lonely all alone in that big house. Sure, she has a church community but she's been attending virtually for awhile and could be spending more time online. Her Facebook account looks like the typical random mishmash of stuff and doesn't necessarily scream tech-savvy. She also appears to have lost some weight and she may have been feeling a bit more confident.

Social media is full of scammers. I could easily see a bad actor luring into their web of lies while gassing her up. They're messaging back-and-forth all day, every day. She tells him about how her life story, her hopes and dreams, her values, and how her days are going. He's a successful silver fox who actually isn't because they're all stolen photos. Maybe he isn't really just one bad actor, but a group of them who have figured out who she's related to and that she has money.

Anyway, she's telling him about her children and how Annie is a jeweler. Perhaps Nancy has told the scammer man about the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, which if I'm not mistaken, is the largest show in the world for rockhounds. People travel from all over for this event. Scammer man/men are interested and tell Nancy that this would be a great time to meet. What they're really thinking is, "Jackpot! Now's a great time to travel to Tucson, blend in with the crowd, and rob Nancy."

What makes me pause with my theory is that these scammers usually don't ever want to actually meet. Maybe they wanted to just be in the area and wait until she's out to rob her house. Who knows, maybe they're extra bold in this instance. Let's go back to their messaging back-and-forth. On fateful January 31st, Nancy says something like "Ok, I'm going to my daughter and son-in-law's house for dinner tonight and tell them about our relationship. I'm so excited for you to meet them!!!" I've heard that a lot of seniors (not all) are embarrassed to tell their kids that they're dating again, so this could very well be a big deal for her.

Annie and Tommaso have been drinking while cooking, and don't want to pick up mom under the influence, so they request an Uber ride for her instead. Nothing weird about that. Nancy arrives and tells them her amazing news once they've all sat down for dinner. Annie and Tommaso are all "WTF!? You're talking to a scammer! Cease all communication IMMEDIATELY." Nancy is upset and has been so brainwashed that she messages scammer man when she comes home saying, "I'm home now. My family doesn't believe in our love and I'm so upset. They want us to break up now." He replies with, "Nothing can come between us, my love. They'll come around. Don't give up!"

At this point, the scammer/scammers are beyond PO'd at Annie and Tommaso. They've already bought tickets, flown into Tucson, and now their plans are this close to being thwarted. They decide to take out the ultimate revenge by kidnapping Nancy in the middle of the night and sending ominous ransom notes.

I'll be the first to admit that I have an active imagination, but you can't tell me these scams aren't common. Check out this video, this article, and this article. My mom also used to be a flight attendant and told me about a passenger she had once on a trip coming back from London. The passenger was an elegant-looking, elderly woman who was visibly upset. When the crew members asked what was going on, she said that she was totally stood up at the airport the other day by a man she was supposed to meet and had sent a lot of money to. She really thought they were in love, and was so ashamed and embarrassed to tell her kids. At least she made it home alive.

I like your theory, except if it was known this was an elderly scam wouldn't the investigators or at least the Sheriff be forthcoming in telling us they are chasing that angle?

 

[Bodhi]

I'm a positive person, so I believe they are wanting to celebrate with her being returned to them alive. JMO

I wish I shared your optimism. About many things.

 

[thefragile7393]

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

How would the supposed kidnapper know about what the family is doing on their end if they do it privately? It's public to show whomever may be involved they are doing what is asked or whatever is in these ransom notes. We don't know the content or the instructions. FBI is involved and guiding them I'm sure.

 

[browneyes]

I'm thinking "we've received your message and we understand" possibly points to them receiving proof of life (or in this case, proof of a body). Without it, the video makes absolute no sense.

Savannah’s brother nodding slightly made my heart crack. That poor family.

 

[barth00]

This could be a crazy reach but IMO “celebrate with her” was not them saying that they want a celebration of life with her body. Could they be referring to an accomplishment NG has achieved lately that maybe the perp referred to in their message? Was she a part of a competitive league or elected to a local council or something of that sort recently that the family would want to celebrate? Or just cleared medically after a scare of some sort?

 

[thefragile7393]

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

Yeah there's so many trolls that I am surprised that they still have comments on

 

[osu]

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

63K views · 702 reactions | Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have released a new video in which they address whomever abducted their mother. “We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us that we may celebrat

Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have released a new video in which they address whomever abducted their mother. “We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to...

www.facebook.com

 

[JoeFromLB]

In this last video they all 3 look defeated...so sad

The words, "this is the only way we'll have peace" say it all at least to me.
She's gone and they want to give her a proper burial.

 

[Aphrodite Jones]

I wonder if the sheriff is trying to throw people off. My source confirmed what Ashleigh B. reported about the back door being open, and as you know, the AP and other news sources reported 3 days ago that "investigators found signs of forced entry according to a source close to the investigation." At this point -- I don't know WHAT to believe. This whole thing is getting stranger and stranger...

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I agree it appears she’s no longer with us but what gets me is why do they say “celebrate WITH her” to me that indicates someone who is still alive. Again, I think they’re responding in some way to something the captor wrote in a message. But the word ‘with’ to me is really not indicating she’s deceased as of this moment. We can try and spin it in any way, but usually you’re not celebrating WITH a dead person, you’re celebrating the dead person.

Together WITH God.

 

[Vegasgrl]

I'm not understanding the decision not to pay by the Thursday deadline when you believe there's a chance of your Mom being alive, but now they are will pay knowing she is not alive? I don't get that. I don't believe the last note told them she died. It doesn't make sense to tell them before the second deadline Monday.

 

[whitelilac]

I'm thinking that the silence from LE today is in respect to the family, because they have been informed of this heartbreaking development.

 

[rho]

do you think they got a reading from pace maker

 

[Interested Torontonian]

The choice of words in Savannah's latest video make it sound like they've been told Nancy is deceased.

 

[thefragile7393]

It's not factual; anyone can say anything, and this is how rumors spread

and rumors are abound here so....what are people supposed to do? We're all repeating what have heard.

 

[notandy]

Farfetched but this case is wild - but something about the “celebrate with her” gave me almost cult-y vibes? Like is the ransom note indicating something happened to her and she is now x y z and it should be celebrated, etc. “she ascended to a higher plane” something weird like that.

 

[Rinbea1]

If all of this is being posted on instagram, can’t LE monitor who is accessing that account? Look for unusual activity or new names?