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

[Bluewing3102]

I wonder if that was the nature of the two deadlines: the first for the return of her alive and the second would mean returning her body. They didn't explicitly say "return her body pls" but there's ambiguity there and I suspect that's deliberate for some reason or another.

This would make a lot of sense

 

[Mysti88c]

For a ransom-er, what would be the benefit of telling the family that the victim is dead? I can’t think of any. Just keep telling them to send the money for a living captive and get the maximum amount

 

[birdbox]

I know what you mean, have come to believe since the first video they made that while LE may have offered advice, the family are doing this on their own and maybe even against LE advice?

Still cant shake the feeling all of this is much more local then it appears.

Hold up, might be doing Insta because they have info shes in Mexico and would not get local televised news or any US news.

 

[katydid23]

We look for odd things / behavior
This says to me what's going on here?

There are a lot of odd things in this case, imo.

But Nancy taking an Uber for a 10 minute ride seems perfectly normal to me.

Maybe because we live in LA, but hubby and I use it quite a lot. It's convenient, easy and pretty affordable at certain times of the day.

It seems perfectly understandable that Nancy would not want to drive herself home at 9:30, when she would be tired....and my mom stopped driving at night in her early 80's. She did all of her driving during the day.

So if she knew they were able to drive her home after dinner, it's understandable that she offered to find her own way there. I would make the same offer if I was her. A 10 minute Uber ride here in LA at about 5:30 pm would cost about 8 to 12 dollars.

Very affordable and convenient for occasional use. When we go out to eat we often use Uber---no need to find or pay for parking, and we can have wine with dinner with no worries.

 

[thefragile7393]

Or the release of the Epstein files a few days prior. Maybe SG interviews with victims ticked someone off and this is a warning shot

no. IMO

 

[shadowsc]

This assumes it is the same message SG refers to. If it is, by the fact the news station said the note was "alarming", the most plausible explanation is that SG's "we understand" comment refers to something the perp said about what they will do if they are not paid by Monday. TMZ also said the previous letter had something "consequential".

I don't necessarily think this was the same message that SG referred to in tonight's video. I was replying to another poster who wrote:

"I’m now thinking that’s what the “very sensitive information” was that the lady from the news station said was in the note yesterday. I think they broke their no more communication rule to inform the family that they can’t in fact provide proof of life like they requested but they still want the money anyway for her return."

So I went back and rewatched the clip of what the lady from the news station said, and from her demeanor, I don't think the second message that the news station received, said that NG was deceased or I think anchor lady would have had a less perky demeanor. I think SG was either replying to the contents in the letter (that I don't think said NG was deceased), or, additional communication not reported on was since sent to the family. JMO.

 

[Cardgame]

i getcha... and I think I agree that that is also what Nancy would say............

But i also can understand how important is is for Savannah and her siblings to get her mother's body back for the reverance she deserves.
But these three children are broken righ now, and I dont think they (or SG) cares about the money.

But yes.... the scam might continue.....
I just cannot believe what a can of worms we are opening up to the future...........................

Yes it's terrifying.

 

[TheDinks]

I sincerely hope there is not two crimes happening here and that the ransom is a scam and Nancy's disappearance is not a separate homicide .

Well, I've watched a LOT of YT broadcasts on YT featuring ex-FBI, LE etc and almost all do not think the kidnap/ransom is real and think 'something else' happened to Ms Guthrie. Add the assertion of AB's source which I really, really (really) did not want to believe and...

Of course for the siblings, they'd want to put their belief in considering kidnap - pay ransom - get her back as it was the most hopeful scenario, until it wasn't... yet still they will pay.

I just think if ransom was real it would have been a lot 'neater' (negotiations) instead of this long, drawn out, going nowhere... although I will acknowledge with technology being what it is today I have NO idea what that would look like (without detection)

 

[Bodhi]

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?

It's possible. But from what's public about Nancy and Savannah's close relationship, I think Nancy would keep her daughter up to date on new friendships or virtual relationships. Probably she'd share such things with Annie too, but their relationship has not played out in public over many years so we don't know. And I'm generalizing from my own experience with my mother and aunts, I wouldn't expect she'd tell her son who lives in Vermont about her social contacts. In my experience, the topics that elderly mothers discuss with sons are more concrete safety/security things and the weather, and since I'm in New England, the Patriots.

 

[Cebavl]

I sincerely hope there is not two crimes happening here and that the ransom is a scam and Nancy's disappearance is not a separate homicide .

If it is, the murderer will be pretty upset

 

[thefragile7393]

I do think it might be important that she is the mother of a very well known media figure. This is another out there take but did someone want SG to not be in Italy for the Olympics for some specific reason?

IMO, no.

 

[turaj]

i am keeping an eye out for Brian Entin and hoping he has Maureen on. If LE knows she is dead they will say nothing until NG body is found.

 

[Moonchime]

I do think it might be important that she is the mother of a very well known media figure. This is another out there take but did someone want SG to not be in Italy for the Olympics for some specific reason?

This thought has surely crossed my mind.

 

[Pleeang]

Sending prayers to all the family and friends of Nancy's. I hope there will be a happy ending. I also wish all the families and friends of people missing, would get this much help with finding their loved ones. I have a friend that her grandaughter was killed over 5 years ago. There has been no body found, no death certificate issued. And the people that killed have been in jail for 5 years and they haven't even went to trial yet. How can a family ever get justice and closure? I am sure this isn't the only story like this. Why can't normal people get the FBI and the President to help and leave no stone unturned? Our loved ones much just as much as Nancy does to her family.

 

[Melisende10]

Well, I've watched a LOT of YT broadcasts on YT featuring ex-FBI, LE etc and almost all do not think the kidnap/ransom is real and think 'something else' happened to Ms Guthrie. Add the assertion of AB's source which I really, really (really) did not want to believe and...

Of course for the siblings, they'd want to put their belief in considering kidnap - pay ransom - get her back as it was the most hopeful scenario, until it wasn't... yet still they will pay.

I just think if ransom was real it would have been a lot 'neater' (negotiations) instead of this long, drawn out, going nowhere... although I will acknowledge with technology being what it is today I have NO idea what that would look like (without detection)

I share your thought process too. However, my only thing is I don't think the FBI would let it get this far if the FBI really believed the ransom note writer had nothing to do with it. I think they would tell the family strongly it was a hoax.

My concern is that with AI, it is very easy to fake a convincing video of someone. But again, I feel like if the FBI got proof of life and it was faked, they would tell the family.

 

[Magic8Ball]

Well, I had the age range right. I didn’t really think about their occupations, just thought generic gamer. Which actually brings me to another theory, what if a child of the family, gamed and was groomed online and gave family information out?

I have experience of this, my then 12 year old received an expensive gaming keyboard in the post. Turned out to be from a 48 year old man who the child had met whilst gaming online. Reported to police asap and online activity of 12 year old was severely limited to those known personally to our family. This was about 15 years ago and I didn’t realise at the time that gaming communities could be accessed by anyone.

I'm of the opinion that all gaming systems and related accessories should come with a big parental warning label on the front indicating the risks of online predation to anyone under 18 yoa.

Sometimes technology is a resource.
Sometimes technology is a weapon.

We're seeing a prime example of how technology can be used for nefarious purposes in NG's case.

JMO.

 

[katydid23]

Things that are unusual IMO:

1. Kidnapping for ransom, just generally
2. Kidnapping an 84-year-old, specifically
3. Sexually assaulting and then kidnapping an 84-year-old
4. Sending a delayed ransom note with two different deadlines

Things that are normal or at least normal in some families and are not a sign of some nefarious intent IMO:

1. Entering a home via the garage
2. An 84-year-old living independently
3. Taking an Uber to someone's house if you don't want to drive home for some reason
4. A son-in-law driving his mother-in-law home unsupervised
5. Not walking an elderly relative inside
6. Acting odd while filming a video under unimaginable stress

Not all of the above are necessarily what I would do with my own 88-year-old father, but none of them seems wildly inappropriate to me. The only thing that ever made me raise an eyebrow regarding AG and TC (besides their proximity to the victim and basic crime stats) was the report that it took them an hour to call 911 but even that has now been debunked.

The only thing that ever made me raise an eyebrow regarding AG and TC (besides their proximity to the victim and basic crime stats) was the report that it took them an hour to call 911 but even that has now been debunked.


Has it been 'debunked' though? I've seen the new timeline, and now it says they arrived 50 minutes later than originally reported.

But I have not heard any explanation for that discrepancy. Which time was the accurate one?

 

[thefragile7393]

Hold up, might be doing Insta because they have info shes in Mexico and would not get local televised news or any US news.

IMO, no. You can get news easily in Mexico from the US-and even Telemundo and Univision are having coverage of this.

 

[nerosleuth]

At this point, even if we're looking at two separate crimes and this evil creep turns out to be a hacker/hoaxer exploiting a tragic situation for personal gain but not the evil creep guilty of disappearing NG, he should receive just as severe a punishment as if he were.

NGs family has been put through sheer torture in the wake of NG's disappearance with these ransom demands.

The implication of SG's video appears to be that the person who contacted them has insinuated NG is dead.
If this ransom demand stuff proves to be a hoax, doing this to a victim's family is next-level sociopathy.

If it's not a hoax, it's every bit as evil.

This most recent contact may help the FBI to track/trace/apprehend this monster.
A sliver of a silver lining. But something, at least.

JMO.

I agree that if a person sends a hoax ransom demand, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I mentioned in an upthread from yesterday that a person who sends a hoax ransom demand should also be charged with extortion and obstruction of justice.

I now believe that person who sends a hoax ransom demand should also be charged with kidnapping or being an accessory to kidnapping.

And should a death occur from the kidnapping, then the person who sends a hoax ransom demand should also be charged with murder or being an accessory to murder.

I say the law should throw the book and play hardball against the durn fools that sends hoax ransom demands.

 

[watson1]

Same with the suggestions that NBC should pay the ransom. That would open up the same issues for NBC in relation to SG and also for other well-known show hosts at NBC. And if they did it for one, why not another. Could they give SG a loan/advance in her salary/pay? Possibly.

There are insurance policies that cover kidnapping. Presuming NBC would have the insurance for their key people. Whether a parent falls within the definitions of "who is covered" would be part of the determination of whether the insurance would be involved. It almost certainly would cover SG, her husband and children.