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

[Sundog]

"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.

The supposed deadline to pay the ransom is Monday. Maybe the family received a communication that the deadline has changed and that NG might not make it until then, or something of that sort. Some bad news about NG's health but not necessarily that she is no longer alive. And that if the kidnapper doesn't hear from them quickly, it may be too late, and that there will be profound consequences.

I know it sounds like it is already to late to save NG, but I am praying fervently that that is not the case.

 

[Izzylizzy]

12:32 pm today
Tragically I think there's a dot to connect.
imo

 

[MommaV]

Yes! That told it all. The other sentences leave a teeny bit of room for interpretation.

The peace statement came straight from the heart too. I hope if someone has their mother's body, the appeal will be effective. But does someone who'd kidnap an 84-year-old woman have the empathy? A body tells a story. The more investigators know, the worse for the murderer.

It may also mean that they’re paying regardless of the outcome. That they won’t delay payment any longer, so they can be at peace of knowing they did everything they could. MOO

 

[Skagirl]

I have to say that I am unfortunately feeling like the family is asking for her body to be returned because of the line „this is the only way we‘ll have peace“.

 

[aafromaa]

That new IG post is so interesting— are they being asked to post on IG? That is so odd! The way she is talking is not normal.

Is there a “normal” way to talk in a situation like this?

 

[vlbay]

Maybe the roof camera that was recovered showed she was not alive when she was abducted? It didn't sound like second note confirmed she was dead--unless there was specific info in that communication hat only the family could interpret this way. Very sad. I really can't imagine the family's pain.

 

[SaraSmile]

One other interesting thing is that the Sheriff stated that there wouldn't be any more press conferences until next Thursday.

Wow, the next deadline is Monday. Surely there will be more info before Thursday!

 

[academyrd]

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

Likely was a demand from whoever is sending the ransom notes.

“All communication must be from Savannah’s IG account”

 

[outloudthink]

But doesn't the timeline have all of this happening between about 1:30 and 2:30 am?

• 1:47 a.m. – Doorbell camera disconnects.
• 2:12 a.m. – A camera system detects a person, but no usable video is available.
• 2:28 a.m. – Her pacemaker monitoring app disconnects from her phone.

Perhaps the perp returned to the home?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Not making sense to me that they would pay for return of a body
why would kidnapper reveal that?
why would they risk bringing evidence of thier crime (if it involves a dead body)

savannah can deliver anything with a straight face. no telling if shes being truthful or following FBI.

The FBI can and does use deception, ploys, and undercover operations to investigate kidnappings, including cases where they suspect someone close to the victim is involved. The FBI is quite familiar with these types of scenarios

 

[SeattleStew]

When it happens, it’s almost always criminal elements kidnapping other criminals.

I have never seen a true kidnapping for ransom in my life, and I still don’t believe I have.

I think this is an evil hoax.

George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This happened in my neighborhood about 90 years ago. Predates my life, but not my 1899 Victorian home!

 

[SaraSmile]

Maybe the roof camera that was recovered showed she was not alive when she was abducted? It didn't sound like second note confirmed she was dead--unless there was specific info in that communication hat only the family could interpret this way. Very sad. I really can't imagine the family's pain.

Good idea.

 

[keek]

This was the stumbling block for me, as well.

Celebrate WITH her implied Nancy would be together, alive, WITH her family to celebrate her safe release.

Minus the WITH, it would be to celebrate HER, as in to celebrate a life well-lived by a much-loved mother.

Yet—-the tone of the family strikes me as defeatist. I feel there is no hope left in their eyes.
If she is deceased, they would pay, it appears, to have her body released to them. A proper burial and knowing where their mother’s remains will be laid to rest.

I’m completely confounded as to what in fact is happening behind the scenes.

I hope, no matter how this ordeal ends, the family will eventually be able to move forward. I would like to see Savannah come back to work, but perhaps she’ll feel like she doesn’t want to be a public face anymore.

There is just nothing good here.

IMO

The 'with her' was odd to our ears, but the whole vid, minus their faces and demeanor together , 'as one' on the couch, did seem pointed words were very carefully used. You know the FBI has coached each word as they do in these situations. It is keeping communication open, aligning themselves with the abductor with 'understanding'. Bowing while in such pain, to them. This is for a reason as well of course to please have their mother sent back that they 'will pay for'. Brutal. Don't know if this will 'fool' the monster to do as asked, paid of course. They let a woman die, a human being who belonged to a loving family. IMO

 

[watson1]

I suspect the military planes have been over the desert the past week, and likely mostly over public lands or reservations, with ground penetrating radar and electronic signal sweepers that could determine whether she was being held underground somewhere. If this perp is as sophisticated as he evidently is, I imagine he already planned where to put her and how to give her back without getting caught. Coordinates to an HVAC'd bunker on public land, while movie-plot like, would be a decent escape plan. Dropping her off at a random place would be too risky at this point.

JMO.

Tucson area has a lot of old mines. It would have been easy to take her there, and deep. MOO.

 

[txsleuth70]

Another possibility could have been pay X by Thursday or pay X+10 by Monday.

 

[thefragile7393]

That new IG post is so interesting— are they being asked to post on IG? That is so odd! The way she is talking is not normal.

none of this is normal, to be fair IMO

 

[EightiesBoo]

Is there a “normal” way to talk in a situation like this?

I mean it sounds very scripted and replying to something specific, not organic. But you are correct— there is no normal.

 

[priyaya]

• 1:47 a.m. – Doorbell camera disconnects.
• 2:12 a.m. – A camera system detects a person, but no usable video is available.
• 2:28 a.m. – Her pacemaker monitoring app disconnects from her phone.

Perhaps the perp returned to the home?

Someone mentioned maybe the disabling of first camera was a test to see if.police would respond or if she had active subscription

 

[Warwick7]

I watched the last two videos again.

Now, the first one to me feels like defeat, pain, shock, even depression...

But the one today is different. It's almost like there is a quiet anger.

It really was a point blank response.

 

[turaj]

No. Because the word "celebrate" would not have been used. That is a positive word.

"celebrate" is often used to describe the modern. day funeral. Celebration of life.