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]

I get what you are saying, but by the very notion that a transaction needs to occur, and the other notion that it is not an automatic transaction, there is power on both sides. I'm not saying that there isn't a strong and often emotional motivation to appease a kidnapper's requests, but if it was complete power on their side, it would have been paid the minute the ransom note was received. Each party wants something, and negotiation is the process whereby each party tries to get their needs met. This is very obvious in the last video of the family.

The perception that they have full power is exactly what they WANT their targets to feel. But in reality, they don't have all the power.

Yes of course. The family of the kidnapped victim has power.
They have the ultimate power, the money.

Kidnapping is essentially a business crime. The kidnapper steals a person, and wants the family to buy that person back. The point of the kidnapping is to make money. So we have a buyer and a seller.

Yes the kidnapper may have issues around control, power, narcissism, sadism etc. And appear to have all the control especially initially. But the family and law enforcement have leverage.

The kidnapper wants the money and wants to avoid arrest. The longer the negotiations go on it is less likely the kidnapper will receive his money and the more likely he will be apprehended.
So he is under pressure too.

ETA: The power dynamics may shift back and forth.

 

[Nikynoo]

I dont think so. The Sheriff said there were things in the note that only the kidnapper would know. A scammed from far away would not know these things.

Unless, they had an unwitting source that released such information.

 

[mikeshanty]

Here’s a little longer interview with him. His name is Tom Pew, he says he’s a neighbor there and his kids went to the same schools as the Guthrie kids.

ETA: Ugh, Elizabeth Vargas is so interruptive during this interview. JMO

The comment he makes at the end about his children not being the same class as NG's children was ... a little odd I must admit.

 

[academyrd]

If you could have met my mom. 90 years old (5 months shy of 91) when she died a year and a half ago. Lived on her own (second floor) apartment, still drove, and pretty much to the end would go out to late dinners with us or even friends her age. Saturday nights were for the local pub and dinner, drinks and dancing.
NG had her Saturday night out with her family, and stayed overlong presumptively because after dinner involved game playing. And, since they lived close by, this could have been a regular thing. I see no reason for a bedtime stamp on older individuals. They all vary and mange what they’re able. Again, my mom normally stayed up later than I do most nights.

People using their own 80-90 year old parents as exact proxys for NG is the new dog barking theory, please make it stop!

 

[Nikynoo]

There were more searches in AG’s home last night. Seemed almost like searching for crime scene evidence…photos going off in the dark. Much discussed here about it earlier. I am just waking up and trying to determine if anything has come from all that…yet. JMO.

My first thought was a luminol search. Do they still carry out such searches?

 

[mikeshanty]

You are a little bit behind on the news Major searches in their house last night

Oh whoops! I am not in the US and just woke up an hour ago.

 

[Curiousobserver]

But wait - IF and I mean a big IF... AG and hubby are involved or even one of them, there's no way they could hide or explain that ransom money even if they got it! What in the world would or could they do with it? They definitely couldn't spend it!

To invest overseas or find a broker to 'bury the money' would be tough.

So if they are involved it would be an after thought to spin a kidnapping/ransom plot to divert suspicion.

I'm not sure it's them, but maybe someone close to them? Argh I go all over the place here!

If they were involved, the best course of action would have been to do nothing and let police think this was a random crime.

When there is a kidnapping, a whole lot of FBI agents get involved, and to your point, you could never go anywhere near a cent of that money.

At this point, as someone else said, every theory, that the family did it, that a kidnapper did this, that it is a random crime, that the ransom notes are hoax’s, all of these have major problems and it is appropriate to be confused and to wait for more data. Hopefully LE has that data.

 

[SeattleStew]

My apologies if this video has already been posted. I’m approx 30 pages behind and trying to catch up.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2020340510033080325

Very interesting video. Worth watching. The interior garage lights are off. You can see a flashlight shining from time to time inside, then the "FLASH" that appears to be a photo flash of light. Then dark, and more flashlight, then another "FLASH".

I am nearly 100 percent CERTAIN that they are photographing areas of Luminol that have alerted LE to the presence of blood. Taking photos for evidence.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

My first thought was a luminol search. Do they still carry out such searches?

But why the sheriff's office and not the FBI?

 

[Curiousraccoon]

Oh whoops! I am not in the US and just woke up an hour ago.

I think the US is still sleeping. Time for everyone else to catch up on 70 pages!

 

[connie9030]

They make amazing black out shades, some even can be installed and controlled by a switch by your bed. I would rather pay for these shades and have the neighbors have lights on. So many evil people in this world now that I would never tell neighbors who have night/dark fears they can't have their lights on.

Evil is an understatement. If robbers case my neighborhood at 2AM they will think there are people awake in my house. I leave upstairs lights on, living room lights on, kitchen lights, outside lights. Yes, my power bill is more but my peace of mind is worth it. Criminals like darkness to work in. I refuse to give it to them.

 

[osu]

Guilty as charged! In this thread I’ve shared about my 90-year-old dad taking blood thinners, his awful bloody noses and keeping his Jitterbug flip phone in his glove box in case of an emergency. We’re just trying to relate from our own life experiences.

JMO

 

[Nikynoo]

But why the sheriff's office and not the FBI?

Didn’t someone say upthread that if it’s murder it’s state responsibility and if it’s kidnap it’s FBI? I have no idea, things are different in the UK.

 

[mikeshanty]

I think the US is still sleeping. Time for everyone else to catch up on 70 pages!

So I skimmed and caught up briefly. I'm still not convinced AG is involved, but if the SIL is a suspect / has been arrested and it has not been disclosed, perhaps something happened at their house. But then the sophisticated nature of the ransom communications is just weird.

 

[academyrd]

At this point is anyone not convinced it’s the BIL? The only lingering question to me is how much Annie actually knew or was involved.

 

[Napoli]

If this is a genuine kidnapping and ransom, might it suggest NG was being monitored for some time before the incident. I also read SG was due to fly to Italy on the Monday in advance of the broadcasting for the Winter Olympics. I'm not sure SG's travel schedule would have been known to the public. If they chose to strike when they knew SG would be preparing to leave the country, might that also suggest SG was under surveillance - or simply that the perpetrator was also known to SG?

I agree that this is tied to SG in some oddball form. Could be a jealous co-worker, a stalker she didn't even know she had, someone who managed to endear himself to the mom like a contractor or .electrician etc. If NOT, this is someone who knows the money is there..someone local who knew who Nancy's daughter was and is funding some crazy militia or extremist group and knew they had to abduct NG before SG left the country for the Olympics. Maybe some subversive group tied to the OLYMPICS. perhaps? JMO..MOO

 

[judithannegg]

Unless, they had an unwitting source that released such information.

She also was on Facebook. Perhaps someone from afar saw some clues in her house on pics on Facebook and used those pics as "proof they had been in her home."

 

[Curiousraccoon]

So I skimmed and caught up briefly. I'm still not convinced AG is involved, but if the SIL is a suspect / has been arrested and it has not been disclosed, perhaps something happened at their house. But then the sophisticated nature of the ransom communications is just weird.

A lot of things are weird in the case!

 

[mikeshanty]

At this point is anyone not convinced it’s the BIL? The only lingering question to me is how much Annie actually knew or was involved.

I'm still not convinced yet because of the weird ransom and Instagram posts. If they know SIL is involved, putting the family through staged ransom communications online seems unethical.

Also, do we know if the family are staying at AG's house? The Instagram videos were filmed there, right? And now there are major searches taking place there? All so weird.

 

[Napoli]

At this point is anyone not convinced it’s the BIL? The only lingering question to me is how much Annie actually knew or was involved.

NOT the BIL. jmo