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

[Sadi]

Good question. But it was the sheriff's department, not the FBI.

Can anyone explain why the sheriffs department would be there, but not the FBI?

 

[SRWCF]

snipped

He's trained military. I think he has experience keeping emotions in check. He was a fighter pilot over NYC after 9/11, for example. I'd like to hear his story after this resolves, but I'm thinking we never will.

jmo

To me the brother seems stoic, not emotionless. I'm sure when their dad died all those years ago he had to step up and be strong for the family, especially his sisters. Besides, he's a man and men don't just fall apart during a crisis. I would be willing to bet that he's all sorts of torn up inside about this, trying to figure out a way to fix it.

 

[cathathorse]

Wow. I can't imagine how stressful this must be for the family. On top of all the LE / FBI discussions they must be having, also having to work out how to release those kinds of funds from possibly illiquid assets, work with specialists to work out how to wire it.

She is an ultra high net worth individual, therefore she gets special services from her banks. She can take a loan against her other assets. Banks will work around the clock for her. They could have this money liquid in 20 minutes. This part (getting cash to convert to bitcoin) is probably the easiest part of the whole thing for her. It's not like a middle class person who would have to wait for the bank to open, put up collateral and spend days filling out paperwork for a loan. Her business manager or wealth manager can do this in an instant.

 

[JKathryn]

They are making public videos because it's the only way they can communicate with the kidnappers. The family (TC) is NOT, I repeat IS NOT involved, in the kidnapping IMO. Expand your horizons..Someone didnt want SG, perhaps, at the Olympics...the timing is suspect. If they just wanted to rob the mother, that could have been accomplished easily. This is about SG in some twisted form. Not that i think she is involved with the perps, but someone wanted to grab her attention. JMO. Second guess is a grudge something or other against the brother, Cameron and the military. Who's with me? MOO

Additionally, there are countries restricted from Western media but not Instagram.

 

[MCB1151]

Can anyone explain why the sheriffs department would be there, but not the FBI?

FBI can be the lead on an investigation that a SD is still doing legwork on, at the direction/consultation of the FBI

 

[CrimeDawg123]

To me the brother seems stoic, not emotionless. I'm sure when their dad died all those years ago he had to step up and be strong for the family, especially his sisters. Besides, he's a man and men don't just fall apart during a crisis. I would be willing to bet that he's all sorts of torn up inside about this, trying to figure out a way to fix it.

And he's career military fighter pilot. There's no one more stoic than that.

 

[Melisende10]

If Annie and husband were not suspects LE would not be obtaining warrants to search their home. It is my belief they are both involved but hope for the family's sake that it is not the case.

We don't know if they got warrants or if Annie voluntarily agreed to let them search. More than likely they got warrants but I'm just saying there are a lot of unknowns.

 

[serenebee23]

They also haven't been named a POI or suspect. Surely at this point they have looked at their cell phones, their car... there is nothing yet to actually say he or they ARE suspects too.

It's like the ransom note. The FBI must not have anything to say it's NOT real, but just because they can't disprove it, doesn't make it real either, right?

WE just don't know enough yet.

I'd think they wouldn't announce publicly they or he are suspects at any time. They'd just investigate and arrest when ready. They might give SG a courtesy heads up a little bit before, but otherwise they're not going to share publicly that they're POI and probably will keep denying there's any suspicion until the end.

 

[Marzipan]

maybe, and maybe LE have kept alot more to their chest than we thought...

Seriously people, while everyone's opinion is as valid as mine, who really thinks the SIL would do this and think he could get away with it? I mean, he'd have to know he'd be a prime suspect so he'd have to work far harder at a coverup than a third party.

I'm really thinking this looks like a kidnapping for ransom. My money is on cartels but there are plenty of other possibilities.

I know — if the SIL and/or (imagine the “or”!) AG actually cooked up this scheme, I’m going to have to fly out there and give them a konk on the head. (And hope justice prevails but first the needed konk.)

 

[Jiller2013]

If the sil had this idea too do something, don't you think he wouldn't have had her over for dinner, games etc due to it will have LE over to their house looking for clues? Instead you do it quietly. He would of known that the last person to see her would be primary suspect.

 

[K9Enzo]

is it possible they're just using AG & T's house as a base for processing and documenting evidence found at NG's? would that ever happen? if they believe it's a legit ransom from someone who still has NG and they believe them to be in the area, maybe they don't want to go too far?

No. That’s an evidence contamination nightmare. They want to remove the evidence and follow the chain of custody right to the next process. IMO

 

[yurintroubl]

Can anyone explain why the sheriffs department would be there, but not the FBI?

Not sure the validity of this but I've heard it mentioned that if they are investigating a kidnapping - FBI is the lead. If they are investigating a homicide - Police/Sheriff's Dept. is the lead.

In actuality - The local law inforcement is leading the investigation with the FBI offering any resources and assistance local LE needs.

 

[Ms. Blue Belle]

DBM

 

[birdbox]

I'm not forgetting 2 teens were arrested for home invasion demanding $66 million or $60 million in bitcoin. Could it be the same perps? From what I read the names were "red" and "8". Could it be some teens have Nancy and these other 2 are calling the shots? Could it be a typo in the ransom note and it was supposed to read either $66 million or $60 million?

The $6 million seems too conincidential to me. Why not $5 million or $10 million? Why that amount?

Sound like someone did a percent calculation on another person's net worth to come to a number they thought they could afford.

 

[MCB1151]

So is the act of sending a ransom letter over the internet and demanding bitcoin a federal crime? Like without the kidnapping?

I'm way behind so this maybe was addressed but I am fairly certain that falls under the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act & possibly wire fraud, so yeah, federal.

"Maybe this was addressed". My dumb ass replied to this at midnight last night AND added this one. Brain was MUSH. lol

 

[carolmaria]

I'm still on my theory. Nancy had dinner with Annie and her husband. SIL took her home. Asked for money. She said no. He went home. Upset and it just festered with him WHY she won't give money to them. He went by himself in middle of night. Coerced her out of bed with story about family emergency. He left back door wide open so it would like she wandered off. Small scuffle at front door as she kept insisting she needed to put on real clothes and he got impatient with her and she got hurt, therefor small blood, but not a lot. He got her in his car. She was easy to overpower then and bag over her head. A lot less messy. Took her to dessert and put her under a tree or bush like she "stumbled" there. He wants her to be found, but not too quickly. Enough that her body is exposed to elements. His whole theory was she just wandered away confused in the middle of night. Would be out of the norm for her, but as she is 84, people will think that something just happened to her. Her body would be found. Assume that she died of exposure or health deteriorated. Inheritance. What he didn't count on was the media and the unsubstantiated reports of ransom that he had nothing to do with. Media quickly said she couldn't walk far, and jumped on the sensational story of kidnapping, then other people faked ransom notes. Her blood could be in passenger seat. Luminol last night.

Horrifying theory (to contemplate), but certainly Occam’s Razor-like.

OMO

 

[NoeticSoul]

Also possible she had multiple canes. I do. I can walk short distances without one on my good days so there are times I forget and get in my car without one and then struggle where ever I have gone - so I got one to leave in my car. I have been known to walk out to my gazebo without one and then can’t get back without one so I have another out there. I keep one in my office for the same reason and then I have the one I use most of the time. I also have a walker and a wheelchair that I use on my worst days. And while my family knows I have more than one cane - they don’t really know how many or where I keep them so they wouldn’t necessarily know if one was missing from my home.

I hadn't thought about it like that, @aafromaa ~ That's a great point and thanks so much for sharing it!

 

[TexLil]

If Annie and husband were not suspects LE would not be obtaining warrants to search their home. It is my belief they are both involved but hope for the family's sake that it is not the case.

I'm also curious... If LE told AG/SIL that they wanted to do an extended search (my words) of their home and if AG/SIL would have agreed then would a warrant still be needed? Or is a warrant needed not just for permission to be there searching but also to collect and remove evidence? Ps my understanding is that we don't know for sure that a warrant was in place last night. MOO

 

[Trish51]

Can anyone explain why the sheriffs department would be there, but not the FBI?

Maybe a separate crime occurred? I don’t know how this works but where NG lives, it’s county. Where AG lives, it’s city. I don’t know if Tucson Police Department would be there as well because it’s their jurisdiction or are the letting PCSO take over? Again, I don’t know how it works with 3 agencies involved.

 

[Melisende10]

My problem with AG is that she does not fit the profile. I know nothing about TC, but AG is understood to be involved in the local poetry, writing, and jewellery scene? We really think this is the profile of someone involved in kidnap, murder, and bitcoin ransom?

If AG and TC are involved I think the bitcoin kidnap ransom thing is seperate from them. A fake story and hoax by an anonymous hacker person who took advantage of the situation when it hit the media. Two seperate crimes.