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

[annpats]

Its not like the northeast where you could walk across backyards, its little hills and small ravines and small washes that would make it difficult to be anywhere that wouldn't be very visible

You would hope LE in these 'missing person' or 'searching for a body' situations use heat-seeling drones early on so they didn't have to rely solely on naked-eye visibility.

 

[CandyKiss]

The blood on the porch might even be from a different incident that Nancy had that is unrelated.

In the last two days I provided a breakdown of this; not sure where that comment is ...but this may help.

Generally, blood changes as it dries and ages:

Color: Fresh blood is usually bright to dark red. As it dries, it turns darker brownish-red, and over time can look almost rust-colored.

Texture: New blood looks wet, glossy, or tacky.Older blood is dry, flaky, or crusted.

Edges: Fresh stains often have smooth edges.Older ones may have cracked or uneven edges as they dry.

Smell: Very fresh blood has little smell; older blood can develop a metallic or musty odor.

There is no single reliable test that gives an exact time. Instead, experts combine multiple indicators:

Visual changes (very rough only)
Color and drying patterns change over time, but this is highly unreliable on its own. Lighting, surface type, humidity, and temperature all affect appearance.

Chemical changes in hemoglobin
As blood ages, hemoglobin breaks down and oxidizes. Labs can analyze these changes to estimate whether blood is very recent vs. older, but not a precise hour or day.

RNA degradation
RNA in blood cells degrades at a predictable but variable rate. This can sometimes help distinguish fresh (hours–day) from older (days–weeks) stains under controlled conditions.

DNA quality
DNA itself doesn’t “expire” quickly, but fragmentation patterns can provide broad Environmental context
Heat, sunlight, moisture, airflow, surface material (carpet vs. tile), and whether the blood was disturbed all dramatically affect aging. This is why timelines often come with wide ranges. Timing clues—again, very approximate.

 

[Inthedetails]

That is my concern about paying the ransom. If this is a kidnapping, let's make sure the perps do not get paid and they are sent to prison.

Replying to myself - and hoaxers shouldn't be rewarded either. I understand wanting to pay the ransom while at the same time understand NOT paying the ransom.

It's a decision that tortures. I hate it.

 

[jillybean51]

I also wonder if she had already been hit inside and she attempted to escape through the front door. Then she was pulled back in rather than pushed in.

Very possible but so strange there are no smudge marks in the blood if there was a big struggle.

 

[Napoli]

Please refresh my memory. Wasn't it said that the home of NG had a casita? Yes? Any history of renting it out ever? Any squatters ever found living there, recently or in the past? I don't expect anyone here to know the answer but it might be another rabbit hole to explore.

 

[Cassie P]

yes, yes.
This call CAN be verified. True, they don't have to tell us..... but we know they do say things to calm the swelling public reactions.
Any new press conference will be flooded with questions about "the church lady" (just a little funny)

But IF they are leaning towards AG and TC.... they probably WOULD have to keep this to themselves.
It is just such a significant piece of the case.

Yes in the SIL theory, the church lady is a crucial piece of the puzzle. If the call cannot be verified and she does not exist, this is damning information.

 

[Athos65]

i am trying to get my mind with yours...if she opened the door from inside, why go outside? I can imagine open it, get hit, bleed etc but she had to have been outside to bleed outside. If she was hit as soon as she opened the door, wouldn't the blood be inside? Further, and I am no blood expert...in fact, I'm no expert on anything!...the blood doesn't appear to be spread out. It looks like someone stood in one spot and dripped. How does that fit?

Now that you have me thinking on this, I also can't fathom it in reverse...if she was carried out of the house I guess she would have to have stood there bleeding maybe while someone was locking all 4 locks behind them?? I don't even know if the door was locked but if it was, who had the key? Hasn't it been said that her keys, wallet, phone etc were in the house? I just can't make the blood work for me. I appreciate the thought provoking discussion

May I pose a question?

From what I saw, and I may be mistaken, the door had a metal gate. Where I am from, we have the metal gate for security reasons, and if we answer the door we usually stand behind it and look around to see who is ringing.

Now, and bear with as I am slow in the mornings (and not much faster the rest of the day), the doorbell camera lets you know who it is, and you go to open IF you recognize the person, ESPECIALLY late at night.

My point, and I do have one if you give me a moment to get to it, is that if NG went to the door, she KNEW who it was. If she didn't and she opened, she did it cautiously (one hopes), and the metal gate would be (again, one hopes) locked. It will, as is the case with storm doors, open out towards the porch, and she would have been behind the door that opens IN towards the house.

This scenario would indicate that, if she indeed opened the front door, she knew the person who rang, and was welcoming them into the house. Forcing their way in would require a key for the gate, and if they have a key for the gate, WHY RING?

Again, my own thoughts, and I meander, but I grew up in a household of old people (raising me as a child) and we had gates and doors, and old people habits (which I now obviously exercise in an age-appropriate manner.)

Oh, and we have solar powered security cameras that announce people on the driveway, the walkway to our door, our porch, our side gate and our back door...unless we are expecting someone, or recognize who is on our property, we do not open.

My own opinions and thoughts and it's time for a second cup of coffee so forgive me if I've been nonsensical.

 

[Cassie P]

Her son in law dropped her off and waited until she was inside the house before he left. It’s odd that she lives alone out there in a neighborhood like that one. You’d think the family would have someone with her or that she would live with a relative.

Some older people do not want to leave the home where they have lived for decades. They also do not want to live with one of the kids or grandkids.

 

[Inthedetails]

Yes in the SIL theory, the church lady is a crucial piece of the puzzle. If the call cannot be verified and she does not exist, this is damning information.

Unless that was miscommunication from the start.

jmo

 

[Napoli]

Very possible but so strange there are no smudge marks in the blood if there was a big struggle.

Maybe she was knocked conscious? Maybe she was slung over the perp's shoulders and the blood dripped from her nose onto the pavement.

 

[Bison]

Her son in law dropped her off and waited until she was inside the house before he left. It’s odd that she lives alone out there in a neighborhood like that one. You’d think the family would have someone with her or that she would live with a relative.

I don't think this is unusual. Her home is one-level and she's lived there for 50 years. People like to age in place and not be moved into what they perceive as the last stop before the train reaches the station. My mom is still in the home where I grew up. It's much too large for one person, but she's happy there and we're not going to push her to move unless medically necessary. Her daughter is 10 minutes away.

 

[tkcrockett]

If that is the case, where does it fit in the timeline?

We know the blood is NG's. When would she have walked INTO the house with an injury?

I'm willing to think this out, while we wait.

jmo

i am glad you are as puzzled by it as I am. Neither way seems to fit for me.

 

[dotr]

Some son of a gun is enjoying the emotional and psychological distress they are causing this family, imo, speculation.
Feb. 9, 2026 rbbm.

Nancy Guthrie Latest Updates: Final Ransom Deadline Looms As Search Enters Ninth Day

Stay with Newsweek for the latest on the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

www.newsweek.com

'The final ransom deadline from Nancy Guthrie's alleged kidnappers is quickly approaching as the search for Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother enters its ninth day.

The ransom note warned that missing Monday's deadline would be "far more consequential" than the previous Friday deadline that passed.'

 

[Sadi]

Just throwing this out there, maybe someone else was tipped off to go to N’s house when she was at AG’s to remove the cameras/damage floodlights etc. Then they meet there later to remove her from her house? I know a camera detected movement outside around 1:40am approximately, so that would mean another camera still was activated (not removed). What would be the reason to search the sewer tanks yesterday? When they searched the septic tank a day or so before that? Why wait and not check it out at the same time? I don’t know if this means anything or not? They brought the K9 back over the weekend, they must have a reason why they wanted to check out. Did they take the K9 to the backyard and inside the garage/house?

 

[Fascinated1]

this makes more sense to me but why was she outside bleeding? Why would she go back inside bleeding? The blood has really stumped me.

I still am not sure the blood is connected. As I mentioned earlier, there was no indication that it was processed as evidence-so maybe it’s not related? I mean they had to test it to find out it was NGs but it seemed pretty accessible to people taking the pictures. Also—I didn’t see blood smear/footprints that might have been expected if it was a forced removal of ng. I still wonder if she went to investigate the ring camera (eg if she received notice someone was at her door) though.

 

[Emerald1328]

No warrant is required when the search is consented to

Correct, although I do think getting a warrant is preferred, even in cases of consent. I’m wondering something however. Judges don’t approve warrants all willy-nilly as we know, so let’s say that LE wanting to go back wouldn’t meet the threshold of a judge granting a warrant. However, with the family giving consent to search, does it make it easier for the judge to grant the warrant? Or are they not allowed to take that into consideration?

 

[LAborn]

Brian Entin interviewed this former Pima County LE (7 years homicide det. and 12 years approx. cop). I can't find the full interview, but it's very informative. One of the points he made is that team members don't have the training and experience of LE in the past, and many things he would do at the crime scene as routine, they didn't do, and why we saw them return to the homes days after the fact.

 

[tkcrockett]

I also wonder if she had already been hit inside and she attempted to escape through the front door. Then she was pulled back in rather than pushed in.

reportedly, there are 4 locks..2 on metal door, 2 on house door. That's a lot of time....

 

[Ltiger4]

I am really trying hard to wrap my head around the blood. Bear with me, please. If she was hurt in the house and walked out to a waiting car, why is there only one area of blood? No trail. If she and "bad guy/s" walk out the front door, who locked the door behind them? Wasn't it said that her keys were found in the house along with wallet and phone?

What if the perpetrator was taking her out the front door, realized she was bleeding, and was like “oh crap! I didn’t want to leave evidence of her being harmed!” And then decided to stop the bleeding or catch the bleeding the rest of the way to wherever he took her?

 

[ilgirl]

You would hope LE in these 'missing person' or 'searching for a body' situations use heat-seeling drones early on so they didn't have to rely solely on naked-eye visibility.

And K-9’s. I know they were out at first, but I’m surprised they’re not back.