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

[Wagora]

The outside metal door opens outward.Nancy sees someone she recognizes and opens the metal door outwards,maybe stepping down into the mat.The blood droplets are beside the mat.I think she was then taken back inside,killed and taken out the back door to be buried somewhere.I’m thinking strangulation if AG and TC didn’t see a lot of biological evidence.

I live here and can’t imagine stepping outside in the dark. There are javelinas and coyotes all around. I have only opened the door, backed up, and let people inside.

 

[Deleted member 117884]

This sounds more plausible!

Looking at that front door, I keep thinking that maybe the door hit her arm and that is how she started bleeding. This would make sense if she was made to open that door and smash that camera so the perp didn't have to go near it. Didn't leave a trail because she was only partially out the door, no shoe/footprints.

Thanks for the helping me make sense of this in my own mind lol I kept thinking that door hitting her arm would definitely break the skin and cause bleeding, but thought maybe when an amazon package or something was delivered. Making her smash the camera makes sense to me now.

All JMO

That does make some sense because if any images were captured, it would be of HER dismantling the camera. But the blood does go away from the stoop and down the walkway in drips iirc.

jmo

 

[ab01]

Yes I think a defense attorney would get a lot of milage in court with no warrant. I would think the judge would be more apt to sign a warrant in the case of an elderly woman being kidnapped or detained in some way.

Yes they most certainly got warrants. Especially when they went back and did follow up searches and removed evidence.

It would be common for and to be honest expected for the victims family to give consent, but that wouldn't make investigators feel the need not to get a warrant especially when they were seen removing evidence.

Both things are likely true, family gave consent and investigators still procured and issued warrants.

Things like Cellebrite extractions of phones, vehicles impounded, blood evidence, and many other things. They would definitely want a warrant for these things as they would want them down the road in a possible prosecution in a court of law.

 

[merrymary]

NG didn't need to open either door, she had a glass panel beside the door to see the entry/porch. IF she did open that door she absolutely knew who she was letting into her home.

OR they were already in her home and she was trying to get out!

 

[LAborn]

Maureen O'Connell was on Fox last night... I tried to find just a clip of it but was not able to, so found a youtube with the whole show.

In her segment, she said that the 2nd ransom note said Dear Savannah.

I have no other way to put that info here, so I am biting the bullet and posting the link LOL

(note: she says "samantha" 3 times before correcting herself )

So IF the ransom note is real... is SG the target, whether because of $$$ or some other personal reason?

it is cued up to where she starts talking, but the mention of 'Dear Savannah' is at the 13:00 mark.

Other experts have talked about how well composed the letters have been, calling the writer "intelligent", etc. I would say using "Dear" is in keeping with someone who is educated, intelligent, possibly older? Could be a tech savvy older person maybe. Harvey Levin said the person is likely local to Tucson...in a small town the celebrity of Savannah Guthrie would be a big deal and known by all. Clearly NG is the target because of SG wealth.

 

[Sadi]

Wow! First time hearing about a bar visit. If that’s the case is it usual for SIL to visit bars at 10pm? I understand he’s in a band so this may be a usual thing….checking out other local bands? If he’s involved it’s my feeling he’d have to be pretty sober to pull this off, even if his role in the abduction was a smaller one in the bigger scheme of things.

I don’t know who brought it up either, but wasn’t sure how it would fit into the timeline etc.

 

[SeattleStew]

Another thought about NG's blood on the front porch.

Nose bleed can be an effect from strangulation around the neck and carotid artery. Perhaps she opened the door and was immediately strangled/incapacitated, nose bleed commences, NG is carried off.

 

[Trino]

If she had a hearing aid, she likely would have taken the hearing aid off when she went to bed for the night.

If one wears a hearing aid while sleeping, it can cause a loud whistling sound when sleeping next to the pillow.

And if she did take her hearing aid off before going to bed, depending upon the level of her hearing impairment she may not hear a doorbell ringing or loud knocking from the door at all while sleeping.

Nearly all old people get up during the night to use the bathroom. Every night. Maybe she wasn't asleep when she heard something at the door, opened it.

 

[VTHOMM]

Found this interesting. Think this points to the ransom being written by someone outside the country.


“But some experts remain wary of the ransom note, which specified that the payment be made in the equivalent of US dollars, which some said could indicate the sender was not in America — and could be someone trying to scam the Guthries out of millions as they search for their mother.”

“If you’re domestic, why would you ever put ‘USD?’ You put 6 million,” former FBI agent Michael Harrigan told The Post.”

The tiny detail in the Nancy Guthrie ransom note that makes FBI experts think the writers aren’t even in US

I completely agree w/FBI agent re: using "USD", but whomever is orchestrating this is very clever and may want to throw the agents off with that idea, too. There are too many senarios and what ifs.

 

[CSIDreamer]

If she had a hearing aid, she likely would have taken the hearing aid off when she went to bed for the night.

If one wears a hearing aid while sleeping, it can cause a loud whistling sound when sleeping next to the pillow.

And if she did take her hearing aid off before going to bed, depending upon the level of her hearing impairment she may not hear a doorbell ringing or loud knocking from the door at all while sleeping.

People could be in and out of my house 20 times and I'd sleep through it. My hearing loss is pretty severe, though.

 

[SaraSmile]

Highly possible because the Sheriff said she did not walk out of there on her own. She did not leave the house afoot. Interpreted as she was carried. Understandably, alive or dead wasn't included in the statement because they're trying to catch the ransom author(s) and the perp(s), who may or may not be one and the same.

Bingo. My take on exactly where the investigation is right now

 

[jillybean51]

So it appears that there was no big struggle on the front porch??

Yes I think everything happened inside after she was initially hit.

 

[danablue1]

I think the basic initial details of the case tell us a lot....remember that the Sherriff's office brought in the homicide team first thing. I'm guessing their analysis of the scene indicated a murder scene that was cleaned up (significant use of cleaners or some remaining blood found via luminol). Couple that with the fact that they have been seen searching in septic/water tanks as well as towing two vehicles, searching AG's house multiple times, etc. They know NG is not with us but are trying to let everything play out while they solidify their case. Who knows - maybe this whole "ransom" thing is known to them to be fake but it would introduce more charges so they are just waiting. Now - if you add the timeline back in - it wasn't an accident. The camera was removed at least 40 minutes prior to the pacemaker no longer syncing. If it was an accident, it would have been removed *after*.

Awesome post!

 

[Curiousraccoon]

Can someone post a link about the bar visit? It's the first I'm hearing of it too.

I have already asked also..
I don't think there was any real discussion about a bar or especially a link, but it's possible I missed it?

 

[Napoli]

1000% in agreement with you. The two crimes are not related and someone is taking full advantage of the situation to get the money.

The first ransom note was received MONDAY of last week BY TMZ AND A COUPLE OF LOCAL NEWS AFFILLIATES. Another poster said they were following from the beginning and no ransom note was from the beginning....well, There you go...By last Monday, it was all over the news.

 

[Cassie P]

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.

So if NG opened both the front door and the metal gate door, she must have known the person who rang the door bell or felt safe with them. Felt no threat?

 

[SaraSmile]

I completely agree w/FBI agent re: using "USD", but whomever is orchestrating this is very clever and may want to throw the agents off with that idea, too. There are too many senarios and what ifs.

Good idea! Maybe to throw off investigators.
USD is usually $ in US
€ for Euros

 

[Deleted member 117884]

OR they were already in her home and she was trying to get out!

Another good idea.

Instead of winnowing theories down, I have MORE theories this morning.

 

[jillybean51]

I live here and can’t imagine stepping outside in the dark. There are javelinas and coyotes all around. I have only opened the door, backed up, and let people inside.

She would have only been a couple of feet out of the house, if she were holding the door open, and she had someone she knew entering.

 

[Sadi]

Can someone post a link about the bar visit? It's the first I'm hearing of it too.

Yes, please. It would help to read the details.