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

[Bodhi]

Nancy was highly visible on SG's shows over the years. I remember some of those shows. REmember Dave Letterman used to feature his mother on his late night show? You can be sure no one will be doing this again in the future. Dave got. lucky this did not happen to him.

Yes! David Letterman and his family dealt with security threats for decades. A 2005 plot to kidnap his 16-month-old child and the baby's nanny from his home in Montana. Before that, a long-term stalker who called herself "Mrs. Letterman" and broke into his house in Connecticut at least 7 times.

Plea deal reached in Letterman kidnap case

Prosecutors on Monday reached a plea deal with the man accused of plotting to abduct David Letterman’s young son, allowing him to plead guilty to lesser charges and dropping a kidnapping-related charge in return.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[HoveringWombats]

So what you’re speculating is if she would have attended the 10:45 mass, her missing was an emergency to report to family during the mass by a churchgoer, rather than waiting until after mass ended?

I don't know if we need to assume it was treated as an emergency immediately. It could have been as simple as a text like, "hey, do you know if NG is planning to come today? She hasn't shown up yet." MOO

 

[louvillian08]

Exactly. That could have even been an initial call from Calella who knows at this point. There is nothing verifying a call was made or received.

Yes. There. Is. The FBI directly referenced the call in their criminal complaint filing:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/media/1426976/dl?inline

I feel like I’m going crazy with some of these comments. What more verification are you expecting than the FBI including it in court documents?

 

[vlbay]

this is what is holding me back from getting on the SIL train.

i don't think it would require a full-scale investigation from the FBI to figure out that this was a crime of passion staged to look like a kidnapping or, if we want to lean towards the crazier theory, that the SIL is involved with the ransom note somehow. similarly, i have a hard time believing that they wouldn't have figured out by now that the ransom note is not related and it's a separate crime they need to investigate after the more immediate crisis of a missing 84 year old.

but, maybe they are actually investigating this as a family murder and focusing less on the ransom note now and we just don't know about it yet.

I agree. If he killed her and tried to lie to his wife about getting a phone call from church or some other heat of the moment sloppiness (or even if AG were involved)--we'd know by now. The story would've fallen apart. There'd be forensic evidence somewhere. Holes in the timeline that don't match. Inconsistencies in phone/movement data. No one would be taking the ransom demand seriously.

Instead they're putting up billboards and the family is hiding out somewhere. It's possible they've been searching AG's house because THEY were also potential targets. We know nothing.

 

[MassGuy]

What would make the Sheriff talk about kidnapping early on?

Favourite shoes missing? Jacket? What would make them think that? What makes a crime scene consistent with that?

I think just her being missing, and not enough blood or other evidence found to conclude she was actually murdered.

 

[Inthedetails]

A very strange detail to leave out. A third party alerts you to your mother's absence.

Also a strange detail to lie about, if it is indeed untrue. It's so easy to say, "Well, who contacted you?"

jmo

 

[louvillian08]

We don't need the name. Just acknowledgment that such a contact with family was made.

What more acknowledgment are you expecting? The FBI directly referenced it.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/media/1426976/dl?inline

 

[Sundog]

They wouldn't have purchased a home close by if they weren't up for the commitment. Often in families this sort of thing happens, one sibling wants to do it, maybe if they don't have children of their own it's an easier responsibility to take on the day to day. Or they have an affinity to Nancy too.

I agree. And if they didn't want to be so involved in NG's caretaking, then SG could have easily afforded to hire various help for NG and still allow NG to remain in her home.

 

[Wsimm]

I expect that "church friend" HAS been interviewed and is probably terrified that his/her name will be publicized. We don't know the name of the Uber driver, either. Not necessary. JMO

I’ve never thought of it that way. Would LE glide over or omit the call for privacy and security reasons? I’m supposing we will never know the name until it goes to trial?

 

[threeflight]

But wouldn’t he need the body to be found for the inheritance?

I am pretty sure after a certain amount of time has elapsed that the authorities will declare a missing person deceased, especially when it involves a case like this.

 

[missy1974]

We don't need the name. Just acknowledgment that such a contact with family was made.

if a criminal complaint from the FBI is not enough, what is? lol

 

[KBlackRabbit]

TMZ likely has the bitcoin address themselves. They received the note directly

Exactly. They’ll be watching the blockchain like a hawk.

 

[MommaV]

Link showing call.

https://www.the-express.com/entertainment/tv/197970/fox-news-savannah-guthrie-mother

 

[shonyakay]

Yes. There. Is. The FBI directly referenced the call in their criminal complaint filing:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/media/1426976/dl?inline

I feel like I’m going crazy with some of these comments. What more verification are you expecting than the FBI including it in court documents?

Thank you. Notice it states "contacted" and "notified". There is no direct mention that it was a "call" but I acknowledge that either of those terms could be referencing a call.

 

[Napoli]

per fox just now..billboards are up in Texas and New Mexico and going up in Nevada. Bitcoin account remains unfunded as of 15 minutes ago per Fox.

 

[HoveringWombats]

It was a call though.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/media/1426976/dl?inline

Am I missing something? That document says "contacted," not "called."

 

[TheRaven]

The Pima police chief was so loose with words at that first presser that I don’t entirely take everything he said there literally, including his statement about NG being at church. That being said, I find it very curious that he didn’t include the phone call in the latest timeline.

For some reason I’ve always felt that the person responsible for her being gone is the same person that reported her “not at church” to get the ball rolling.

 

[Hapworth]

One thing is true IMO- If this is a kidnapping, (and maybe even if it isn't) and the family pays, then it is open season on relatives of famous people in the US in a way that only Mexico and Brazil have experienced.

Very interesting observation. Would you add South Africa as well ? I’m aware of hijackings of automobiles at intersections in MX, BR, and SA.

 

[mikeshanty]

Excuse my flabbergasted response, since thread 2 or 3 plus Banfield’s position many, many posts suspecting him!

Wait, I'm talking about the pastor - not the SIL!

 

[Charlot123]

The cartel angle has never made any sense to me. Why would a cartel that brings in $100s of millions to billions selling drugs travel to the USA to kidnap/disappear a random grandmother for a $million or even $6 million? It makes no sense. Plus, let's say it was the cartel. Those guys are criminal pro's. They would be in and out of that house in 5 minutes. They wouldn't stick around for 40 minutes or whatever it was. On top of that, let's say the cartel did it and got caught. Trump has already declared the cartels a terrorist organization and he is going to eliminate them. Why give POTUS one more reason to go after them? They aren't idiots.

What does make sense is the SIL. He was with her that night. Dropped her off. I think there is a strong possibility he discussed $$$ with her. She said no to his request. He dropped her off. Stewed about it for a few hours. Maybe had some drinks. Went back to her place to try and change her mind and things got out of control. Or he could even have went back to her place later on to end her so that he and his wife would get their share of the inheritance. To me that makes the most sense to me, and the simplest explanation.

The ransom is either him trying to buy time and give a fake narrative of what happened, or just some idiots who are trying to take advantage of the situation.

I don’t know much about the mentality of the people in cartels, but I am still considering them religious Catholics from a nuclear society. As such, they’d likely abstain from abducting children or elderly people - it is a different kind of “sin”.

About the SIL, we simply don’t have enough information. If it was a true accident, then the family might decide to act according to their mom’s potential wishes and then this is all we get.

The ransom angle is either extremely idiotic or what a teenager would add to the mix, but I don’t take it seriously.

One thing to consider. Nancy probably felt independent and did not want to move out of her own house. Financially, she could be inclined to help the daughter who lived close by. Maybe her other children were not happy with the situation but couldn’t change much. Also, Nancy might have known about the dynamic in a nearby house but her choices were guided by being protective of the daughter.