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

[mikeshanty]

It took them 8 years to find Bin Laden, using unlimited money and resources. No way they have found anyone.

I take your point. But I feel that was more about finding the perfect timing than locating. Take GM for example; she was almost certainly under surveillance by the FBI for a very long time when she disappeared. They arrested her at the opportune moment, but they knew where she was hiding out the whole time.

 

[SMK777]

A Fox guest noted this morning that in the case of a missing family member, 80% of the time family or family associate are involved.

Yes, statistically, family is first on the list.

 

[Cassie P]

LE typically doesn't "clear" anyone until the arrest of the perp, in my observation.

It stands out to me that it looks like LE were taking flash photos at AG house the other night. Luminol reacts with blood and changes color, but it only last a short time so investigators take photos of the reaction. imo

If luminol reveals apparent blood traces, investigators will photograph or videotape the crime scene to record the pattern.

How Luminol Works

Have you seen investigators on crime shows who spray some stuff on a "clean" carpet and suddenly -- blood stains! Well, of all the fictional technology on TV, it turns out this stuff is real! Find out how luminol reveals the blood.

science.howstuffworks.com

Yes good point. Until an arrest is made no one gets cleared? And yes if they just did a more formal crime scene forensic investigation at a home, they cannot clear a suspect until results come back anyway.

 

[dogmom805]

Because he knows it’s over. He knew it already when he went to the basketball game.

What do you think the outcome/result is? (why it's already over?)

 

[maskedwoman]

Rare indeed, but each of these examples have something in common - wealth and celebrity. This case has both too, which makes it harder to discern.

JMO.

True, but Lindbergh is really the only one that was kidnapped in America for money. Patty Hearst was kidnapped to force the release of other SLA members from jail. With her father's wealth and power it wasn't a totally insane idea.

 

[LRinCA]

I could still see it being someone who is obsessed with/wants attention from/wants to hurt or inflict pain on SG. They are local to Tucson and can't reach SG in New York, so they decide to target her family. Maybe they've been stalking both her sister and her mother for a while now. They pick last weekend ahead of SG leaving for Italy and abduct NG.

Sending ransom notes to TMZ ensures maximum publicity of SG's pain. If they really wanted money, they would've contacted her privately and told her not to involve LE. But the way they went about it (TMZ and two local stations) feels like the person wants attention that they can watch on TV and they also want SG to make videos pleading for them to let NG go. It's not really about money--its about spectacle and control and inflicting pain on a person they've become fixated on (the reason could be quasi-political, romantic, or some kind of delusion we couldn't guess).

BBM

This is the conclusion/theory I'm coming to as I ponder this rabbit's warren of a case, although I don't think it's necessarily someone local to Tucson.

I'm reading along on almost everything, but I don't think there's much else to say until something gives.

I pray she's alive. I also pray she hasn't suffered. If she is gone from this world, I hope it was fast.

 

[shonyakay]

I'm not sure that allowing this sheriff (who I have a lot of empathy for, btw) to fill time with no new info, and answer a bunch of questions off-the-cuff, would lead to additional clarity anyway. Probably for the best that they don't have press conferences until they are ready to share new substantive information, IMO.

I agree. I just don't understand why they picked that particular day. Maybe the simple answer is that it was exactly one week away from that current presser.

 

[mikeshanty]

Wild RUMORS floating on Social Media right now and while I'm not a mod I want to remind you all for the mods to not post anything until you have a valid source. It WILL get the thread shut down.

If it's the one I think you're referring to, I think the link to that "story" is a bot link and not credible.

 

[dogmom805]

That has crossed my mind as well.
If it is family involved - it might be that they are going to wait until Thursday for any announcements of an arrest hence the Sheriff's comment about there won't be any more press conferences until Thursday unless warranted.

Could it be that: They know it's family (or someone else), they see that the family is considering paying without POL, which they would like to wait and watch, since they know that either family or an accomplice wrote the ransom note? That way, there will be an "extra" crime to charge, which is for accepting the ransom $$$!?!?

 

[HoveringWombats]

I agree. I just don't understand why they picked that particular day. Maybe the simple answer is that it was exactly one week away from that current presser.

I don't think they did pick that particular day. Did I miss something? These posts from their official account simply say that there is no press briefing scheduled. I haven't seen any official statements that one will happen on Thursday, but please correct me if I'm missing info.

 

[Jade]

I was under the impression she attended virtually via Zoom or similar. Do we know?

From the New York Times article saying that it was noticed she wasn't seen in the pews.

Hi there, I checked the NYT article you mentioned. It was last updated today at 3:52 pm ET. Here is a gift link so you can read the article yourself.

Here's the relevant part about the church member:

Ms. Guthrie, whom friends have described as a devoted Christian, was expected at church that Sunday morning. But when someone at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian did not see her in the pews, they called her family to check in.

Alerted, Ms. Guthrie’s family rushed to her home, the authorities said. They found her phone, wallet, hearing aid, daily medication and car. But they did not find her. They called 911.

imo

 

[Moonsie]

BBM. January 31, 2026 is a 24-hour period from 12 am on Saturday until immediately before 12 am on Sunday. NG may have been seen inside her residence by anyone she had inside during those hours (friend, family member, service person). The statement does NOT indicate that NG was seen by her family members inside the residence on January 31 after 9:48 pm.

As for the statement about "contact" from the church, LE had a statement from a member of NG's family that this contact occurred and they may have depended upon that statement for the Callela Criminal Complaint (dated February 5). It does not mean that they consider that a reliable statement at this time as more investigation has likely occurred in the intervening 4 days.

At the present time LE is neither confirming nor denying the contact about NG not being at church as expected; they are not addressing the subject.

I am feeling like it is important to be VERY PRECISE about evidence because IMO there may be substantial misdirection involved in this case and we are learning that officers who may been the earliest at the scene of NG's home and interviewing family members did not likely have substantial years of experience (see Tricia's live YouTube last night, where she played video of Brian Entin's interview of a retired detective who recently retired after 20 years with the Sheriff's office there and 7 of those years as a homicide detective). Early statements taken as truth may have not survived that determination as true after greater scrutiny and investigation by more experienced LE.

I guess my point is, I don’t think these statements should be taken as gospel (pardon the pun). Despite best efforts, I don’t think they are always 100% accurate or worded well for a variety of reasons, and often are based on facts available at the time. For example, I seem to remember some factual inaccuracies in some of the early Bryan Kohberger docs.

 

[Diddian]

They were in the house 41 minutes. They knew the camera were not alerting the police when the deactivated them It has to be someone in her circle. I know people that have a cellphone backup incase intruders take down the wifi. It has to be someone she knows or knows the property.

I tend to agree it is someone in her circle, but I don't think we can be certain they were in the house only 41 minutes. All we know is that was the time that passed between disconnect of a doorbell camera and disconnect of NG's pacemaker from her phone/Apple Watch. The doorbell camera disconnect time may involve staging to misdirect LE.

We know the time of disconnect of one camera and that a camera sensor apparently was triggered indicating movement shortly after. We know there must have been at one time a NEST camera at the front door given the mount seen there on photos. We do NOT know which cameras the "reported on timeline" disconnect and sensing of movement involved (front door? back door?) or whether there was any camera at all around her garage door or the entry to her house from inside the garage.

 

[stmichael]

Honestly if you have lived in Tucson for 30 years and know how to spell it correctly, you know that there is not a “pretty good presence” of cartels in this city.

While I don't this case has anything to do with cartels, there is a "presence" of cartels along ALL border states, and spill-over crime, and it is disingenuous to say otherwise though can get why residents get defensive. An AZ Sheriff near Tuscon was raided by the Feds recently for working with and providing intel to the cartels.

The FBI in Tucson has 9 different squads, including counter-terrorism, and each one is impacted in some way by the border.

Now there is also cartel influence in many other US cities especially drug trafficking hubs. I was surprised how much there was in Tulsa, Oklahoma then found out that was a Grand Central hub for trafficking routes.

Again, I don't think there's any direct link in this case, though if you go the random small time bugling kidnapper theory, I suppose an "associate" may be involved of their own accord.

 

[SMK777]

So if haven't been able to by now, I feel this implies there is no kidnap or ransom situation.

Agreed .

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

Because he knows it’s over. He knew it already when he went to the basketball game.

Totally agree. Believe they are gathering evidence and carefully following procedures so that they can get a conviction.

 

[ldlager]

What do you think the outcome/result is? (why it's already over?)

No press conference. No FBI announcements. No increased reward. No urgency. No monitoring the house. No new searches. I believe those involved know she is no longer alive.

 

[nightowl2728]

I could still see it being someone who is obsessed with/wants attention from/wants to hurt or inflict pain on SG. They are local to Tucson and can't reach SG in New York, so they decide to target her family. Maybe they've been stalking both her sister and her mother for a while now. They pick last weekend ahead of SG leaving for Italy and abduct NG.

Sending ransom notes to TMZ ensures maximum publicity of SG's pain. If they really wanted money, they would've contacted her privately and told her not to involve LE. But the way they went about it (TMZ and two local stations) feels like the person wants attention that they can watch on TV and they also want SG to make videos pleading for them to let NG go. It's not really about money--its about spectacle and control and inflicting pain on a person they've become fixated on (the reason could be quasi-political, romantic, or some kind of delusion we couldn't guess).

I agree with this. I watched an analysis of some crime expert of how this reeked of attention seeking on the part of the perp (or at least the person/s sending the ransom notes, if separate)

 

[dogmom805]

Please delete if I can't say this, but early on someone else pointed out that AG is hiding her ring finger between her legs during the 2nd video. Did anyone see her wedding ring?

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

While I don't this case has anything to do with cartels, there is a "presence" of cartels along ALL border states, and spill-over crime, and it is disingenuous to say otherwise though can get why residents get defensive. An AZ Sheriff near Tuscon was raided by the Feds recently for working with and providing intel to the cartels.

The FBI in Tucson has 9 different squads, including counter-terrorism, and each one is impacted in some way by the border.

Now there is also cartel influence in many other US cities especially drug trafficking hubs. I was surprised how much there was in Tulsa, Oklahoma then found out that was a Grand Central hub for trafficking routes.

Again, I don't think there's any direct link in this case, though if you go the random small time bugling kidnapper theory, I suppose an "associate" may be involved of their own accord.

Your comments are quite helpful. Thank you.