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

[JKathryn]

I'll try to offer some suggestions;
Small deposits are often done before depositing a huge amount to check if the adress is correct so one doesn't deposit into the wrong account, or, it could be to trace it to a crypto exchange as a crypto exchange asks for KYC.
KYC means Know Your Customer which means one has to give their personal data to be able to use it.
Sometimes it's even possible to track a notification tied to a deposit which would mean they may be able to trace it that way.
These are just a few ideas as to why a small deposit has been made.
Ofc idk the actual reason so it's just all my opinion

FWIW this is also how crypto thieves can access your main account. I have had small random deposits made into my account. I was instructed by the brokerage to absolutely not accept them.

 

[Mack the Knife]

This article about forensic bitcoin tracing tells it all. You usually start with a small deposit the expert says, like $300.

Exclusive | How Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper ‘showed his Achilles’ in ransom note, according to crypto expert

Bezalel Eithan Raviv, the CEO and founder of Blockchain forensics service Lionsgate Network, spoke with Page Six about how the criminal could be traced.

pagesix.com

This guy has been quoted a few times, and IMO he is both overstating his relevance and very nonspecific. Yes, bitcoin transactions can factually always be traced because the blockchain is inherently created to be a public ledger. However, what he's talking about makes much more sense for a criminal network (which he mentions), where investigators can identify patterns because the criminals will regularly be receiving payments and will need to regularly draw funds.

If this is a one-off operation (maybe it isn't, but there's no indication this is related to repeat kidnappers), in order for the <$300 to be useful for finding NG, the kidnappers would have to decide that they want <$300 so bad that it's worth it to move it right now and exchange it for some other currency, which is what can get them caught. Keeping the <$300 in the current wallet, or moving it around to other unused BTC wallets will not yield anything useful.

 

[gammagirl]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021393322410115563

 

[ivylambs]

Still not too late here... but if nothing comes tonight I'm getting the feeling tomorrow is finally the day we wake up to actual news. I've been expecting it all week and yet nothing.

 

[stmichael]

Did she recently have her roof done?

Yes she did according to a neighbor interviewed. Roofs were re-coated which is why in the drone footage they look squeaky clean.

 

[arielilane]

This isn't how bitcoin works. If you have an amount in your bitcoin wallet, you can transfer it to another address. There doesn't need to be any approval. For personal comfort, a person may choose to send a small amount and then check with the recipient before sending the full amount, or maybe some bitcoin exchanges require this, but there is no requirement within the bitcoin framework to do this.

It's actually just a wallet address, not an 'account', there's not a grace period, fwiw.

Thank you. Grace period, is a dated term used in other areas of financials.

Revised: Bitcoin transactions are not instant.

 

[birdbox]

This is an interesting point. I’ve never broke into a home but back in the day I did help toilet paper many houses. This guy is about to snatch an old lady from her home and he’s not really sneaking around much. As teens, we were so much more stealthy than this guy!

Exactly, and you make an even better point from the toilet paper a friends home or sneak out of the house days. I guess we were doing it all wrong. Who knew? Ya just walk right up to the front door. Calmly.

 

[ssarahbg]

Sorry the post was deleted. I was trying to find the video released from Pima County. There was a trespassing report from an elderly man back in January near the home. The video was interesting. I am going to try to find a verified link of it.

Pima County Sheriff’s Office Official Facebook post looking for trespasser back in December
Facebook

 

[mpnola]

I wonder if Nest/Ring sales are going to go up thanks to this case.

They shouldn't!!! Eufy has no subscription and holds video clips for months!!!! I would be leaving nest.

 

[MollyHarps]

If this is an abduction situation then the next hours are crucial for Nancy - as the person will realise the net is closing in on him.

 

[UsernameRequired]

NO COINCIDENCE: Retired FBI agent Jason Pack tells Fox News Digital you don’t deploy SWAT and FBI tactical units on a hunch in the Nancy Guthrie case. "When those units roll out, it means a lead has been vetted to the point there is a reasonable possibility of a high-risk situation — but deployment does not mean resolution," Pack said.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021391372780175430

 

[priyaya]

It is very common in bitcoin to send test amounts, especially before you move lots of money.

So they sent test amount and now they traced it and sent in the swat team?

 

[Cardgame]

This could be a long night...someone pass me a stimulant please!

I'm in UK nearly 2am have to be up in five hours can't sleep. I just want Nancy to be found alive.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

Please do not link to any scanner thread, including the one we have in the Websleuths 'basement'.

This could be a critical time in this case, and there is no way we are going to take a chance that information about an LE operation could be leaked or seen by anyone.

Thanks for your understanding.

 

[HoveringWombats]

his guy has been quoted a few times, and IMO he is both overstating his relevance and very nonspecific.

Yes, it is very self-serving for the founder of a blockchain forensics company to get into the media talking about how great his company is at blockchain forensics...

 

[allboys]

The regional SWAT team in Pima County has been activated. Unknown for what reason

In one picture, he is staring stright ahead at the front door like he's waiting on her to open it. He looks like a visitor who is comfortable there. Weird.

To me, it looks as if he may have rung the bell. Hence holding up the flowers, thinking she’d be more likely to answer rather than to seeing a glove? Unlikely perp rang bell, but possible. Whether perp rang bell or not, this looks like an amateur. Reflective backpack? Etc.

 

[Gemmie]

He's using flowers to cover the doorbell cam? And if he is carrying a cell as others have suggested, this guy is no genius. I don't think he is a criminal mastermind. Shades of Bryan Kohberger.

It's always felt to me that he wasn't using the flowers to cover the doorbell cam because he didn't get them before approaching, and with all in that backpack he could have brought something that actually worked to cover it, like painter's tape. Plus, you have to admit some flower stems is NOT a very good camera block.

With all that said... it just feels to me like he was holding them out for the camera to capture them. Why? Absolutely NO clue. Only he knows why he did that. But, it feels to me like there was a purpose (other than trying to block the lens).

Maybe part of his communication to the family, that only he'd know, is "I held out flowers to the camera". That way LE knew they had the right guy that was communicating thru the ransom letters. It took a while before those images were released so that very well could be what the purpose of holding them up would be.

JMO!!!

 

[nightowl2728]

Praying that NG is found alive. I just have a feeling something's going to break tonight when we're all asleep..

Wondering if the release of the photos was to scare the perp/get them to make moves or flee.

Hearing about a blackhawk helicopter near the homes but FBI teams about 90 mins SE of Tucson.. possibly near mountains?
EDIT: Could be related to other military activity or missing hiker, obviously total speculation. I'm just watching some flight trackers online.

 

[AggieLou]

I 3rd

Maybe they think if the guy is getting desperate he might take a chance on retrieving 300 - but obviously wouldn’t for 5 ?

I think they may be trying to find owner of the account. Judging from all the canvassing of a certain area. Everything is public on bitcoin. Anyone can look up anything if they have the account information. And it is definitely traceable, like forever. Accounts are not anonymous, as analytics can link addresses to real-world identities. I'm wondering if LE has done this

 

[waldojabba]

Exactly, and you make an even better point from the toilet paper a friends home or sneak out of the house days. I guess we were doing it all wrong. Who knew? Ya just walk right up to the front door. Calmly.

maybe he is so comfortable bc his real job is deliveries - like maybe an Amazon driver - that would give him plenty of practice marching right on up to the front door
jmo