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

[milkshakedonkey]

Yes, it matters. If she didn’t actually make it home, then her last verified location was her daughter’s house. That would significantly impact the timeline and could suggest the events started there, not at her home. Confirming that detail isn’t backward-looking, it’s critical to understanding the case.

How would this "never made it home" scenario work given the video evidence of a person intending harm later in the night at the house?

 

[bbb1349]

I fear this is going to become the new normal.

I feel like it is still a very difficult crime to get away with. Kidnapping is harder than killing someone and then you also have to communicate with the family and receive payment, which is another chance for law enforcement to trace you.

I think if you wanted to make $1M in crime, you'd be a lot less likely to get caught if you just robbed a couple dozen mansions. And the penalties for getting caught are much less severe as well.

 

[Wsimm]

Right if they had anything though they would just go to LE to get the 50K reward nice/legal instead of extorting for 60+K

In criminal cases offering rewards, what is the typical time it takes for the person offering the tip to receive the reward? Maybe this tipster is impatient and doesn’t want to wait for a government payout.?

 

[Eli9]

People don’t always get the reward money for one reason or another (the McDonald’s lady didn’t get it for Luigi). And I wonder if it’s taxable?

The reward money would most likely be taxable.

Is Crime Reward Money Taxable by the IRS?

Understand the tax obligations for crime reward money. Learn how the IRS classifies this income and the steps required for proper reporting on your tax return.

legalclarity.org

The legal foundation for taxing these rewards is found in Section 61 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines gross income in very broad terms to ensure most financial gains are captured. Because there is no specific federal law that creates an exemption for rewards related to reporting crimes, these payments are treated as taxable earnings.<a href="javascript%3Avoid(0)" title="GovInfo. 26 U.S.C. § 61">1</a>

 

[txsleuth70]

Good morning.

I would like to start the day by expressing an opinion about what we all saw last night in contrast to what is being reported this morning.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nancy-guthrie-savannah-missing-mom-02-11-26

There was, indeed, a vigorous flutter of hopeful excitement when news broke about a POI being detained during a traffic stop, and the movement of LE in a specific direction. There was even a rising thrum of expectation that air traffic indicated movement to a hospital and, Lord willing, it was NG being taken for treatment.

The moment a location was given, the moment a woman was interviewed on camera and, in the deep emotion of the moment, revealed a name, muttered a last name, a deep dive into the who and where and what started. There was even speculation about whether a person with a similar-sounding last name, and who happened to be a sex offender, was THE person!!!!!

Warrant. They had a warrant! They don't need a warrant. And so on and so forth. The woman allowed them into the house, AND they had a warrant! Phones were taken. Her information was inconsistent...where does the son-in-law work? Where what how...was he driving a van for work???? Would you drive an UBER for an HOUR, and so on and so forth.

Of course we all want NG found. Absolutely! Why else would people from across the world at all hours be peeking in, commenting, proposing scenarios, etc.?

But...

Let's look at the other side, please, because not everyone will process the vague information we have about the person detained last night in the same way:

1) A journalist (dedicated, reliable, exhausted) made the decision to interview a household member live on air.
2) Said household member, in her anxiety and confusion about what was happening quite suddenly to her and her family, revealed snippets of information.
3) A warrant was present, but the search was conducted with her authorization because, as she stated, she had nothing to hide.
4) The first name and mumbled last name offered, in her ignorance (because she didn't realize the can of worms she was opening, of this I am 100% sure), were pounced on and people started digging. Maps, newspaper articles, a potential criminal history.
5) The information she offered under the strain and stress of the situation that was "inconsistent" was used to further justify pointing a finger a digging deeper.

This morning, the POI has been released, but the consequences for this family are far from over. Is the person they detained involved? Honestly, at this point, we don't know. He might have been released pending further investigation and he might be under surveillance even as I type this. We simply DO NOT KNOW.

However, somewhere out there, people who very willingly believe the worst and need to prop up certain personal beliefs will use "Hispanic male", "suspected sex offender", "driving a white van", and conclude "is he even legally in this country?"

We don't know the immigration status of this family, but I am sure we will get chapter and verse, plus added curlicues and frills in short order.

Regardless of your feelings about immigration in this country (and I do not judge people's opinions on this matter because each person has their reasons for holding fast to a particular set of values, peace to you,) an interview given in a moment of stress by a journalist who should have exercised a moment of discretion and still conveyed the gist of the conversation to his viewers undoubtedly will fuel ill-feeling towards people who might/might not be in the know about NG's whereabouts, or what happened at her home.

Full disclosure: I am Hispanic, and my vernacular is Spanish. I was born a US citizen (8 USC §1402 and the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917) and I am fully bilingual; if you saw me on the street, you would probably think "Mediterranean ancestry? Jewish?" and you'd be correct on both counts. If you spoke to me, you would think I grew up somewhere in the Midwest because that's where the nuns from our school came from. Our last name is so "generic" that we've had people checking our credit in situ tell us that our names come up in an FBI list for wanted drug dealers.

My personal experience is neither here nor there other than it triggers empathy for NG and her family, but it also triggers the understanding that revealing the POI's name and interviewing his mother-in-law on air, and allowing her stress-induced indiscretion in revealing what she did will have serious consequences for this family.

In school (many, many years ago), we studied US History and Civics and Government. My presence (legal...I feel compelled to repeat this because words can be misconstrued very easily in an age when everyone skims and reading comprehension has lost the weight it once carried) in this country as a full-time resident (to the extent of not having gone home for funerals or vacations or flying visits) has now lasted 26 years and I expect to never see my island again...ever. In that time, the pursuit of truth and facts that are carefully and assiduously researched has given way to the instant gratification of "hits on Google".

I want, desperately, for NG to be found; I want her to be safe. I want her to be well. I wish her a peaceful rest of her life surrounded by her family, and some degree (because a totality, after this harrowing period, is never possible) of peace and ease of mind.

At the same time, I feel that we don't have a right to, in our zeal, tear into a family we don't feel as intimately connected to as we do the Guthries. There will be those who, regardless of this POI's release, will descend on his family with merciless anger. As of this moment, only CNN has reported the POI's release. ONE NEWS OUTLET that is widely viewed has reported this. ONE. I don't follow social media, but I am fairly certain that the backlash and the rhetoric about immigration is probably taking off like a Roman candle.

I don't want to be participant in that. That's not why I came here. I came here because one family had suffered a tremendously traumatic event, and I wanted to see NG found. In my stupid, old, possibly naive mind, the frenzy of identifying the POI and starting to gather random threads to weave some cloth based on mumbled information feels tremendously unfair.

Forgive me if you think these are the ravings of a post-menopausal woman who doesn't "get it". I thought we were here to be helpful to each other, to the victims and families. I went to bed last night thinking we might just have been participant in victimizing another family. Hyperbole, perhaps, but to me it's heartbreaking to see this happen.

I say all this with deep respect for everyone's opinion, and for the tremendous intelligence and dedication I have witnessed here. I will watch and listen, but I will not comment further. I want to see this through, but I feel I've said enough and cannot offer anything productive past this point.

Thank you for patience and your tolerance of my wordiness. Peace to all.

What in the narcissistic vague-booking...

 

[zecats]

it is weird...but they don't want to get involved in person maybe? it's really scummy to with hold info. sounds shady as he!!. mOO

There is normally a way to provide tips anonymously. You can be verified later if tip pans out. No excuse to withhold this info for reasons of non identity. Moo

 

[EyeCandy]

How would this "never made it home" scenario work given the video evidence of a person intending harm later in the night at the house?

 

[oakayfine]

Delivery guy at 1:47 AM??? LOL

Amazon has been known to deliver at some strange times.

 

[Napoli]

I think it was due to a vehicle spotted somewhere and I say this because a reporter showed CP's mother-in-law something and asked if that was his and she affirmed it. JMO.

LINK..NO way to know what you are referring to. "vehicle somewhere" "showed something" was it his and she affirmed it. When i say a reporter said it, Everyone demands a link..Sometimes i type what I hear in real time. There is no link at that moment. If saying a reporter said thus and so and that is accepted, then MODS, please advise.

 

[PCHS]

Yes, it matters. If she didn’t actually make it home, then her last verified location was her daughter’s house. That would significantly impact the timeline and could suggest the events started there, not at her home. Confirming that detail isn’t backward-looking, it’s critical to understanding the case.

I think at this point LE has been fairly focused on the family, extensively so. I also think it unlikely a masked man shows up the same night she happens to disappear and that is just coincidence. I also think it is very less than likely anyone in the family masked on the porch. IMO while it makes sense to investigate the family and clear them out as a first step, the info that is public now, makes it seem to me LESS likely it is family and more likely to be someone else familiar with NG (e.g. worker at house or someone affiliated with worker at house) Again JMO and if additional info comes out that contradicts this my opinion may change.

 

[EyeCandy]

if it was a set up to say .. kidnapping...could it be possible that indeed the person on the camera never kidnapped. Pansy and the kidnapping or whatever occured elsewhere. Hmm .. if only we knew what they found inside the home. The sheriff has been so around the posey so to say

 

[CandyKiss]

I never would’ve thought 11 days later we would still not have Nancy

Sadly, this does not surprise me when we have verified abductions of children taken 10,20 and 30 years ago without a trace.

 

[milkshakedonkey]

The reward money would most likely be taxable.

Is Crime Reward Money Taxable by the IRS?

Understand the tax obligations for crime reward money. Learn how the IRS classifies this income and the steps required for proper reporting on your tax return.

legalclarity.org

The legal foundation for taxing these rewards is found in Section 61 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines gross income in very broad terms to ensure most financial gains are captured. Because there is no specific federal law that creates an exemption for rewards related to reporting crimes, these payments are treated as taxable earnings.<a href="javascript%3Avoid(0)" title="GovInfo. 26 U.S.C. § 61">1</a>

I'm disappointed that is the case, but sadly not surprised.

 

[floridafreshsqueez]

Can’t stop thinking about the crime. Adult kidnapping is very rare in the US. Was the perpetrator a fantasist influenced by video games or movies? Kidnapping for ransom is much commoner in Mexico— so much so that rich people have body guards. Did someone familiar with kidnapping as a crime see an opportunity in which a woman would be easy prey but possibly worth a lot? IF this is a planned kidnapping at all? — I haven’t read a plausible scenario yet, really. As if we all just accept the crime at face value. It’s really very bizarre. —

I came across this case recently: The Kidnapping and Torture of Mary Stauffer talk about a WILD read. I can’t decide if NG had a stalker or if she was taken because of her daughter’s wealth. Because Mary Stauffer and her daughter survived, I want to believe NG will too…although an 84 year old with her health problems escaping is harder to imagine.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Yes, it matters. If she didn’t actually make it home, then her last verified location was her daughter’s house. That would significantly impact the timeline and could suggest the events started there, not at her home. Confirming that detail isn’t backward-looking, it’s critical to understanding the case.

This is a completely logical position, but none of the data supports this.

The pacemaker disconnected from her phone, which was located at her house, along with her hearing aid, purse, and keys. She would have needed that to take that phone with her to dinner so that she could use the Uber. The Uber is logged in Uber's system, and confirmed by interviewing the driver. The fact that the phone is back at her home corroborates the story that someone drove back there, as does the hearing aids which you normally take out before you go to sleep.

Further, there is now video of a person at her home that fits the timeline: the same time of her camera disconnect, and shortly after her pacemaker, lodged in her chest, disconnects from the phone inside.

 

[PCHS]

Amazon has been known to deliver at some strange times.

Yes usually not 147 AM more like 3-5AM, regardless though they usually leave a package and don't dress for the type of business the masked guy did imo

 

[BigCityAccountant]

Interesting...my BackDoor Ring Camera notified me yesterday that the battery is dead. So this morning I bring it inside to charge it. I at this moment have it plugged into the USB port on my laptop...as I type. As soon as it charged up enough it alerted me that "someone" is detected at my back door...it is seeing ME at this moment moving it around at the laptop to charge it.

So could it be the perp turned the camera face down and then on the way OUT the door he picked it up to take it with them and that is WHEN it got the 2:27 or so "detected image"...

The camera will detect visual AWAY from its mount...it's detected me and I'm 100ft or so away from the laptop and I'm using WIFI

My guess was it was detecting movement because it was in his/her pocket. But, I know nothing about these things.

 

[Chimera]

Yes, it matters. If she didn’t actually make it home, then her last verified location was her daughter’s house. That would significantly impact the timeline and could suggest the events started there, not at her home. Confirming that detail isn’t backward-looking, it’s critical to understanding the case.

I believe this is very relevant. ^^^

We still do not know if Nancy ever made it home that evening, and the daughter lives close enough that the pacemaker would keep syncing until Nancy herself was driven further out of range ?
What if Nancy was in a vehicle, alive or deceased, and was never moved from it, while the intruder was inside her house, rifling through her things ?
LE seem to have thought that it was a crime scene they were looking at, so even if nothing was taken were items looking as if a search had been carried out ?
So many unanswered questions.
Imo.

 

[Tugb0ats]

One can easily deduct she made it home. Her blood was on the porch.

Blood on the porch only proves she was at the house at some point. It doesn’t prove she ‘made it home’ in the sense of being safely dropped off and left there. That’s a big assumption to jump to.

 

[layer]

$50K seems like a shockingly low reward to me considering that the reward for Lindbergh's baby was $75,000, and that was almost a century ago. Do they really want her found?