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

[pulchra73]

If there’s no forced entry, how did he get NG to open the door? Maybe he said, “Hey, it’s so-and-so, and your (son, daughter, grandson) needs help (as in, accident or ill) - please come with me- I’ve been sent to get you” for example (only) and/or he identified as someone she knew so she opened the door

He probably broke into the back door, then took her out of the front door where he had already taken off the camera.

 

[SilentHill]

Im certain I saw a post earlier from the Sheriff's Department that stated he was released.

Yes. The post you replied to states that twice.

 

[Irmese]

It has been suggested Nancy may have
a) had brain-fog or been groggy if she was woken up at 2am.
b) thought the man knocking was coming to collect her to take her to the church gathering

Alternatively, maybe Nancy didn't even think to check the cameras before opening.

Could be, but quite often, elderly people have a hard time falling asleep/staying asleep. They will often leave the TV on all night. If they're losing their hearing, they will leave the sound turned way up. Even some of us not so elderly leave the TV on all night. I sleep with Forensic Files on, lol! But the TV provides light to get up and go to the bathroom as well as noise. Elderly people often sleep in snatches, fully waking up in between. My mother would go to bed at 9:00 PM, wake up around 11, go to the bathroom, wander out to the living room, have a chat, maybe even a snack, then go right back to sleep. She would do that 2 or 3 times a night.

 

[oc1234]

Looks like they are just retrieving things from the house to take to them to me, but he was wearing gloves which might indicate something else or just not wanting to contaminate any potential future processing (as a general precaution).

JMO.

Agree, the paper bag was a Whole Foods Market bag

 

[cait2007]

My initial thoughts on the abductor(s?) being in the house for 40ish minutes would be that they were trying to get NG to do something that she was not cooperating with, whether that was give them money/ bitcoin, call SG, call other kids to extort funds, etc. Then they got frustrated and switched to Plan B, which was to abduct her and send the ransom note. I don't feel as that was their initial intent. I also believe this would explain how she was injured and dripping blood on the doorstep, they injured her in their frustration.

My 2 cents: this wasn't completely random but it may be a stranger to the family. They knew who the target was related to and/ or that she had means herself. I think they were watching her for a long while, possibly in the house before she returned from the family dinner. Definitely amateur with the lack of planning re: doorbell cam. I also think it was two people, one being the driver/ lookout. Unfortunately I don't think NG was alive long after leaving the house and I do believe she was dumped somewhere fairly early on.

Totally. He probably put her over his shoulder to carry her out, which coincides with the blood pattern outside. Her lack of compliance defaulted him to plan B, because he was already in too deep. This shows with the lack of planning, like not having medicine on hand for a planned kidnap for ransom. She could’ve easily had a heart attack and passed away in route to wherever they were going. This botched the whole thing and they never even sent a ransom note knowing they didn’t have POL. They just need a place to get rid of the body and act like nothing happened. Sadly, I have no hope she is alive at this point. I pray I’m wrong.

 

[Friday Fan]

bbm

IMO, it's highly likely she left the property in a car. and if you assume that, i think it means the immediate vicinity of the house is no longer a particularly high priority search area relative to anywhere else. she could be anywhere.

why a car? my understanding from news reports is that the trail of blood starts at the door, continues down the walkway, and then has not been detected (or at least not reported) beyond that. if it stops at the driveway or sidewalk, IMO an obvious possibility is that the bleeding person entered a car. besides, how far are you going to carry a 150 lb person on a sidewalk in plain view. and/or how far will you make a person with mobility issues walk under duress? again, in plain view on the sidewalk. ... what logical possiblities are left? helicopter? tandem bike? zip line? hard to picture anything but a car.

I think so too. She was accosted, possibly gagged (someone mentioned nosebleed from a gag and that seems to make sense) and forceably escorted into a vehicle. The blood pattern seems to show this...MOO

 

[tlcya]

Hiya TLCYA!! Long time no see! Finally was able to get my old account back with the help of SillyBilly!

This is my understand about the still pictures without the backpack and the pictures/videos with the backpack. I was trying to find a source, but can't find anything. BUT--if you put the statement into chatgpt. It kind of explains why. Here is what I put.

Not sharing chatgpt here as I'm not sure if its an approved source. : )

welcome back @BigCityAccountant

 

[Diddian]

Does anyone who was watching the evening that 3 Sheriiff’s deputies visited AG’s home in darkness and went inside the house and garage and used a flash camera and possibly Luminol testing know whether any of that Luminol testing was done in the driveway leading out of AG’s garage?

ETA: I think it was Brian Entin who provided video but I have not yet found that.

 

[PCHS]

To take a body though is weird. Most people would do what they came there to do and leave. If they’re there to murder, they do it where they are. Dragging an 84 year old woman around is hard work and you could easily get caught.

Yes it is one thing that makes me think she was alive at that point when they took her

 

[CandyKiss]

Could it be a black watch band?

JMO

I don't think so, the top is angled on the left side and it doesn't appear to encompass the wrist at the mid-section .

 

[aafromaa]

I'm open to all scenarios but ask yourself would you open your door at 2 in the morning if you saw an armed, masked, gloved person on your porch?

I can think of a scenario that would cause me - also a senior lady living alone - to open that door - and that is if I could not see those things - if it was pitch black and i couldn’t see the person on the porch AND he said he was LE. So if the lights and camera were disabled first I might - but I would have a 9mm in one hand and a flashlight in the other and I would open it very cautiously even if I thought it was LE. Also note I’m not sure whether the full moon would allow enough light to see the mask or gun even if he lights and camera had already been disabled but if I did see that I certainly would not open it.

The only other scenario that I can think of that would cause me to open the door is if I recognized the voice of the person and they were pounding on the door and yelling through it that it was an emergency. In that case I might open it without even having tried to look out first - or grab my gun or flashlight.

 

[investigatoroffacts]

MOO.

I would imagine the abductor, trying to prevent leaving any DNA from stray hairs, etc., wore fresh clothes to NG’s house. (However bumbling they may be in some ways, they seem to have managed not to leave DNA that got found–and some article said the ransom note bragged about that, though I don’t know if that was validated.) I was initially thinking the jacket was likely to be from Walmart since the backpack seems to be. I agree with others that the overall jacket style is pretty basic–but the zipper is not. It’s got contrasting piping on each side of the zipper rather than the zipper itself being high-contrast. I could not find any like it at Walmart online, with both the horizontal dark line across and the contrast zipper style. But I did find a soft shell that’s sold in Europe that is very similar to that style. I believe Pitch Stone is a Scandinavian brand. I do not know if it’s sold in the US. (I’m an American who moved to Scandinavia.)

For me, The Jacket has a lot of similarities to a Spyder - Ski jacket no hoodie. With the zipper and such.

 

[allboys]

Your post prompted a question for me - what he was looking for ANY house that he thought he could access. Something at her door made him think "this one." Then he went to get his gear (whatever that was for) before actually entering.

Maybe it wasn't targeted at all, but just he thought he could get in.

jmo

Maybe he was testing to see if there was a motion sensor alarm, or floodlight in that coved entrance.

 

[farmgirl04]

What are your thoughts on the composition of the jacket. My initial thought was reversible fleece?

I think the jacket is a very old style biking/running shell. They are waterproof and can be super stretchy it looks like some of my very old ones easily 2000’s. Similar to this.
ETA: fixed picture

 

[stmichael]

Or there was a ruse to get her to open the door. "I'm law enforcement, there is a dangerous suspect on the lose around here" "I'm from the utility company. There is a dangerous gas leak, we need to turn off your gas". Something like that.....

I don't see that at all, actually I've state this point to the contrary.

He drew the gun front and center as he walked towards the door, and had a mask and gloves on a temperate night leaving all doubt of a ruse, rather "exposing himself" for intimidation.

Most pros would not expose themselves until they got in (both makes it easier to ruse your way in, and prevents a random person on the outside spotting you).

He also made no attempt at any easy disguise in this way (like the amazon vest or OSHA vest criminals now often use). The get up did not look in any way shape or form official and was one of the amateurish weird things often pointed out (clumsy thick chemical gloves, cheapo mismatched holster, reflective stripe backpack) Just an alarming haphazard alarming look that does not match any official reason to ruse to be there., like he was cosplaying the Zodiac kiler or something.

Now what you suggest is often used by criminals whether a common porch pirate stealing a package or a hit-man masquerading as a LEO (think Minnesota political executions case where he dressed like a cop and flashed the light at the eye-level when they opened the door). It's very easy to do in both getting the gear and imitating behavior. I am surprised he didn't go cliche all black tactical ninja, or have a molle vest with a velcro patch on it (police/dea whatever) or just go the hazmat vest (removed so easily) and flashlight "M'am I here to check on a gas leak in the area". There seemed zero effort on both fronts here.

 

[Cblewife]

IMO, the masked person moves in a comfortable way & doesn’t seem stressed. His backpack is somewhat full, so I believe it was not a robbery or the backpack would most likely be empty.The intent was something different here. The way the person moves makes me feel like they walked her out carefully which keeps hope alive somehow in my mind.

I thought he/she looks very calm. Didn't stress over seeing the camera, no frantic movements. IMO, this type of demeanor would be helpful in getting an elderly person to cooperate with you.

 

[UsernameRequired]

Does anyone who was watching the evening that 3 Sheriiff’s deputies visited AG’s home in darkness and went inside the house and garage and used a flash camera and possibly Luminol testing know whether any of that Luminol testing was done in the driveway leading out of AG’s garage?

ETA: I think it was Brian Entin who provided video but I have not yet found that.

No, I didn't see any LE taking photos outside the home.

 

[ly502]

It has been suggested Nancy may have
a) had brain-fog or been groggy if she was woken up at 2am.
b) thought the man knocking was coming to collect her to take her to the church gathering

Alternatively, maybe Nancy didn't even think to check the cameras before opening.

Both of these suggestions

To be clear, those things were suggested by you.

a) I doubt she was still groggy by the time she got to the door (in your imaginary scenario). She walks slowly; it took a while.
b) I think she knew it wasn’t yet day light, so it’s very unlikely IMO she thought it was someone scheduled to pick her up.

Alternatively, I think it’s very unlikely she willingly opened the door unless she thought her family was in trouble.

Thank you! Those suggestions are just ageist and ridiculous

 

[LRinCA]

If the perpetrator did intend to kidnap her, wouldn't he/she have brought something to put over her head? A hood or cloth bag so she wouldn't have seen where she was going. Perhaps placed it over her head as she was sleeping (I'm sorry, a graphic image and all IMO/JMO).

As an aside, I wear hearing aids and once my hearing aids are out and I can actually get to sleep, I sleep pretty soundly. Without them, I can hear - but everything is muffled. If I was in the bedroom with the door of the bedroom closed, it's doubtful I would hear the doorbell ring. Of course, all hearing loss is different.

JMO
MOO

 

[PCHS]

I can think of a scenario that would cause me - also a senior lady living alone - to open that door - and that is if I could not see those things - if it was pitch black and i couldn’t see the person on the porch AND he said he was LE. So if the lights and camera were disabled first I might - but I would have a 9mm in one hand and a flashlight in the other and I would open it very cautiously even if I thought it was LE. Also note I’m not sure whether the full moon would allow enough light to see the mask or gun even if he lights and camera had already been disabled but if I did see that I certainly would not open it.

The only other scenario that I can think of that would cause me to open the door is if I recognized the voice of the person and they were pounding on the door and yelling through it that it was an emergency. In that case I might open it without even having tried to look out first - or grab my gun or flashlight.

I thought of law enforcement which is what that murderer did in MN (Melissa Hortman etc)- but the cameras showed he was disguised like one. This person was clearly not LE and not at all enticing to open the door to. No clue how they got in, but it seems they likely did and removed her and then here we are imo..