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

[cait2007]

A thought came to me and I haven’t seen this idea discussed anywhere else.

What if this whole thing did in fact start as a regular old random robbery/break in? Perhaps the guy knew an old lady lived there but nothing more. Then in the process, the bad guy learned about the “rich and famous” daughter and he pivoted to a stupid spur of the moment kidnap/ransom idea.

Say he comes in, finds Nancy, and starts demanding cash but she doesn’t have any to give him. He has a gun and Nancy panics. What if she says hey don’t hurt me, my daughter is on tv and can get you money. We can work this out.

Then the wheels start turning and this fool thinks hey, I could do a kidnap/ransom and get big $$$ He’s a bumbling fool though and didn’t think any of it through. He has no idea how to contact the family with his ransom demand so he contacts the news.

We’ve discussed this a lot. However, this thread moves so dang quickly.
It seems obvious the crime didn’t start as a kidnap for ransom. It doesn’t make much sense to take someone who is 84yo and has health issues. I don’t think they’ve mentioned that any of her medications had been taken, which would be imperative for keeping her alive. I think she possibly fought back or didn’t give the perp what he wanted— maybe cash or stock transfer. After all, he was with her for 30+ minutes based on the cam footage and pacemaker going out of range. She could’ve succumbed to injuries or died after the perp took her, so that leaves no way to offer proof of life.

 

[TIGER0822]

What if she's in a coma somewhere? No proof she actually walked out the door.

DBM

 

[Absoluterubbish]

Here's one of the videos.

Thank you.

 

[Absoluterubbish]

No.

Thanks. I have just rewatched through the link provided and I do see a hood?

 

[Serononin]

And for a whole month?! It says Jan 1 to Feb 1. Unless that is a typo (which is crazy).

It would make much more sense if it's a typo and they actually want footage starting on Jan 31, but who knows

 

[Der Detektiv]

IMO it would be a huge coincidence (and very disconcerting!) if two different people with backpacks, etc were out and about in the middle of the night around the same time and fairly close distance. I’m leaning towards both being involved. One approached the door, one was a lookout, driver, etc.

It was written earlier in the thread by a local that Tucson is a high-crime area and men with backpacks aren’t an uncommon sight.

 

[thefragile7393]

I disagree. Just 5 miles south of Nancy's house is one of Tucson's poorest areas

IMO that has nothing to do with any of this

 

[thefragile7393]

It was written earlier in the thread by a local that Tucson is a high-crime area and men with backpacks aren’t an uncommon sight.

Men with backpacks aren't an uncommon sight anywhere in Tucson. By the U of A, by Pima college, Downtown, pretty much anywhere many men carry backpacks.

 

[Sessiebo]

I am not finding any NBC article stating that gloves found AT the home are being tested. Source?

Nancy Guthrie live updates: Authorities offer identifying details about man seen on Guthrie's porch

Live updates in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "TODAY" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who disappeared from her home in Arizona.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[nightowl2728]

It was written earlier in the thread by a local that Tucson is a high-crime area and men with backpacks aren’t an uncommon sight.

I think the two backpacks, in the middle of the night, and not being able to unlock the gate, altogether is most suspicious, but I also agree it could be totally unrelated/related to a different crime.

The fact that FBI has stated that likely multiple people were involved (maybe this guy was an accomplice) and the footage we see from NG's includes a man both with and WITHOUT the backpack also makes this suspicious to me. Where did the backpack go and when? Did an accomplice carry one for himself and take another person's at some point in time?

I posted a bit back about the random video vs. the perp footage, and it hasn't been clear to me if the backpacks are similar or different. The one that the man is hoisting over the gate isn't really identifiable, one way or the other, IMO.

EDIT: I also posted that the time from the location of the random video to NG's house based on the key times is within the realm of possibility, as it's about 15 mins drive. It's also along the route that the gloves were found in terms of the most direct route to/from NG's to the likely location of the random video.

Not saying any of this is conclusive by any means, just saying there are several things to me that seem to line up.

 

[FoldInTheCheese]

Does the guy in the NG ring cam video have a hood on his jacket? I have tried to find the video again for ages to no avail.

I don’t think so

 

[pixiepixel]

A thought came to me and I haven’t seen this idea discussed anywhere else.

What if this whole thing did in fact start as a regular old random robbery/break in? Perhaps the guy knew an old lady lived there but nothing more. Then in the process, the bad guy learned about the “rich and famous” daughter and he pivoted to a stupid spur of the moment kidnap/ransom idea.

Say he comes in, finds Nancy, and starts demanding cash but she doesn’t have any to give him. He has a gun and Nancy panics. What if she says hey don’t hurt me, my daughter is on tv and can get you money. We can work this out.

Then the wheels start turning and this fool thinks hey, I could do a kidnap/ransom and get big $$$ He’s a bumbling fool though and didn’t think any of it through. He has no idea how to contact the family with his ransom demand so he contacts the news.

I have been wondering the same thing! Years ago the famous baseball player Cal Ripken's mother was abducted. Her kidnapper drove her around for a day before finally dropping her back off at home, unharmed. No ransom, no demands, nothing. They still don't know who did it, but a popular theory is that he tried to abduct a random old lady to get some cash, but started freaking out when he saw on the news that he'd abducted the mother of one of Baltimore's most beloved celebrities.

More about that, here: Cal Ripken's mom abducted, now safe

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The frantic search for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie, has stretched into a thirteenth day.

Investigators were seen erecting a tent outside the crime scene on Thursday morning as Savannah Guthrie posted a heartbreaking video for her missing mom.

Guthrie’s neighbors have been asked to hand over personal security footage while Arizona authorities have been flooded with nearly 20,000 tips related to the 84-year-old’s disappearance.

A chilling new ransom note regarding Nancy Guthrie was sent to TMZ Thursday morning, with the writer complaining that they are “not being taken seriously.”

Nancy was last seen at her Tucson, Ariz., home on Jan. 31, when she was dropped off by her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, after she had dinner with him and her daughter, Annie

Savannah Guthrie missing mom live updates: Chilling new ransom note has warning for Nancy Guthrie’s family

Follow the Post’s live updates for the latest news on Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom and the investigation to find Nancy Guthrie, who was last seen on Jan. 31.

nypost.com

 

[SRWCF]

I don't think the man in the TMZ video is the same as the man in Nancy's camera video because even though Nancy's camera video is in black and white, you can tell the backpack is a lighter color than the coat. And in TMZ's video, it's the opposite. The backpack is black and the coat is a lighter color.

I don't know. You can see he is carrying that pistol on his waist in the front. You can see it best at seconds 10-11 in the video when he turns and something (the gun holster) swings out in front of his waist. I, too, think the body types look different, but carrying that gun in the front like that is unusual and unique.

 

[shadowsc]

I am not finding any NBC article stating that gloves found AT the home are being tested. Source?

• Gloves found at Gurthrie’s home are being sent out for testing, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said today. Pictures and videos released earlier this week by the FBI depicting Guthrie’s possible kidnapper showed a person wearing black gloves.
  
  
  

  Nancy Guthrie live updates: Authorities offer identifying details about man seen on Guthrie's porch

  Live updates in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "TODAY" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who disappeared from her home in Arizona.

  www.nbcnews.com

 

[Cindizzi]

I am not finding any NBC article stating that gloves found AT the home are being tested. Source?

Found this:

Nancy Guthrie live updates: Authorities offer identifying details about man seen on Guthrie's porch

Live updates in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "TODAY" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who disappeared from her home in Arizona.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[SaraSmile]

As I said elsewhere just now. Unless there is more than one robber. One guy carries the tools of the trade to do the robbery. Others have the empty backpacks.

I don’t think it was a robbery, JMO.
I think the bag was full because of rope, gag, body bag, to get her out of the house more easily.
I’ve moved away from the ransom/ kidnapper theory. I think the ransom people were just opportunists. No proof of life, etc.
I think, someone wanted her gone, ( dead, sorry) but why?

 

[Jade]

Thread keeps rehashing old news. Tired of reading about cameras and how the person dressed. Maybe it would be helpful to have a NG Current News Thread.

There is a NG media thread that has all the current news

 

[MollyHarps]

I know we are not privy to all information but this case really feels like the people in charge have no idea what has gone on here and they are clutching at straws. I think the case has been botched from the start.

I feel it has become a circus and sometimes it’s easy to forget at the centre of this is a family who are missing their 84 year old mother.

 

[DizzyB]

Does not say when they were found in the home however. I’m posting this for the last time, as I don’t want to contribute to the volume in this thread. But here is the link.

Gloves found at Guthrie residence, sheriff’s department says

Gloves found at Guthrie's house are being sent out for testing, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement this afternoon.

www.nbcnews.com

Yes, it was written in the article-
“Gloves found at Guthrie's house are being sent out for testing, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement this afternoon.”
I tried to find the statement they referred to. I was unable to find any statement that said that gloves were found at the house. I searched for articles, releases, videos, social media, and found nothing. I think gloves are being tested, but I believe someone may have taken some license with where the gloves were found. If they truly were testing gloves (maybe they are and were part of what they were doing in the tent today), I don’t believe it was in a statement.