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

[pulchra73]

^ snipped

The New Yorker piece I posted earlier today outlined it this way:

“Leising [retired FBI agent] described five reasons someone might commit a kidnapping:

financial gain,

ideology,

domestic discord,

exploitation (for example, sex trafficking),

and

“delusion,” or mental illness.”

Then, the article’s author added, “One could not help wondering whether Savannah Guthrie’s prominence […] was a factor.”

Revenge

 

[Eli9]

I agree re: it being reasonable.

I just think it's interesting and something to make note of for possibile future developments.

Looking at her landscaping, I'm guessing she didn't need weekly maintenance. We had weekly maintenance in California, but in Arizona we've always had either monthly or every other month maintenance. For the pool it was always weekly and as I mentioned, the same person for years and then his son.

Other regular maintenance items would be pest control which we have done more regularly in Arizona then we did in California. HVAC just twice a year. For us, we saw the pool guy and the weekly landscapers more than anyone else (in CA).

I would be hard pressed to think that NG was doing her own pool maintenance prior to her disappearance.

My husband is gone for months at a time so I tend to be the one to deal with things like the pool company, HVAC twice yearly service, appliance delivery and most recently a bathroom remodel. I like our pool guy but I'm 90% sure he is a former felon. And I have no problem with that but people who you have weekly contact with or even come to your home for a service do tend to learn a lot about you and your schedules, what is left unlocked and when - like say the gate leading to the back yard pool.

I imagine NG to be a gregarious outgoing woman who was always happy to chat. It's sad to realize she was taken advantage of no matter what the circumstances.

 

[VenturaJen]

I know personally, Victims of violent crimes often take years (if ever) returning to their occupations and “before” routines. I can only surmise, SG is having many feelings of her celebrity. You are not responsible SG.

From my own experience, not others.

 

[Absoluterubbish]

I find that troubling, but jmo.

Me too.

 

[joe jones]

That's absolutely your right to feel that way. I would like to say that no one would criticize you if you ever were in a similar position and decided to pay without proof of life, but no matter what anyone does these days, someone will surely criticize it. However, LE generally does not recommend paying a ransom without proof of life. They are the experts and have all the statistics, so I would probably follow their advice.

and what if you pay first one without proof of life and a plan in place to exchange NG for ransom and she isn't returned do you continue to pay random people hoping one is the right one, it would be beyond insanity to pay anything without knowing NG is alive and a solid negotiated plan is in place to exchange, which is why I don't see this is a kidnapping, the messages sent to media have never provided contact details so an exchange could be negotiated that we know of,
and the families messaging was initially asking whoever took NG to get in touch

 

[shadowsc]

A new theory surrounding Nancy Guthrie's abduction points to an inside job, according to reports.

RadarOnline.com can reveal insiders close to the case believe the 84-year-old's captors would be familiar with the inside of the 84-year-old's $1million home, given interior cameras were allegedly smashed during her kidnapping.

The cameras were installed by Nancy's family, including her Today anchor daughter Savannah, for their elderly mom's safety, especially if she suffered a fall.

But the abductor knew where they were situated, prompting a belief they may have been familiar with the security setup – first reported by journalist Ashleigh Banfield – inside the home.

A source said, "The signs point to an inside job. Cameras that were smashed inside the home were there to protect their mother.

"Only a very few people have access to them — they were installed to make sure nothing happened to their mom, like if she fell when home alone.

Nancy Guthrie Abduction Points to 'Inside Job': Chilling New Theory Emerges Surrounding Masked Man Behind Disappearance of 'Today' Host Savannah's Mom

A new theory surrounding Nancy Guthrie's abduction points to an inside job, according to reports. RadarOnline.

www.aol.com

Hmm. Wonder if anyone else had access to the cameras. Could someone who wasn't there have seen via camera that the Apple Watch was on the foot of the bed as reported? That maybe that person is the ransom letter person, not the kidnapper? Is that too far fetched.

 

[Luna20]

I’m so very sorry to say this and it’s MOO, but I don’t think NG is with us any longer. I am thinking about my own 80 year-old plus parents and I don’t have much hope. I really and sincerely hope that I am wrong.

The kidnappers would have had to pack all of her medications for her to still be alive. They wouldn’t be taking her to the pharmacy to pick up her refills either.

I heard it mentioned once on the thread that LE was checking in to her prescription info. Has that been confirmed?

 

[dogmom805]

I heard on a podcast last night that journalist are already trying to position themselves to take over Savanna's Today host position.

Is this someone who wanted her job?

 

[loves2readhistory]

They have had fourteen days. No leads? They have a video of the perp. They have dna. They have three ransom notes. FBI should take the lead ow.

IYO—
1. There is a video of a masked person wearing bulky clothing /possible self-disguised with a common backpack and gloves. So far no to VIABLE identification of said person has been made—at least one WRONG tip resulted in person detained and released.
2. There is a DNA sample taken from the house that has yet to be proved tied to the crime. Yes—it is not NG’s DNA but plenty of people leave DNA when they come into homes.
Has anyone considered it could be the DNA of a LE person that after analysis will be ruled out? With people going into the crime scene at various times and possibly contaminating it, this possibility occurred to me.
3. At this time no info as to WHY last night’s search happened—whether one or more tips from the tip line or a lead developed from LE investigation. No person was kept in custody.
4. In most cases I have read about evidence taken from a search warrant search CONFIRMS information developed and tied to a likely suspect. So while forensic search brings out evidence to tie the person to the actual crime, that person is usually undergoing a 24 or 48 hr hold for questioning.
Nothing like that happened last night— no longer questioning has occurred so far. Rio Rico guy released as soon as…don’t know if any people last night even went to police station for questioning.

All taking random DNA and other “evidence” from the wrong/inaccurate search site does is wear down the people doing the lab work.
They may have collected evidence at the scene last night—
Or they may not—

5.The forensic people had to be there IF the suspects were viable for the crime.
Maybe they took 100 samples away and after taking to the people decided it was a nothing burger…think they will spend time/money to process all those samples looking for something that isn’t going to be there?

sheriff admits it could take YEARS to find Savannah's abducted mother, 84, and says he is exhausted... Neighbor of home raided by Nancy Guthrie cops reveals who lives there via @DailyMail

 

[GatorsNorth]

The kidnappers would have had to pack all of her medications for her to still be alive. They wouldn’t be taking her to the pharmacy to pick up her refills either.

I heard it mentioned once on the thread that LE was checking in to her prescription info. Has that been confirmed?

That I don’t know.

 

[Sessiebo]

The kidnappers would have had to pack all of her medications for her to still be alive. They wouldn’t be taking her to the pharmacy to pick up her refills either.

I heard it mentioned once on the thread that LE was checking in to her prescription info. Has that been confirmed?

I think that was confirmed by the sheriff in one of the press conferences IIRC

 

[GatorsNorth]

Is this someone who wanted her job.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all. MOO

 

[MagicalMysteryTour]

Further observations re kidnapping and Lantana man:

1. Lantana man seemed to go through a lot more effort to conceal every inch of his body than he did to be agile for a break in. At least double clothed - likely done to shed top layer head to toe once kidnapping complete? The thickness of the gloved hand in FBI video seemed to make his hands almost unusable for fine motor skills.

2. FBI videos looked like Lantana man was thickly dressed and if so he would likely be on the slimmer side. Not much of a gut in pics even with thick or multi-layered clothes. Also he appeared to be bow legged. It did originally strike me as someone that has worked on his feet a lot based on his movements and lower body stiffness - although the stiffness could be due to the bulky clothing.

3. Was his head to toe coverage for DNA transfer, covering of tattoos or both? Someone in a much earlier post here mentioned they could see a tattoo through the gloves inside of his wrist. It did not seem apparent to me. To others it did.

4. He may have put the long side of his hand to the camera if he believed FBI had technology to see under his gloves and could therefore detect identifying finger prints or tattoos. If so, could be someone previously fingerprinted or identifiable through tattoos and he knows this. If he is single gloved then he has large hands IMO.

5. The gun holstered in the front seems more for scare than usage. Non matching gun to holster as others have pointed out causing him to repeatedly reposition the gun in the FBI videos strikes me as an amateur. IMO Professionals would buy a holster that holds their specific gun as they would be using it frequently for their crimes.

6. His clothing and shoes looked more new than old. Crisp almost - although need to acct for night vision images. Clothing bought specifically for this event? I don’t think a professional would buy a new outer set of clothes for each of their crimes but I remain open to this possibility. The outer layer was relatively inexpensive.

The lack of continuing ransom demands makes me think the primary reason for the kidnapping was not for ransom. And no body yet found dumped in the desert or elsewhere continues this theory.

If it was kidnapping to cover for intended murder then this would make more sense. If it was kidnapping gone horribly wrong and ransom was primary motive then it seems they would continue with ransom notes for return of body. It’s a lot easier to leave a body to be found for ransom than someone alive IMO.

Harvey Levin who received the 1st ransom note stated the grammar was “perfect grammatically and layered”. If we believe his judgment on this (he is an owner/editor of a media org - whatever we think of the org or him personally) then it would seem that someone very well educated wrote the 2 ransom notes.

Thoughts?

I've been wondering about the clothing and equipment worn by the perp in the nest doorbell camera footage and have been thinking along the same lines.

I think the perp is forensically aware based on the fact that he seems to be double (or triple) gloved and is wearing what looks to be new or near new clothing.
This may also explain why his equipment looks like it is new as well. He is very conscious of the potential for DNA transfer and is trying to reduce this risk. Based on the fact that he has demonstrated forensic awareness, I believe there is a high possibility that he would destroy all of the clothing and equipment once he finished the event.

This could also explain why he sought out clothing and equipment that is cheap and mass produced. Firstly, it would be harder for police to trace the purchase and secondly, he won't take a large financial hit for gear he intends to destroy.

I also think he was double masked based on the static nature of his facial expressions, the abnormally thick neckline and the "uncanny valley" almost plastic nature of the facial features as per the nest doorbell camera footage. If the perp was double masked, it would explain why he wasn't too panicked (as per body language displayed) about being spotted by the doorbell camera. This is in marked contrast to the fact that he took great pains to ensure that his motor vehicle was nowhere near the driveway before he disabled and removed the doorbell camera. The fact that he moved the vehicle to the point where NG's blood trail stops only after removing the camera indicates that the vehicle could be directly traced to the perp.

I also noticed that when the perp looked for something to assist with removing the nest camera, he immediately looked to the plant pot to the right of the front door before heading to the lantana. This pot contained a plant as recently as Nov 2025 (still looking for the google maps pic that another WS member posted displaying the pot with plant). It may indicate that he was casing NG's residence from a distance (either in person or via Google Maps/Streetview) well before the night of her disappearance. It could also be that he noticed the pot on his way to the front door that night so more evidence would be required to effectively demonstrate advance reconnaissance of NG's residence.

I think he planned his crime well in advance and, despite looking like a dollar shop cowboy, he was prepared to surmount the various obstacles in the way of his goal. It is telling imo that despite coming across something unexpected (nest camera), the perp still remained confident, methodically problem solved and continued to proceed with the abduction. Most criminals are deterred by a residence displaying obvious security devices but not this perp, he was determined.

All the above is JMO.

 

[shadowsc]

Is this someone who wanted her job.

Nah. Jmo, but too many factors. Hoda will probably just come back anyways. Even if not, in any case, small list of potentials, can't see anyone risking that, and no guarantee SG wouldn't come back to be held by her Today family. They seem to like each other there.

 

[loves2readhistory]

sheriff admits it could take YEARS to find Savannah's abducted mother, 84, and says he is exhausted... Neighbor of home raided by Nancy Guthrie cops reveals who lives there via @DailyMail

The Daily Mail article implies barring that woman from the search of her house by LE means that she is guilty of some crime. AND it implies her name is in the article and it is not. And the reason her name isn’t released Is that LE made no effort to arrest her. Maybe they will come back but right now she is not even a person of interest legally.

Letting homeowners stay in house is not how it usually works in the US—when property is searched by LE under warrant, any people are not allowed inside while it is going on. That separation is just common sense—firefighters don’t want people inside a burning building….LE is doing a job to look for and retrieve possible evidence of a crime. They don’t want someone trying to hide, destroy possible evidence, or stop them from doing their jobs in any way.
THAT is a crime in itself.

 

[Sessiebo]

That looks like a different guy from the 1/23 video IMO

IMO - JMO
To me it seems he had that same jacket in his hand in the other ring video and this timeslot was exactly in between the other times. I wonder if it is in the same area. I could be wrong but then i wonder how many people are creeping in the night in that neighbourhood , especially on the 23rd

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022794449567318099

​

 

[Fargo]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022794449567318099

Leave it to the Aussies to tell us how they really feel. IMO

 

[Eli9]

I find that troubling, but jmo.

It may be due to the fact there was no break in. No forced entry.

Narrows down the field to double digit numbers and LE doesn't want to give out that valuable information.

It's the only thing that makes sense to me even though I REALLY wanna know. MOO

 

[VegasGirl35]

But it can always be something totally random. Some cases fit the pattern some are way left field.

I definitely don't think you're off base. I don't believe this was a stalker, mentally unstable Savannah fan or random crime. Whoever did this had some peripheral connection to Nancy.

For context, I live in a pretty well off area. Everyone in my cul-de-sac uses the same landscaper. Any suspicious cars are reported immediately. We all know who our 'regulars' are in terms of service workers. Circling back to Nancy, I find it hard to believe some random would be able to lurk on her street, unnoticed, enough times to get a feel for her living situation. Million dollar neighborhoods simply don't work like that.

She was put on the radar by someone who had been to that house, or someone in her orbit who may have unwittingly revealed information to some nefarious people. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my words, but my instinct says there's a common denominator in there somewhere, LE just hasn't sussed it out yet.

JMO.