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

[VeronicaVaughn]

With respect, I do not believe that.

For anyone who has not been there, I can assure you it is a truly vast terrain, mostly unpopulated. At ~3am the odds of a vehicle with head lights off, driving down an Arroyo for instance, being noticed by any human are slim to none,

That said, I still wonder if NG is actually at the bottom of a deep nearby lake.

I have wondered about a nearby lake too, for reasons that have more to do with a hunch than with actual evidence - at least at this time.

MOO.

 

[Eli9]

And as that CNN Live guest, a Former FBI Specialist, opined 10 or so days ago, the perp may have taken his life in the face of the public and LE attention, or as I glean from your possible profile of the perp, the high from his crime has worn off.

Good point, certainly one to consider.

 

[monkey_mochi_234]

With respect, I do not believe that.

For anyone who has not been there, I can assure you it is a truly vast terrain, mostly unpopulated. At ~3am the odds of a vehicle with head lights off, driving down an Arroyo for instance, being noticed by any human are slim to none,

That said, I still wonder if NG is actually at the bottom of a deep nearby lake.

I

I have wonderful about a nearby lake too, for reasons that have more to do with a hunch than with actual evidence - at least at this time.

MOO.

I believe Tucson had more rain than usual in early January. That could have made the lake idea more attractive to the perpetrator.

MOO.

 

[Serononin]

BBM Ok, where in Arizona, in the area of Tucson, are there green pastures near a lake or pond? Going with the literal here. MOO

No idea about lakes or pastures, and though I think it's probably pretty unlikely that the perp(s) is/are trying to send a psalm-related symbolic message, stranger things have certainly happened. So, going down that train of thought, looking at a map of the area around Tucson, a name that catches my eye is Vail. It's a huge reach, to be sure, but Vail > Vale > Valley > "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death"... Incidentally, Vale is also the name of SG's daughter, as I learned from an old article I just read where Savannah talked about her daughter's excellent memory for Bible verses (the previously mentioned Psalm 23 included)

 

[The Missing Canoe]

Would love to see experimental results from anyone with a similar Google Nest in night mode, using a thin, mesh mask and a hyper-realistic mask (silicon or similar). I’ve skimmed many articles explaining that the IR reflectance levels would be quite different from human skin but haven’t seen images or footage.

The point most of those articles make is that the neck and ears (bare skin) would look different from the mask. The mask would be brighter, more washed out and lacking in detail.

In the specific footage we see here, it could be that the only bare skin visible is from eyelids and wrists. The latter are close to the camera’s IR source when we see them, so they’re brighter (inverse square law). If it’s a thin, mesh-type mask, the mouth could be covered.

(Edited to add for clarity: so it’s harder to compare skin with the mask’s material in the footage we have, because the ski mask and the jacket cover most of the inner mask, if there is one. We don’t see hands, neck or ears so can’t use them to compare.)

Would love to see some test results

I’m not quite following the thought process of buying a hyper realistic silicone mask only to cover it in a ski mask. Not judging at all, just haven’t yet seen an explanation that satisfies me.

When I google the use of silicone masks by criminals, generally it appears that the realistic masks are used as the main mask to disguise and distract from their features. If anything, the ski mask on top would serve to accentuate the shape of the head (I do recall theories about padding, yes). And a basic latex mask underneath would be cheaper and serve basically the same purpose, aside from possibly altering the appearance of the eyes? MOO.

I dunno. Apologies and appreciation in advance.

 

[fridaybaker]

I’m not quite following the thought process of buying a hyper realistic silicone mask only to cover it in a ski mask. Not judging at all, just haven’t yet seen an explanation that satisfies me.

When I google the use of silicone masks by criminals, generally it appears that the realistic masks are used as the main mask to disguise and distract from their features. If anything, the ski mask on top would serve to accentuate the shape of the head (I do recall theories about padding, yes). And a basic latex mask underneath would be cheaper and serve basically the same purpose, aside from possibly altering the appearance of the eyes? MOO.

I dunno. Apologies and appreciation in advance.

I agree with this and I just think that it's "too much". I think it would be really, really rare to find this kind of planning although, of course, it's possible.

 

[Serononin]

There is the possibility that Nancy bragged about Savannah to someone she came in contact with. We all know that older ladies tend to do that.

There would certainly have been plenty of opportunities for that to happen, since NG has been described as very active in the local community. Her hair and nails also look professionally done in several of the photos I've seen. If she got to talking about her family during a salon visit (which is a pretty common occurrence, especially if you see the same stylist/nail tech regularly), who knows who might have overheard her

 

[dotr]

Mar 2, 2026
Officials say the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is not yet considered a cold case.

 

[Serononin]

I agree with this and I just think that it's "too much". I think it would be really, really rare to find this kind of planning although, of course, it's possible.

Plus on a purely practical level, a hyper-realistic silicone mask seems like it would be a) expensive (doesn't track with other gear coming from cheaper places like Walmart), b) easier to trace the purchase of, and c) in combination with a ski mask, probably hot, sweaty and generally uncomfortable, even on a relatively cool night

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

I

I believe Tucson had more rain than usual in early January. That could have made the lake idea more attractive to the perpetrator.

MOO.

Given that the perp planned and executed this crime so carefully, I would imagine that the perp had a solid plan in place for where to get rid of NG's body. And, I would also think that he wouldn't want to be driving around very long with NG's body in the car.

Yes, there was a lot of rain in January in Tucson. But, either way, the perp likely considered a lake or small body of water.

 

[SMK777]

And as that CNN Live guest, a Former FBI Specialist, opined 10 or so days ago, the perp may have taken his life in the face of the public and LE attention, or as I glean from your possible profile of the perp, the high from his crime has worn off.

Exactly. He may not even be around anymore to catch.

 

[Cassie P]

I think that's true. Choosing NG meant that he would get enormous attention. And, if he was a loner with low self-esteem and a sense of inadequacy, he could bask in the attention and feel a sense of confidence about himself since he planned and executed such a successful crime.

JMO

Seems like if it was an experienced criminal with a business crime goal, he would have picked a lower profile victim? More attention means more likely to be apprehended?

So perhaps we are looking at someone not experienced, more opportunistic, and/or not a kidnapping?

 

[Cassie P]

I wonder also since SG made mildly religious references in the video to ransomer could the perp's mother be connected to NG's church and perp heard her say she knew NG?

Yes the religious reference could mean older female. Or very religious subculture.

 

[wibbleflea]

I’m not quite following the thought process of buying a hyper realistic silicone mask only to cover it in a ski mask. Not judging at all, just haven’t yet seen an explanation that satisfies me.

When I google the use of silicone masks by criminals, generally it appears that the realistic masks are used as the main mask to disguise and distract from their features. If anything, the ski mask on top would serve to accentuate the shape of the head (I do recall theories about padding, yes). And a basic latex mask underneath would be cheaper and serve basically the same purpose, aside from possibly altering the appearance of the eyes? MOO.

I dunno. Apologies and appreciation in advance.

A face mask underneath a ski mask would be unusual, I imagine.

If it’s a hyper-realistic silicone mask, it would a) change the perceived shape of the face and b) add things like a fake moustache and eyebrows.

If it’s a thin, mesh-style mask, it would cover the wearer’s mouth, meaning the mouth we see isn’t useful in identifying the perp – lips, teeth, shape of mouth.

Because it’s unusual to use one under another, the fake features peeking out from under the ski mask would probably be assumed to be real. The ski mask would be assumed to be the disguise, with the real face underneath.

I don’t know that either of these things happened. (Meaning that I don’t know if there was any other mask under the ski mask.)

The speculation comes from what looks like possible borders around the eyes, the apparent absence of a flashlight in the video footage when the flashlight is off (meaning the light could be underneath a mesh face mask, shining through it when turned on) – you see lips and teeth but no flashlight. Also, the mouth doesn’t seem to move at all and the flashlight, when turned on, doesn’t seem to quite line up with the mouth we see when it’s turned off. There’s more from other posters about this on the separate thread.

 

[LakeRat55]

Given that the perp planned and executed this crime so carefully, I would imagine that the perp had a solid plan in place for where to get rid of NG's body. And, I would also think that he wouldn't want to be driving around very long with NG's body in the car.

Yes, there was a lot of rain in January in Tucson. But, either way, the perp likely considered a lake or small body of water.

Southern Arizona is very dry, rugged territory. Lakes/ponds are few and far between. The closest lake of any size is 2 and a half hours north and in the middle of a reservation, not a likely place for this purpose. I agree that one would certainly want to get rid of the evidence that could get you at least locked up for life as quickly and closely as possible. The vastness and baroness of the local terrain is something most people can't comprehend until they see it first hand.

 

[No it's not]

How would the message in Psalm 23 be a connection?

A connection if you consider Mile Marker 230 as possible location to find NG.

Quote:
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
GOOGLE EARTH showing one of the green areas:

GOOGLE EARTH, all areas around MM230:

Quote:
Yea,though I walk through the valley of the shadow..
The Sonara Desert consists of broad, flat desert valleys separated by numerous, long, narrow mountain ranges.
Quote:
Of death, I will fear no evil..

Self explanatory..

ALL IMO

-Nin

 

[SMK777]

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

Given that the perp planned and executed this crime so carefully, I would imagine that the perp had a solid plan in place for where to get rid of NG's body. And, I would also think that he wouldn't want to be driving around very long with NG's body in the car.

Yes, there was a lot of rain in January in Tucson. But, either way, the perp likely considered a lake or small body of water.

I've been thinking about what lakes or ponds would be easily accessible for a car (vs. hiking to the lake). There are a number of possibilities. But, a car pulled up to a lake or boating ramp in the middle of the night could raise suspicion if there happened to be anybody in the area.

Since cars can pull off the side of the road for multiple legitimate reasons, I think the perp may have considered parked along the side of a road that happens to be next to a steep ravine. While there are many such roads within 30 minutes of NG's house, I'm particularly thinking about Catalina Highway going up toward Mt Lemon.

Since this was likely planned, I think that he'd have a plan that was relatively close to NG's property or his property, if he lived in the Tucson area.

JMO

 

[No it's not]

Recommend calling in this idea to LE. Seems quite plausible.

Do not feel comfortable doing it. But thanks.

-Nin

 

[factseeking]

Is this the point where we all turn to acknowledge the really nasty elephant in the room, the biggest 'career ending/dampening mis-conduct' story of the 21st century?

We know SG has not been working due to surgery in December, but we've also seen an explosion of that nasty story in the last three months, and we're in the very earliest stages of reprecussion, with resignations starting to flutter down like the first leaves of fall. Any interviews or investigative reporting SG did on that story is already out there, maybe scheduled to be re-aired, maybe not. Maybe the point wasn't to silence *her*, as much as send a warning to other journalists who might be considering joining the elephant hunt?

Which nasty story are you referencing here? I went back to Cryptic's post but didn't see it.