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

[Cassie P]

Academics Convicted of Murder Lets' add Ted Kaczynski to this too

• Bryan Kohberger (2022–Present): A Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University, he was arrested for the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students and pleaded guilty in 2025.
• Wyndham Lathem (2017): A Northwestern University microbiology professor who, along with Oxford University employee Andrew Warren, was charged with the murder of a man in Chicago.
• Valery Fabrikant (1992): A mechanical engineering professor at Concordia University in Montreal who shot and killed four colleagues.
• John Webster (1849): A Harvard Medical School chemistry professor who murdered a prominent Boston physician over a debt, a case famous for its use of circumstantial evidence.
• Bruce Reilly (1990s): Convicted of murder as a young man, he later became an academic, researcher, and law school graduate working on criminal justice reform.

High IQ people are often profoundly isolated in social life. Isolated doesnt mean they aren't street smart . You dont have to be raised on the street to out think LE. Plus, look at all the bazillions of abductions and murders that have not been solved.

A blanket statement like this perp isnt an academic because he was too busy in school doesnt compute for me. Lots of serial killers are whacko nurses, for example. Years in school. Decide to inject some substance in people to enjoy the thrill of the code blue or the control over life and death. Evil is Evil. Unsolved crimes abound. This perp is smarter or at least more goal oriented than the average Joe. JMO

You raise good points. However I would like to say that most of these were sloppy crimes because they all were apprehended.
I'll give you TK, he was the exception.

Nurses usually have three or four year undergraduate degrees, so we are not talking PhD or MD.

 

[Cassie P]

There were many things that worked in favor of the criminal - a dark neighborhood with houses spaced far apart. The houses are set back from the road, so cars on the roads would not be captured by cameras mounted on the houses. A victim who was easy to overcome. The victim's camera video was not saved (but fortunately, experts were able to reconstruct a portion of it). If I were a neighbor, I would be upgrading my security system yesterday. The neighbors should all get together and install cameras on every road going into and out of the neighborhood. The whole world now knows how vulnerable they are. All the criminal needed to do to pull this off is not bring his cell phone with him. I can't say he's smart, but I do think he is observant. MOO

Yes but perhaps the criminal chose the crime site for these variables? Which is smart.

And no, this crime took way more than leaving his phone at home.
The Tepe murderer tried that trick and it did not help him at all.

I am going to go out on a bit of a limb here but I believe that the person who planned the NG crime is at least one standard deviation about the mean in terms of IQ. I will be happy to lower that number if someone can give me data where he did stupid or foolish things.

 

[SherryLock]

DBM

 

[SaraSmile]

Open Houses could provide information for people with bad intentions.

Edit to add I assume this has been covered by LE.

Good idea, lots of random, unknown people walking through. Someone maybe even noticed the placement of the iwatch charger, end of bed. Or it showed in RE posted images.

JMO

 

[Lebowski]

I'm just going to put this out there because I've felt this way since the perp video was released. I cannot tell if he's calm or not in that video. I'm not a body language expert and without sound to measure his breath, I cannot make any guesses about his behavior apart from the FBIs physical description.

He's engaged in a very high risk crime so that suggests he's confident but I can't see that in his actions in the vestibule. I just see a masked man where he shouldn't be.

i'm not an expert either, but i see no sign he is nervous or uncomfortable. his actions look deliberate and not rushed. he does not freeze at any point -- he keeps thinking and doing.

and the lack of outward signs of nervousness despite the seriousness of what he's doing is striking to me. IMO, he's done stuff like this before.

 

[j_in_c]

I'm hearing some buzz online about SATG:
SOUTH AMERICAN THEFT GROUPS
A term used by the FBI and local law enforcement to describe transnational organized crime rings.



Key Aspects of South American Theft Groups (SATGs):

• Operation: These groups are often composed of foreign nationals, sometimes referred to as "burglary tourists," who may enter the U.S. illegally or via visa waivers.
• Methods: They use advanced techniques, including surveillance, Wi-Fi jammers, and disguises to avoid detection. They frequently rent vehicles, use fake IDs, and rely on encrypted messaging apps.
• Targets: High-end residential neighborhoods are heavily targeted, with a notable increase in incidents involving Asian-American business owners.
• Impact: Law enforcement has documented millions of dollars in losses across multiple states.
• Locations: Significant activity has been reported in California, Texas, and various other states.
  FBI (.gov)

I'VE BEEN READING UP ON THESE CRIMINALS. They check a lot of boxes in this case. Advanced techniques, thorough pre-planning, disguises, surveillance, work in teams. Experienced. Use crypto-currency.

They are known for casing neighbourhoods in the pre-planning phase. They use surveillance techniques, and then plan their home invasion for later date, and come prepared.

One note here is that they use surveillance (like installing a webcam in victims yard) so they can be sure to strike when no one is home. Can't rule anything out, but this doesn't fit those theft rings MO - MOO.

 

[SaraSmile]

I'm hearing some buzz online about SATG:
SOUTH AMERICAN THEFT GROUPS
A term used by the FBI and local law enforcement to describe transnational organized crime rings.



Key Aspects of South American Theft Groups (SATGs):

• Operation: These groups are often composed of foreign nationals, sometimes referred to as "burglary tourists," who may enter the U.S. illegally or via visa waivers.
• Methods: They use advanced techniques, including surveillance, Wi-Fi jammers, and disguises to avoid detection. They frequently rent vehicles, use fake IDs, and rely on encrypted messaging apps.
• Targets: High-end residential neighborhoods are heavily targeted, with a notable increase in incidents involving Asian-American business owners.
• Impact: Law enforcement has documented millions of dollars in losses across multiple states.
• Locations: Significant activity has been reported in California, Texas, and various other states.
  FBI (.gov)

I'VE BEEN READING UP ON THESE CRIMINALS. They check a lot of boxes in this case. Advanced techniques, thorough pre-planning, disguises, surveillance, work in teams. Experienced. Use crypto-currency.

They are known for casing neighbourhoods in the pre-planning phase. They use surveillance techniques, and then plan their home invasion for later date, and come prepared.

Interesting post. If the perp is not part of this group, they may have researched and copied some of these techniques. Just an idea.
JMO

 

[scandiamerican]

Yes.
He seems to do that micro-smirk with his lips, that forensic psychologists say gives the indication of guilt.
It means that they think they are getting away with it. It's practically subconscious, so they're not even aware they're doing it, and it's known as "supers delight".

What Is Duper’s Delight? Causes, Signs, and How to Respond

Body language expert Janine Driver explains what duper's delight is and how to spot it If you've ever felt a spark of joy when a lie of yours went unnoticed, that was duper's delight. Duper's delight, or duping delight, is the experience...

www.wikihow.com

Duper’s delight?

 

[waldojabba]

Yes. A crotch gun. It’s kinda nuts when you think about it.

I read somewhere in passing that in roofing there is a similar "holster" for carrying nails and that the nail holding 'holster' is postioned on the body the same way the perp has it.

So, he may be a wandering day laborer, as many workers in the roofing business are.
JMO

 

[templeton]

Ok. I am 100% behind the entire Guthrie family. I have always been. I never thought they were POI etc. The world isnt poised to see if and when she comes back to NBC. There's a perp on the loose. At its core this is a family tragedy.

That being said, Why is this news? Why is this publicized? Why let the perp know where SG is? Trying to see if the perp followed her to NY? The perp is a dangerous person. Ask yourself what is to be gained by making SG's visit to NBC a publicity moment? NOT being critical. I am wondering about motivation. If there is any. There's nothing newsworthy in what was revealed. IMO JMO

I always thought if life moves forward and less attention on the case, the perp may feel he needs to do something to get it back in the news

 

[Napoli]

*Heavy sigh* Another selfish little man on a pointless spree, murdering random people (women) on his "See America in a Stolen Car" tour? I'm sure LE will be retracing his steps from Iowa to Utah, making sure there are not more victims.

Why do the majority have facial hair? It's not a style thing. It's an inadequacy thing. imo. I will seem or feel tougher, stronger, more masculine" I have seen it too many times. jmo

 

[wibbleflea]

I can’t decide whether or not the emergence of the porch video was a shock to the perpetrator.

Did he think NG probably had a cloud subscription, so his disguise would need to be effective enough to prevent recognition? Or was the getup purely to stop NG and any potential witnesses from identifying him?

If he did expect video to emerge, there’s no telling how much work he may have put into altering his appearance and movements on that video. If not, perhaps we’re seeing more of the perp’s real mannerisms and features.

 

[submarine7]

There was a FBI profiler I watched on STS whose theory matched what I think happened, but without confirmation about the ransom letters validity, it's impossible to make an informed guess. He suggested a couple of local guys who thought this was easy money and did not have an understanding of how kidnappings work. They got in over their heads and have so far have been lucky. To me, this seems the most likely. They could be a few degrees of separation away from NG but likely know somebody who knows of SG and NG. The fantasy of doing this and the reality are very different and that's how we got here.

Edit to add the early appearance could be somebody chickening out.

 

[annpats]

Duper’s delight?

Err, yes. That's what it's called, apparently.

 

[Napoli]

You raise good points. However I would like to say that most of these were sloppy crimes because they all were apprehended.
I'll give you TK, he was the exception.

Nurses usually have three or four year undergraduate degrees, so we are not talking PhD or MD.

I think you are missing my point. The perp in the NG crime might be an academic. At the least he is intellectual and schooled. He is not a drop out. He has been exposed to books and theories and literature.

I will take an exception about your categorizing of nurses They possess keen observation skills. They act quickly and decisively. It's not the snobbery of the degrees one might possess. It's not the amount of initials after ones name. It's the ability and wisdom nurses impart. .Doctors dont save your life. Nurses do. jmo

 

[LRinCA]

A combination of LE and FBI?

https://twitter.com/x/status/2029649519290503612

 

[FaviousM]

A combination of LE and FBI?

https://twitter.com/x/status/2029649519290503612

I believe they are all FBI. Assuming by LE you meant PCSD

 

[LRinCA]

I didn't realize there were photos of SG's visit to The Today show. I think these are behind-the-scenes photos and she was not on camera.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2029612480352112771

 

[LRinCA]

I believe they are all FBI. Assuming by LE you meant PCSD

Yes, I thought it might be a combination, just based on the wording of the shirts. But it was just a guess.

 

[K9Enzo]

I didn't realize there were photos of SG's visit to The Today show. I think these area behind-the-scenes photos and she was not on camera.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2029612480352112771

Well TMZ published several. Savannah Guthrie Visits 'Today' Staff