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

[Cassie P]

Yeah, it would have been nice if he did choke on the light in his mouth because he’d dead and Nancy would still be alive. Makes me think he’s familiar with using it? I know it’s been talked about before who would use a light like this. Someone has to be suspicious of someone they know right now and probably scared out of their mind.

Yes I think it is a risky thing to do at any time. But if you are running a criminal operation worth potentially $6 million it would be foolhardy to risk it. Unless as you say the person uses this light every day and is comfortable with it. Or perhaps he is overly confident and thinks he is invincible.

 

[wibbleflea]

Thank you Wibble, there is so much information here sometimes I miss pieces of information. I knew people were talking about fake mustaches, etc but I didn't realize how sophisticated some of these masks are today. Even the teeth are part of the mask.

If the light is behind the mesh mask, isn't it a choking hazard and risky to use this way?

If you’re out to abduct someone (or worse), a tiny keyring light in your mouth is probably the least of your worries. It also reduces the chance of the light falling out and of saliva falling out. Would explain the odd misalignment between flashlight and mouth, too. Just a theory.

The IR video isn’t sharp and may blur out the mesh but I’m wondering if a mask wouldn’t be brighter under IR – more like the ski mask. Not sure!

 

[Trino]

Just my opinion, the eyes and eyebrows of the perp always looked like a woman to me. But the body looked like a man. So I’m guessing he wore a face mask and maybe it had eyebrows? The eyes are real.
Lots of questions for all of us.

A couple ex FBI LE have said they think it won't be shocking, and that it probably won't be someone 'new' in the case. Not sure what that means. MOO

I think we might guess but not post.

 

[Cassie P]

If you’re out to abduct someone (or worse), a tiny keyring might in your mouth is probably the least of your worries. It also reduces the chance of the light falling out and of saliva falling out. Would explain the odd misalignment between flashlight and mouth, too. Just a theory.

The IR video isn’t sharp and may blur out the mesh but I’m wondering if a mask wouldn’t be brighter under IR – more like the ski mask. Not sure!

As I just said in another comment, if you are planning a crime potentially bringing in $6m and involving the life of someone else, you might not take the risk of choking on the job.

I didn't realize it was tiny. What size is it? I was thinking larger.
Maybe this guy uses it in his job or a hobby all the time and is fine with it.

Yes it does solve the problem of leaving DNA behind. Yes and the odd appearance of the mismatch of light and mouth.

 

[acutename]

Well, in the Delphi case they kept saying people should look out for the son, brother, husband, neighbor , coworker etc. who had changed their appearance, acted differently, etc.
.
And for 5+ years the killer was there in plain sight (after video and audio of him played all over the news and social media) working in town at the local CVS pharmacy, right next to the police station. No one noticed a thing.

yes- no prior record, family, job... in retrospect one could find some things odd about this man but overall, nothing alarming. still weird IMO.

 

[SMK777]

yes- no prior record, family, job... in retrospect one could find some things odd about this man but overall, nothing alarming. still weird IMO.

I do remember early on in the Delphi case, LE predicting it would not be some transient criminal, but would rather be someone within the community with a good reputation, so I guess they wound up being right.

 

[annpats]

What masked Latanas man was going for was a bit different, though I would be more worried about him fumbling the gun that was poorly tucked into a mismatched holster with the safety strap not on it.

Ahh, but it didn't matter if he fumbled the gun. Because, he wasn't ever going to use it, and he knew that.
Where was the need? He was kidnapping an 84 year old woman with mobility and health problems. No-one needs any sort of weapon for that.

I think he was only carrying it on the off-chance he ran into someone in the neighborhood who may have come across him and tried to stop him in the act, or if LE were called he could've fired at them.

But this was all unlikely, and the perp knew it. It was nearly 2am in a safe neighborhood on a very dark Sunday night. No-one was about, no-one saw, and it all went as planned.

MOO.

 

[wibbleflea]

As I just said in another comment, if you are planning a crime potentially bringing in $6m and involving the life of someone else, you might not take the risk of choking on the job.

I didn't realize it was tiny. What size is it? I was thinking larger.
Maybe this guy uses it in his job or a hobby all the time and is fine with it.

Yes it does solve the problem of leaving DNA behind. Yes and the odd appearance of the mismatch of light and mouth.

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

Sunday at 6:13 AM

It’s got to be a tiny light. Here are the frames from 0:04-0:05 in the 0:14s video from FBI’s X post (linked) when the light momentarily turns off. It seems like it’s actually emanating from the dark patch below his “lips” rather than from between them. Very weird.

View attachment 649257View attachment 649258

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021285842044494279

How about this

Amazon.com

But seriously something like this might work

Amazon.com

• Ghostwheel

• 

 

[Katrinepa]

Ahh, but it didn't matter if he fumbled the gun. Because, he wasn't ever going to use it, and he knew that.
Where was the need? He was kidnapping an 84 year old woman with mobility and health problems. No-one needs any sort of weapon for that.

I think he was only carrying it on the off-chance he ran into someone in the neighborhood who may have come across him and tried to stop him in the act, or if LE were called he could've fired at them.

But this was all unlikely, and the perp knew it. It was nearly 2am in a safe neighborhood on a very dark Sunday night. No-one was about, no-one saw, and it all went as planned.

MOO.

We won't know until we know.
I still think it may have been a robbery gone bad, and my first look at the pictures of the perp made me wonder if it could be a woman?
The backpack looks full. Of What??
If kidnapping/murder was intended, then a vehicle of some kind would be needed for transport, as he/she/they probably could not carry a body very far without assistance/transportation.
Just an aside; There is no such thing as a safe neighborhood. Most crimes aren't committed by your neighbor, though often committed by someone you know, and anyone can drive/walk into any neighborhood and commit crimes. ie; the turnpike was right across the street from my house, so easy access. An LE from the area pointed out that in recent years the state/county offers free bus transportation, so easy for criminals to travel from the city to the burbs/rural and easy exit, and crime has increased. MOO

 

[SlimPickens]

I saw the story before I went to sleep last night. At that time they had cancelled school for Thursday and Friday and the person hadn't been caught. I just looked for the article I saw last night and it's been updated to show the alleged killer.

Investigation continues after Wayne County triple murder suspect arrested - KSLNewsRadio

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office advised all residents "take extra precautions, keep lights on, keep doors locked, and remain home or with others" on Wednesday evening.

kslnewsradio.com

Trying really hard not to be 'one of those', but the eyes and lips match pretty well (the little skin area above the center of top lip at the mustache, particularly). Would need to see his general height/build, of course, but it is odd that he evidently left Iowa on a Western bound crime spree and was backtracked by LE through parts of Arizona (thus far). And there can't be that many active and currently triggered sadists in the area or we'd see more victims on the regular.

JMO.

 

[Cassie P]

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

Sunday at 6:13 AM

It’s got to be a tiny light. Here are the frames from 0:04-0:05 in the 0:14s video from FBI’s X post (linked) when the light momentarily turns off. It seems like it’s actually emanating from the dark patch below his “lips” rather than from between them. Very weird.

View attachment 649257View attachment 649258

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021285842044494279

How about this

Amazon.com

But seriously something like this might work

Amazon.com

• Ghostwheel

• 

Thank you so much for this information Wibble. I finally understand the mouth light situation. It doesn't look like the turtle light put out much light. So what was the purpose. I don't know how much light comes for the other ones shown. I wonder if he wedged the light between the two masks, not in his mouth. Or attached it somehow.
I am not sure what to make of the light issue at this point. It might be significant. IDK.

 

[Donswife48]

The clue has already been called in, IMO. The FBI doesnt want, "I think it's my neighbor weirdo Joe". They want clues. He was away for a few days. I saw him with blood on his sneakers etc. They said they had 15,000 tips. The name is there. . After the embarrassment of the Carlos and LD raids, LE is sulking in a corner and not acting on anything but a guy wearing a sign saying I did it. JMO

I don't see the search warrants and detainment of Carlos and LD as an embarrassment on LE. They had enough information to be able to obtain the warrants which aren't given freely by a judge. MOO

 

[lonetraveler]

Utah's Department of Public Safety said that investigators used license plate cameras and other tools to track Miller through southern Utah, into Northern Arizona and eventually into Colorado in one of the victim's vehicles. Colorado law enforcement found it abandoned in Pagosa Springs. After a brief search, Colorado law enforcement took the suspect into custody without incident, the department said.

Ivan MillerArchuleta County S

Interesting.

 

[Cassie P]

Ahh, but it didn't matter if he fumbled the gun. Because, he wasn't ever going to use it, and he knew that.
Where was the need? He was kidnapping an 84 year old woman with mobility and health problems. No-one needs any sort of weapon for that.

I think he was only carrying it on the off-chance he ran into someone in the neighborhood who may have come across him and tried to stop him in the act, or if LE were called he could've fired at them.

But this was all unlikely, and the perp knew it. It was nearly 2am in a safe neighborhood on a very dark Sunday night. No-one was about, no-one saw, and it all went as planned.

MOO.

It was part of his bad guy outfit? All the layers, masks, gloves, lights. Fake physique, fake face, fake hair, fake eyebrows, fake teeth. He needed a fake threatening gun in a dramatic and noticeable location on his body.

Also, I think this goes beyond just a disguise? What is the psychology of someone wrapping himself up in so many layers?

 

[flowershop]

This is more of a general comment and not a direct response to the poster above but it made me think: What did people do before cameras were so easily available? I think we've gotten a bit paranoid. My cousin has the most annoying Ring floodlight that says "You are now being recorded" in the most annoying, loud voice every time someone walks in front of his house. He doesn't live in an unsafe area or out on secluded property... his next door neighbors are like 15 feet from from him on either side. I think there are good things about security cameras and systems and apps like NextDoor but I also think they can lead to paranoia. My Aunt just moved to the area I live in (a safe suburb) from another state where she lived in a very safe suburb and she asked me if we had gangs in the area because of something she read on NextDoor. There are no gangs where I live, in a well-off suburb where the police will respond to a lost dog in under 3 minutes, so it's just crazy to me that anyone would ever think something like that.

And to the point above about redundant security systems-- do you have backup power and internet in case someone were to cut your electricity or internet cables at a point upstream from your property?

Well the home security system has been around since ancient times according to this website I found...

Who Invented the Home Security System? | SafeHome.org

Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first modern home security system in the 1960s, using TV surveillance and a two-way microphone.

www.safehome.org

ADT is given a mention:

In 1874, American District Telegraph (ADT) founder Edward Callahan created a “call box” based on the telegraph system for homeowners to signal for assistance to a central office. The network consisted of 50 homes across Baltimore at first but quickly grew over time.

But like anything one can go overboard I suppose.

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

Exactly.

And also, as I think was the case with Richard Allen, the killer goes out of his way to maintain a sense of daily normalcy so no one will notice him.

[Think of killers Paul and Karla Bernardo hosting a Father's Day dinner with her parents in their own home after abducting and killing a 14 year old girl, and chatting and having cake and coffee with her body beneath them in the basement.]

Yes, exactly.

 

[Lebowski]

Trying really hard not to be 'one of those', but the eyes and lips match pretty well (the little skin area above the center of top lip at the mustache, particularly). Would need to see his general height/build, of course, but it is odd that he evidently left Iowa on a Western bound crime spree and was backtracked by LE through parts of Arizona (thus far). And there can't be that many active and currently triggered sadists in the area or we'd see more victims on the regular.

JMO.

when did he leave iowa?

 

[wibbleflea]

Ahh, but it didn't matter if he fumbled the gun. Because, he wasn't ever going to use it, and he knew that.
Where was the need? He was kidnapping an 84 year old woman with mobility and health problems. No-one needs any sort of weapon for that.

I think he was only carrying it on the off-chance he ran into someone in the neighborhood who may have come across him and tried to stop him in the act, or if LE were called he could've fired at them.

But this was all unlikely, and the perp knew it. It was nearly 2am in a safe neighborhood on a very dark Sunday night. No-one was about, no-one saw, and it all went as planned.

MOO.

Completely agree with this. Would add that it would help with the intimidation. Wasn’t meant to be used at all.

 

[OldCop]

So the hair, the beard, mustache, eyebrows all could be part of a mask?

Yes!

 

[wibbleflea]

Thank you so much for this information Wibble. I finally understand the mouth light situation. It doesn't look like the turtle light put out much light. So what was the purpose. I don't know how much light comes for the other ones shown. I wonder if he wedged the light between the two masks, not in his mouth. Or attached it somehow.
I am not sure what to make of the light issue at this point. It might be significant. IDK.

I think he wanted minimal amounts of light. Not enough to be noticeable from across the street. Otherwise, a head torch would have better. They’re way too bright, though.