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

[katydid23]

I am scratching my head at the fact that it’s extremely unlikely that an 84 yo (with no dementia and having limited mobility) go missing in the middle of the night… combined with the fact this rare event has happened to a very well known public figure’s family member. I’m not suggesting there is a relationship, but the combination of factors make it even more a statistical anomaly.

Sadly, even if an 84 yr old 'has no mental issues', it is not unusual for someone to suddenly be confused or have a sudden drop in competency.

My mom , when she was in assisted living at 86 and 87, used to get UTIs, and suddenly she would be acting like she had dementia, and she would go wandering alone, looking for who knows what. She was picked up by police both times it happened and we had to help her move to Memory Care instead of her living independently.

Someone in their mid 80's may be fine 80% of the time, but there can be sudden mental glitches that pop up sometimes.

But it does sound like someone harmed her, so it was probably someone who knew she was alone at night...

 

[Simply Southern]

Yup, it would open many other doors.

Ransom …. cryptocurrency … across the border
Might explain why FBI and Border Patrol was so quickly involved moo

 

[Alkali13]

Another random thought... It doesn't sound like there was a trail of blood through the house or something. That being said, if there was blood in the bed that wasn't immediately visible, someone could've brought a tarp or something similar to transport her in. OR a rug that belonged in the bedroom is suddenly missing, which would make the kids suddenly worked.

MOO

 

[whitelilac]

I think there are a few misconceptions.

First, it was stated this happened between 1 and 4 am. So intruder was likely not in the house when she came home.
The neighborhood is NOT gated.
The front door was open when police went there, not open all night. Besides they stated forced entry.
Family checked the house and property searched for an hour and said they didn't see anything to cause immediate alarm. If there was a lot of blood they would have seen that. Unless blood was found outside or not visible to the family in their search.
The isolated factor....Desert homes usually are spaced and have a lot of property, upthread there was an aerial posted, there are a lot of homes in that location. Plus the vegetation is low, cacti and desert brush. It's not as though she lived in a house in the middle of nowhere, alone with the nearest house being like a mile or two away.

Police now stating she was "harmed" while being taken away was likely discovered on camera. Not through a lot of blood or other obvious visible occurrence. (though, if blood was in her bed, and covered up, as Alkali13 mentioned....possible)

I think this is personal, targeted (for now) she is known to someone. Workers, landscaper's buddies, who knows even the gas station personnel.

Someone mentioned targeted because her daughter is well know, maybe has been threatened. It is easier to abduct an elderly lady living alone than a child in the family......if the was some sort of payback.

It's just awful.....please let her be alive.

 

[Alkali13]

if there is no camera footage of an intruder, her leaving the house between 1-4 a.m. has to be odd

There are definitely at least two, more likely three entrances to the house. She may have only had a camera on the front entrance.

 

[browneyes]

Poor Savanah started out covering crimes for Court TV.

 

[squareandrabbet]

Someone quoted above that the house was in some sort of disarray, that's what I was confused about

Maybe the proverbial/cliche

"Looks like the house has been tossed!"

of cop/detective/state trooper/etc. TV and movies?

I mean, if someone ransacks a house it generally looks like it.

 

[GatorFL]

I love Brian Entin he is a class act.

He was ironically an NBC correspondent in our local market for several years.

 

[crhedBngr]

Weather for the Catalina Foothills area:

10-Day Weather Forecast for Catalina Foothills, Tucson, Arizona - The Weather Channel | weather.com

Upper 70s, lows around 50s.

JMVHO.

 

[Bounceycat]

I can't come up with a similar case
84 yrs old living alone middle of the night abduction
Wow

Gary Martell allegedly killing and assaulting his 82yo neighbor, Dolores "Dee" Martin, in Skowhegan, Maine in summer 2024

 

[who knew?]

I do not know anything for certain, but this feels targeted. In our country these days, it’s best to keep political opinions to yourself because there are so many different groups using violence to settle scores. This doesn’t seem to be robbery or SA, and I don’t think it was an addict. IMO, she knew her abductor (not necessarily well, but who knows?) and they attacked her for a reason, which could have been related to her or one of her family members. It doesn’t take much to set off violence with political, religious, or personal opinions.

 

[GatorFL]

Chris @ 3:32
Nancy is not capable of leaving the house on her own, there's no way she's physically able to get up and leave.
Yet she was in her home by herself?

I work in healthcare and this is extremely common. Lots of people have enough of a circle, whether it is family, friends or paid help, to stay home alone. It's what they prefer instead of moving into assisted living. It's a free country and the bar to place someone in an ALF against their wishes is high.

 

[bdawk20]

Chris @ 3:32
Nancy is not capable of leaving the house on her own, there's no way she's physically able to get up and leave.
Yet she was in her home by herself?

I’m wondering about that too. I wonder how she gets to church? If they only missed her because she didn’t show up, we can guess nobody from church picks her up…

 

[swanniee11]

I would also be looking at neighbors/their kids/grandkids. IMO.

 

[acutename]

Okay, there goes the theory it was someone who dropped her off/picked her up.

jmopinion

unless they left her door open and came back

This reminded me of a case of an elderly couple here in Ohio who were murdered by their lawn guys several years ago. An elderly man, in his late 80’s, was very friendly and talkative with the lawn guys every week.
He shared with them about an old coin collection and some sports collectibles that he kept in his home. Each week he’d pull out a wad of cash to pay and gave them each a nice tip after they mowed his lawn.

One evening the lawn guys showed up
at their back door and the couple invited them in. They tied them up, robbed them and then forced them into the backseat of their car that was parked in the garage. One of the guys drove while the other followed in his vehicle. The took them out onto a remote country road, shot them both and set fire to their car. The men were apprehended a few days later after LE reviewed video footage of the two filling up gas cans at a nearby gas station.

the lawn boys:

Trenton man gets 45 years in prison for brutal murder of ...​

NJ.com
https://www.nj.com › trenton_man_is_sentenced_to_45




Apr 27, 2011 — 20-year-old William Bethea was sentenced to 45 years in prison Wednesday for the brutal murder of 84-year-old Jerry Eure Sr. in a 2007 home invasion.

 

[Sundog]

I wonder how she normally got to church. Would she drive herself or did someone take her?

jmo

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[MoeInVA]

I keep going back to the most common scenario for an octogenarian who goes missing — wandered off on her own (maybe after head injury or medical episode left her with confusion).
- I hope they are rechecking all the nearby homes and garages, sheds, pools, vehicles etc. Just in case.

If she was taken (a lot of effort), it seems likely she was taken in a vehicle since she hasn’t been found yet.
- I hope that police have a vehicle description and are just not sharing it yet.

Really scary if they still don’t have a suspect vehicle. Get road facing cameras, folks. If not for you, for your neighbors.

 

[MollyHarps]

Gary Martell allegedly killing and assaulting his 82yo neighbor, Dolores "Dee" Martin, in Skowhegan, Maine in summer 2024

I just hope it doesn’t have the same sick outcome as that case.

Heartbreaking enough to find out your elderly family member was murdered.. I’d imagine it makes it even worse to know they were sexually assaulted in their last hours on earth.

 

[no nonsense]

Any news of a ransom note or anything?

 

[katydid23]

Now that I think about it, if it was a ransom situation, we'd not know anything about that yet....