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

[clearskies1]

Do I have this right, that family was there for a hour before calling police, while it was extremely noticeable something bad happened. What? Makes no sense.

Maybe they were in shock. Not fully comprehending it. Very unexpected. JMO

 

[IQuestion]

Nancy Guthrie, although having ambulatory difficulties, does not appear to be a feeble shut in. Just looking at photos she must have an eye doctor/optometrist, personal physician, drug store/pharmacy, hair & nail salon (the salons always have the latest info and know when a woman is "uncomfortable" with current life), gas up her vehicle, church activities, dog grooming/food (Lrg black poodle), vet appts.
The constant appeal, "she needs her medication"... does that give anyone else the feeling it is an appeal to the abductor's humanity? Maybe even a message to someone who has cared for or should have cared for Nancy or another elderly relative in the past? Pushing thoughts.... a male who lived/cared for his elderly parent in the past? Oh Lord what ever has occurred: "You don't have to be the cause of her death. Just call us and tell us where she is." Such haunting words. I hope they are heard.

 

[Angelcat13]

I work in the personal services industry and I had 2 clients in their mid to late 80s, both female, both lived alone. One was of sound mind, one had dementia. There were several people in and out of their homes each day. It may not have been safe but nobody could convince them to move to assisted living. They both ended up in hospital and passed away pretty quickly in the end.

You can’t just throw someone over your shoulder and take them to assisted living even though it makes sense.

Agree 100% as this hits very close to home. My mom is about the same age, physically in good shape but she has “moderate” dementia. She lives in the 4-5 BR suburban house we grew up in, alone with a few cats (after burying two husbands) and refuses to leave her home. I live less than 10 minutes away and she has professionals come in a few days a week for a couple of hours to help with things, run light errands, etc. home. (Thank God for decent long-term care insurance!) We tried to buy the rancher next to our home and she still refused to leave her home.

Right now, at least as far as the general public knows, the circumstances, perpetrator(s), etc is pretty wide-open. Who was it? What was their relationship to Nancy? Why was their motive? Why/how was she removed from the home?…

Something happened to my mom almost two years ago that makes me think of Nancy’s disappearance. We had some snow and the grandson of a neighbor of my mom’s (about 1 1/2 blocks away and that we didn’t know - son or grandparents) knocked on my mom’s door and asked if she wanted him to shovel her driveway and sidewalk (for pay). She said yes, he did the work, got paid and that seemed to be the end of it. Then several months later he stopped by and offered to do some yard work (for pay). She said no because she had had the same lawn guy for several years. He walked away but came back a couple of weeks later, knocked on her door and asked for money (not for work this time). When she refused he started to argue with her, saying he and his mom were hungry and needed money. She closed/locked the door and he stood in her driveway yelling at her and accusing her of being against him, etc. She didn’t tell me about this incident for months and he hadn’t had any contact either her since so I wasn’t all that concerned.

Then several months after that someone was knocking on her door around 2 AM. She went downstairs and saw a man had opened her screened door and was trying to open the regular door. She had left the phone in the Living Room & would have to walk by the front window to get to it and he would see her so she didn’t call the police. He eventually left after being unable to get the door open.

She told me two days later and I immediately called the police. They immediately knew who it was & said he was a drug addict with a long history with the police. They couldn’t charge him with anything because of dementia made her an unreliable witness & the door handles had been touched by other people that they couldn’t get prints.

This is why we immediately installed Ring cameras and have the app set-up to alert me every time someone approaches the doors. I know it doesn’t “watch” the windows & it won’t keep someone from coming in if they are intent on doing so, but it’s something.

I can’t help but wonder if the perpetrator could be a relative of a neighbor or “help”.

 

[phi1ip]

@ 6:00 AB said "the search and rescue has permanently stopped and unless or until there is an indication they need to reignite it"

How does this make sense to LE?

I take this to mean they are pausing the search in the desert around the home. If they have video clearly showing an abduction, and that she didn’t just wander off on her own suffering from a medical condition, they’re likely not going to want to use resources on avenues they’re confident aren’t the right direction.

Search and Rescue, and Search and Recovery, are two similar but different things requiring different resources.

 

[SmartyJones77]

My question is why does someone take an 84 year old woman?
If they kidnapped her thinking they could get some ransom money because of her celebrity daughter, there should have been a ransom note or call by now I think.
If she were 24 years old, she would have been taken, abused and buried in a shallow grave by now, but why do you take an 84 year old?
If it was a personal grudge or something, I think her body would have been found at the house.
Weird.

I wonder if they are checking to see if there were any kind of yard workers or handymen working at her home over the last few weeks? She apparently lives alone but has health issues so probably needs help around her house. Many opportunities for casing her house, lifestyle and routines.

 

[Serononin]

I was wondering the same thing.

However she got there, she must've been a very regular attendee if they were concerned enough by her not showing up to call her children

 

[Sarahlou]

This case makes me feel anxious. Poor Savannah, I'd be losing my mind.
Taking an elderly woman from her bed at night... unfathomable.

 

[GXP Sleuther]

Savannah Guthrie’s sister enjoyed dinner with their missing mom hours before alleged abduction: report

Nancy Guthrie, 84, has almost been missing for 48 hours and Arizona cops have warned timing is critical to the case. She was last seen by her daughter Annie – the sister of ‘Today&#8217…

nypost.com

 

[Spacemonkey1975]

Maybe they were in shock. Not fully comprehending it. Very unexpected. JMO

I agree - thinking back on the Moscow ID murders, the surviving roommates behavior was perplexing but began to make sense as more details were revealed

 

[Kemug]

Do I have this right, that family was there for a hour before calling police, while it was extremely noticeable something bad happened. What? Makes no sense.

I would have thought that in their position I would have called LE sooner rather than later. But I guess we're all different.

 

[sds71]

Now Sheriff Nanos tells NBC News, when he said Nancy Guthrie was taken from her bed, that he meant that "figuratively" not literally. But, she was taken against her will

https://twitter.com/x/status/2018657275158864025

 

[Knitpicker]

Liz Kreuz NBC correspondent said she had an update talked to the Sheriff he said she was harmed but doesn’t know how badly. I’m pretty sure they have a person of interest but haven’t caught the perp yet therefore they cannot share the info to scare him or her off.

Not to judge but I’d think Savannah would have installed an alarm/ many cameras in her mother’s home. A 3,000 sq foot home for an 84 yr old living alone…I would worry about a non ambulatory mother, especially if I had the means that Savannah had. That is the most surprising thing.
I am thinking she had to have help to clean the place. Gardeners, etc,. Maybe someone she knew.

My mother lived in a small apartment in a large gated senior condo apartment complex. It was not very expensive-compared to this home. It had everything a senior would need-had a health club, meeting areas, tennis courts.,theater, etc…pharmacy/medical office in the complex.
I am surprised an 84 yr old woman was living like this. My mother died in that apartment at the same age-84.
I do hope for the best -very sad.

 

[Spectrix]

Is there any clarification of where Nancy went missing from?
Her home has been reported to be near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue in Catalina Foothills, but those two locations don't appear to be anywhere near one another.

 

[Sadi]

Yes, it sounds like it wasn't her things they wanted, it was her.

But why? She is spoken about as a kind person, did she offend someone by saying something and they took it very personally?

 

[C Auguste Dupin]

In the full version of the picture of Nancy that they are using to crop her face, she has a dog (Poodle?) in her lap.

Where is the dog now?

If it is there and fine, I would think that the perp was known to them. If if was killed or injured, I would think it was a stranger. Why is there no mention of the dog???

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I do NOT like the thought of DNA they found.... I mean, I am glad cause Othram can solve that quickly. But I don't like the thought of why they have DNA. Why are some people so disgusting and cruel?

The language is very muddled. I have not seen any indication that they have even ruled out that it is Nancy's blood.
The words seem to link "the blood" and "the tampering of entry'...BUT they may not be connected at all.

 

[bestill]

Savannah’s recent statement to me felt odd as well. I know she’s religious, but it heavily focused on God and prayers without mentioning much about her mom other than wanting to bring her home. Maybe it’s nothing, but I found it very strange and wondered if it was strategic, somehow.

Reads to me as if they know what happened but don't know where her mom is. Seems ominous to me and preparation for bad news.

 

[SammiSleuthing]

I woke up hoping there would be, well, closure. I'm sorry to sound so defeatist but it just will take a miracle for this poor woman (dependent on medication just to live) at this point.

I just want to add this. I work with the elderly for a living. I'm getting ready to go to my assisted living/memory care job right now. Average age is 88. I adore the residents with all my heart. They are like family to me. It's also cash only, so they are wealthy residents paying up to 15k-20k a month.

Nancy Guthrie decision to age in place is 100% what I would choose. All the money in the world, no thank you to a nursing home. Probably sounds hypocritical of me. But I try my best to step in when family members disregard their elderly. Be a caring light for them when no one bothers to visit anymore. Make no doubt about it, that's what our society tends to do except for some lucky few. One of my most beloved residents is 98 years old. We do a conga dance into the dining room every night, she is a treasure.

What's important, a lesson for all of us regardless of age, is that in this increasingly isolated world, remember to stay connected to your community. To your people. To your world. Too many elderly are truly on their own. If they went missing no one would even notice. Newspapers pile up, mail pile up. Happened to my neighbor. They found his body three weeks after this poor soul died alone. It's absolutely tragic.

But her church missed her, her daughter had seen her the night before, neighbors reportedly saw her walking her dog(s?), camera's were set up (I assume) to monitor for possible fall risk.

She was connected, loved and now very much missed. You can do everything right and tragedy still finds you.

Stay connected. We need each other for mental and physical health as well as safety. I am going to give an extra hug to my residents today. I am praying for Ms. Guthrie and peace and comfort for all her loved ones.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

However she got there, she must've been a very regular attendee if they were concerned enough by her not showing up to call her children

i believe this is very very common--especially when you have lived in the same locale for 50 years!!!

Regular attendance at church services, and other regular social gatherings build expected behaviors.
I have been in similar situations where someone 'did not show up", and worried quite a lot until we knew why they were missing.
It is just a strong comraderie of loving relationships...

 

[priyaya]

Reads to me as if they know what happened but don't know where her mom is. Seems ominous to me and preparation for bad news.

Yes they had almost 24 hours before the news went public on Monday and it seems the medication was needed at that point. If not the abduction, the lack of medicationn would already have put her life at risk
, It sounds like they are waiting on DNA and getting access to cameras and license plate readers.