Theory Theory - Theories about why- Kidnapping/Ransom gone wrong

[Ghostwheel]

Thread for any theories about intentional kidnapping and/or Ransom gone wrong.

 

[iamshadow21]

Intentional kidnapping, probably with a sexual motive. I believe the ransom demands are all fake, from opportunistic people who have no connection to the actual crime.

The kidnapper may not have known who Nancy was, beyond an elderly woman living alone.

He could live locally or work in the area in a profession or trade that would make him unnoticeable in that environment. That would have given him a way to observe her movements beforehand without alerting anyone.

I don't think she survived very long, was possibly even killed at her home. He's obviously found a way to store or dispose of her effectively, as she hasn't been found. Possibly in a freezer, since the geology makes a burial impractical.

All very much my opinion only based on available facts.

 

[Ghostwheel]

I have wondered something, and I noted someone mentioned trying to make SG look bad as a motive in the main thread. What if this was a kidnapping, valid ransom notes, but zero intention of returning NG. Maybe they wouldn't have even picked up the money had it been paid. How horrible would THAT be? You pay the money, no one touches it, you can't get it back and still don't have your mom?

So kidnapping for torture of the left behind. Just to be cruel. Maybe to make the family look bad, but not necessarily. I hope they checked SGs generic hate mail, if she had any, and any angry communications for the others.

If it had been a real kidnapping with intent to get the money, I just can't see sending the note to TMZ to make it a media circus. To me, that would nearly guarantee no payment. The only reason I could see sending it to any outlet is because if they left a note at the house, they had no way to ask, "Did you get the note I sent?"

Just another thought.

 

[Chili Fries]

I think what most likely happened was a kidnapping for ransom and sadly Nancy passed away, which rendered impossible the kidnapper(s) plan to return her in exchange for the ransom. There have been reports that at least one ransom note specified details about the inside of her house that hadn't been made public, so it appears that at least one was from the kidnapper(s).

Maybe it has something to do with kidnappings for ransom in Mexico, which are unfortunately relatively common, either by Mexican nationals or US citizens with close ties to Mexico. I think it's probable that the wrong person or people learned about Nancy's ties to Savannah, who is presumed to be wealthy, either through the media or through some interaction with Nancy herself.

Fox News reported that Google Trends showed that there seemed to be searches for Nancy Guthrie's address last June and December that originated in Arizona. There also may have been image searches for her house last March and in late Nov/early Dec, plus there seems to have been searches for Savannah's salary in Dec. If accurate that seems to fit with a kidnapping to extract money from Savannah that went wrong.