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

  • #13,861
I was doing such a good job at keeping up on every page until around the 400 mark. A truly bewildering and upsetting case. I don't know why, I always had it in my head that ransom was an "old fashioned" crime, and one that rarely works out for both parties, if any. But alongside the crypto aspect, ransom really could be likely and I'm glad it seems to be taken seriously within the investigation. I really hope today, tomorrow, this week, is the day Nancy comes home and the family gets answers.

Obviously everything in my comment is MOO, I do feel like Nancy knows the perpetrator, maybe only slightly, in passing. It could be as minor as somebody from decades ago holding a grudge. It's hard to know what to think!
 
  • #13,862
iamshadow21 said:
I think it's less about wishful thinking and more that the information that is publicly available and the actions of law enforcement make it really ambiguous as to whether the disappearance of Nancy and the ransom demand are the work of the same person/s.

MOO
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IN MY OPINION, it's the same person/persons. Media etc has to create an ambiguous story line to create viewership and to justify broadcasting about this 24-7. SG said "we received your message and we understand" (instagram Saturday video) What more do you need? THEY (the family) are convinced the ransom demands are authentic and have the force of the police, the FBI and the advantage of insider information, behind them. I see nothing ambiguous but a lot of far-fetched speculation. JMO MOO
 
  • #13,863
celinesleuth said:
I was doing such a good job at keeping up on every page until around the 400 mark. A truly bewildering and upsetting case. I don't know why, I always had it in my head that ransom was an "old fashioned" crime, and one that rarely works out for both parties, if any. But alongside the crypto aspect, ransom really could be likely and I'm glad it seems to be taken seriously within the investigation. I really hope today, tomorrow, this week, is the day Nancy comes home and the family gets answers.

Obviously everything in my comment is MOO, I do feel like Nancy knows the perpetrator, maybe only slightly, in passing. It could be as minor as somebody from decades ago holding a grudge. It's hard to know what to think!
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If she knows them that's a problem.
 
  • #13,865
Napoli said:
IN MY OPINION, it's the same person/persons. Media etc has to create an ambiguous story line to create viewership and to justify broadcasting about this 24-7. SG said "we received your message and we understand" (instagram Saturday video) What more do you need? THEY (the family) are convinced the ransom demands are authentic and have the force of the police, the FBI and the advantage of insider information, behind them. I see nothing ambiguous but a lot of far-fetched speculation. JMO MOO
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Rampant speculation often runs amok based on little to no hard facts. Sometimes when the truth is revealed it is not anything like what was being speculated about.

In this case, that could go either way (based on the little we know publically) which is why I am not hoping off of the fence yet.
 
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  • #13,866
Napoli said:
IN MY OPINION, it's the same person/persons. Media etc has to create an ambiguous story line to create viewership and to justify broadcasting about this 24-7. SG said "we received your message and we understand" (instagram Saturday video) What more do you need? THEY (the family) are convinced the ransom demands are authentic and have the force of the police, the FBI and the advantage of insider information, behind them. I see nothing ambiguous but a lot of far-fetched speculation. JMO MOO
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We can't be sure the family are convinced the ransom demands are authentic. I would actually err on the side that they aren't sure if the ransom notes are real or may even possibly know they aren't real. IMO I would say noone can be sure at this point other than those directly involved in writing the ransom notes and the person/s who brought harm to Nancy, regardless of whether they are the same people or not.
 
  • #13,867
threeflight said:
New poster and hello everyone. I have followed this since the beginning and the entire thing has always struck as very odd. There is just no logical reason for anyone to 'kidnap' NG.

I am a big believer in Occam's razor and to me the simplest explanation is whoever saw NG last either knows something or is directly responsible. What are the odds that some random guy would just happen to abduct/hurt/kidnap NG an hour or 2 after she got home from being out to dinner with family members? Seems very unlikely to me. And from what I know of the situation, her son in law is the last person to see her. Which I also understand is he is in a situation where he and his wife (NGs daughter) were in debt and financial distress.

Everyone should watch the video of Anthony Aiello on youtube. 90 year old man who murdered his daughter in law inside her home....for money. The pizza murder. This situation with NG completely reminds me of that.

I really have a hard time believing any of these ransom notes are serious. IMO they are coming from someone who is trying to buy time. IMO probably the son in law. IMO he tried to get money from NG, she refused, he ended up hurting/ending her.

I really hope I am wrong but it seems pretty clear to me.
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Yes parsimony (Occam's razor) is a guiding principle in theory building. What is the most simple theory that explains all the evidence. Once a theory gets too convoluted it is probably the wrong theory.

I think your theory is simple and logical at this point in time.

So you see the ransom notes as the SIL's attempt to stage a domestic crime as an intruder kidnapping? A cover up and hoax to deflect, avoid arrest, and buy time?
 
  • #13,868
shonyakay said:
I understand what you are stating. Rampant speculation often runs amok based on little to no hard facts. Sometimes when the truth is revealed it is not anything like what was being speculated about.

In this case, that could go either way (based on the little we know publically) which is why I am not hoping off of the fence yet.
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Yeah realisticly all we know for sure Nancy is missing and the who and why is all pure speculation at this point, jmo.
For the family's sake i hope it's not a relative because that adds betrayal into an already horrible situation and i just hope Nancy comes home soon 🙏🏻
 
  • #13,869
cady said:
Seems to me that if a family member were in dire financial straits, SG would not hesitate to help them out. JMO
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Maybe SG had helped them out in the past and cut off the spigot.
 
  • #13,870
Hear me out on this. My opinion is that the ransom and ransom person is real. However, I don't feel I'm ever correct like Mass Guy...LOL

But taking a step back....lets go with what we DO KNOW. We know this has been flip flopping between family involvement and a ransomer. (is that even a word...LOL)

But what has happened in the last few days to shift that focus. I believe the focus has in fact shifted. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Neighbor says hey check the roof, looks too new to me. LE goes up there checks the roof and finds the camera. There is no reporting about what LE found on that camera if anything. BUT...what if they did? Could that explain the shift back onto the family by the sheriff's office? The Sheriff was attending a NCAA game Friday night. Could he be of the mindset--yeah we know what happened here now--we just need to prove it. Could explain a lot of things.
 
  • #13,871
Is there a photo of SIL? I would like to see what he looks like.
 
  • #13,872
Gr3yW0lf78 said:
Why does everyone think this was a botched or bungled kidnapping? Seems pretty clean to me and all the leverage is in the hands of a completely anonymous party.
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AHHHH! The voice of reason!
 
  • #13,873
Cassie P said:
Sometimes a child of an elderly parent gets POA and starts draining some of the bank accounts. Elderly parent finds out about it and there is an argument.
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For sure. I would think LE would find that sufficient evidence to bring someone in for extensive questioning.

Do we know if either of them have been brought in for questioning at all? With all the media, I think we'd hear speculation if that happened.
 
  • #13,874
Gr3yW0lf78 said:
Why does everyone think this was a botched or bungled kidnapping? Seems pretty clean to me and all the leverage is in the hands of a completely anonymous party.
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That's kind of the way I'm leaning. But I don't think the perp is the ransomer. I think that's an opportunist.
 
  • #13,875
cady said:
Any ideas about what this "solution" may be?
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Return of the mother......dead or alive. That would be a solution as to her whereabouts.
 
  • #13,876
threeflight said:
Totally agree I think he either was talking to her earlier that night during dinner or while he was driving her home, and he stewed on it after and then went back to her place later on to confront her about $$$. I doubt he had had plans to murder/abduct her, but either alcohol and/or emotions took over and something bad happened. In fact I think I remember it was said he went to the bar for a while after he dropped her off. I mean.....that sounds extremely red flaggy to me.

The same thing happened with Anthony Aiello. It really is an interesting watch on youtube. You would never think this 90 year old guy could kill his 67 year old daughter in law, but he went over to her house (with pizza) and he got irate that she wouldn't give him financial help and killed her. He was the last person to see her (he even admitted to that just like NGs son in law) but it wasn't until his timeline of when he was at her house and the Ring camera video didn't line up that he got caught. This situation with NG totally reminds me of that.
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I’ve been saying the same thing except for the bar part. I wasn’t sure if that part is true. If so, I bet the bar has cameras. I wonder how long it takes to leave bar and get to her home? Does it align up with Nancy’s camera being disabled at that time?
 
  • #13,877
While its a little quiet in here, for those who are adamant the one/s who wrote the ransom notes are the same one/s who kidnapped Nancy, what is your reasoning?

And for those who believe the ransom note writer/s are not the same as those responsible for what happened to Nancy, what are your reasons for thinking this?

And for those who are on the fence, what are your reasons, what is it that is making it difficult to lean one way or the other?

(we don't have all the evidence and information from the investigation, so noone can really know right now what LE know, but just thought it would be interesting to review where we are all at and why)
 
  • #13,878
judithannegg said:
I’ve been saying the same thing except for the bar part. I wasn’t sure if that part is true. If so, I bet the bar has cameras. I wonder how long it takes to leave bar and get to her home? Does it align up with Nancy’s camera being disabled at that time?
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I don't remember any bar being mentioned. Do we have a source?
 
  • #13,879
  • #13,880
Wait, NG had POA for their new house? Or what did she have control over that involve SIL?
 
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