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

Razz said:

I think if Nancy is deceased, it would make sense that her body has been buried in the desert. This keeps the body "safe" from animals or weather conditions etc.
Ala "Breaking Bad" and Hank's (the DEA agent) demise, the perps buried him and then noted the coordinates.
If someone pays the ransom re NG's body,
(Not a live one) the perps would be able to give them the coordinates of where she was buried.

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Based on this article it sounds as if digging in the desert would be quite difficult.



If you try to dig a hole in your yard in Tucson, chances are that you will soon hit a very hard, almost impenetrable layer.

The term “caliche” is a colloquial word that means different things in different places. In the Sonoran Desert, it means a mixture of gravel, sand, clay and other desert debris cemented by porous calcium carbonate and is more properly called a calcic horizon. These calcic horizons generally occur two to four feet below the surface and can be inches to many feet thick. Caliche forms only in arid and semi-arid areas. In Tucson, with an average annual rainfall of 10 to 12 inches, caliche forms more than ten inches below the surface.

OldCop said:

Yes, but usually only partial prints due to the pulling/tugging to get them off. You would have a better chance of extracting dna than obtaining usable prints, but it has been done. Unfortunately in this case it looks like the gloves were double layered. Unless the outer, found glove was tried on for fit, forensics may not be able to extract dna or prints from the outer glove.

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I can’t remember where I read/heard it before (it related to another case), but LE might have the option to try for prints OR DNA. Print recovery, possibly involving superglue fuming, would likely destroy DNA evidence. Maybe they have different techniques these days, though. Do you know?

warp3dwing said:

Yes. Absolutely. We’ve seen the type before, how many times now in true crime?

What anre your thoughts about the messages to TMZ about the tip? This doesn’t make sense to me at all. If you’re going to be kidnapping a famous person‘s mother, you’re going to keep the operation small. Surely, a need to know basis!

But we’re led to believe that there’s this guy, an underling, perhaps with a grudge against the kidnapper(s); unable to fund his own protection, but has up-to-date insider knowledge of this abduction. Is this operation so massive that they could have people that can’t be tracked down and killed if they start talking to TMZ about fingering the suspect or suspects?

And it’s this underling character that points the finger at Mexico. He gives a two hour radius and claims it’s an international operation. On the Venn diagram of those two things, Mexico is in the middle.

And he says there are multiple suspects, which leads me to believe there is only one suspect. And that suspect is also sending the secondary tip money messages. So, he’s local. IMO

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I love how your mind works! That makes tons of sense. The play for big money failed, so are the tip messages perhaps an attempt for at least a small payout?

factseeking said:

I've been thinking about this a lot as I've been stuck on the question of why they didn't leave any kind of note whether ransom or otherwise at the scene.

I noticed on the NBC News site the timeline they are reporting now indicates the family arrived at the house at @11:56 am after the church friend called them and called 911 at 12:03 pm (I'm not sure if I need to link the site or not here). We don't know what they found inside but it only took minutes for them to see something was very wrong. I'm wondering if one of the things they saw was some kind of communication from whoever took NG that we know nothing about because it's not being shared. I'm not saying it had to be a ransom note, it could have been a "revenge" communication if the theory that this was done to get back at a family member is true.

Admittedly this may seem farfetched but we have no idea what was found inside that house.

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I think deliberately leaving a physical piece of evidence, such as a note, is one of the least likely things a kidnapper would do in this day and age.

JMO

Irish1 said:

Good to know, thanks much

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Glad to see Old Cop on this case. He has some great insight from his work experience.

nycpizzaparty said:

It feels weak. Why would someone go out of their way to completely disguise themselves and then not incinerate or very carefully discard everything? Seems casual to toss a glove.

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The same guy who comes to the front door to kidnap you maybe? None of it makes any sense to me. It is an unusual case.

TIGER0822 said:

Where did you get the note quotes from ?

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that is entirely my theory. The quotes are MINE as you can see from my use of JMO and MOO. It is all my musings and my rendering of what an obsessed stalker of SG might be thinking. MOO

birdbox said:

Does anyone know if the RR was perhaps a rental car?

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I don’t know, but I would definitely doubt it. There aren’t a lot of of $150,000 rental cars out there.

SaraSmile said:

There was some interest in why LE wanted to swab RR, before it was loaded up on flatbed, taken to LE area for further detailing. One of the reporters mentioned swabbing behind tarp. ( just memory).

They must have thought something was important enough to get the DNA to lab quicker, instead of waiting for the secure area to examine. Maybe just a quick look first, save one day getting results back.

JMO

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Yes. They know Nancy Guthrie bled enough to drip blood on her front porch. Even a visual search of the cargo area may have revealed a blood like substance on the mat, or carpet. There could even be a swipe of blood on the sides of the cargo area if she brushed up against it when placed there. However, I would be surprised if our suspect was driving around in a vehicle with visible blood in the interior. It is more likely they did do a luminol spray and a quick swab for expedience’s sake. They wiould do an in-depth forensic search once the vehicle has been towed to a secure area.

maskedwoman said:

I believe there have been. In the article about the glove tested for DNA, LE said most of the gloves they found appear to be from searchers casting them off and dropping them.

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So unprofessional. Not only is that an environmentally damaging practice it's costly to process all those gloves for DNA in a lab. IMO

birdbox said:

The same guy who comes to the front door to kidnap you maybe? Lol!!

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My kidnapper would never make that mistake.

There has been a lot of discussion about how poorly public communication has been handled in this case.

As a police public relations specialist, I’ll say this: In high-profile cases, it’s imperative for law enforcement to get in front of the story. A disciplined, well executed communications strategy is critical.

When agencies don’t communicate clearly and consistently, speculation fills the gap and public confidence is eroded—as we’re seeing here.

A strong PIO/comms team helps:

• Protect investigative integrity
• Control misinformation
• Coordinate media access
• Maintain public trust
• Demonstrate professionalism
• Encourage public cooperation

Vague or inconsistent communication damages credibility.

In this investigation, both the PCSD and the FBI would benefit substantially from a more strategic communications approach.

My suggestion: Put a strong PIO at the mic, do some damage control, and reset the narrative going forward.

— MOO

Napoli said:

that is entirely my theory. The quotes are MINE as you can see from my use of JMO and MOO. It is all my musings and my rendering of what an obsessed stalker of SG might be thinking. MOO

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Quotation marks are used for when directly quoting from another source.

Bluewing3102 said:

Anyone wonder if this signal sniffer is a ploy to get a criminal to move the body?

Theoretically it could work but LE
has no clue where to even search and it wouldn't be very time/cost effective to fly around aimlessly trying to stay within 50 ft of the ground. I'd imagine whoever committed this crime didn't know NG had a pacemaker, but now they're hearing news that it can possibly be "located".

Perhaps they throw out some news that there's a method to locate the pacemaker to make the suspect panic.

JMO

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That wouldn't be a bad idea at all. Although I am skeptical with current LE working the case. But good possibility.....

The criminal managed to evade and stump 300 FBI agents and threw a glove onto the side of a road. Yeah right.

nycpizzaparty said:

It feels weak. Why would someone go out of their way to completely disguise themselves and then not incinerate or very carefully discard everything? Seems casual to toss a glove.

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There’s probably some innocent BBQ food truck cook sitting in his house right now, blissfully unaware that SWAT is about to bust through his door like the Koolaid Man (or Mr. Blobby for the Brits).

I think it's a sobering reality than in 2026 with all our tracking and technology, people can just disappear - and even with the FBI and a global media presence, weeks can pass and there are seemingly no leads.
This is either really well planned or really lucky by/for the perps.
In the UK I think of cases such as Claudia Lawrence who has been missing since 2009 with few leads, presumed murdered, and serious questions about the policing.

chaz said:

There is something I don't understand. The way TMZ inserted themself, I don't understand why they don't pay the ransom themself. It's a small payment compared to what they gain. With the information they can go to the authorities en cash in the reward + they will have the biggest scoop they can dream of. So why don't they? I think they don't trust the writer of the notes or they knew all along it was fake messages. They said the location of the applewatch was 'accurate', how do they know? Noone else said it was accurate.

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IMO—- While on the surface, I can see the immediate value of this if in fact it would bring Nancy back safely, ultimately I don’t think it’s a good idea.

For one thing, we don’t know and TMZ can’t really know with certainty if the ransom notes they’ve received are genuinely from the kidnappers.

For another, they are just a media outlet, not LE, and no one knows at present if there is still a living Nancy who can be rescued.

Also, IMO this could set a deadly precedent. Some other twisted person or persons could conceivably see this action as a golden opportunity to harm the relatives of other famous people, involve TMZ, and an epidemic of kidnappings could follow since they’ll assume TMZ will pay due to the publicity.

They’re not Boy Scouts, they are just a well-known media outlet and a business with connections to LE and the Hollywood world.


At this juncture, weeks after NG went missing, I do feel very pessimistic about a happy reunion of Nancy with her family.

I hope to be mistaken.

For me, I have never believed the Guthrie family is involved. If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong.

I also do not think anyone from the Today show is behind this in any way.
Not to obstruct Savannah from going to the Olympics, and not to compete for her role as anchor.

Again, if I’m wrong, then I’m wrong. They may be “family” and supportive as they seem, or there may be behind the scenes competition, but they are credible journalists at the top of the field, not criminals.


We all want her recovered safely, that is the main objective, but the clock and calendar make me doubt this.

Clearly just my own thoughts.

loves2readhistory said:

I don’t know how to delete this post I didn’t intend to post

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This thread moves so quickly posts become stale at an alarming rate, but there are a couple of points here worth remembering. Motive, or perceived motive, may be a factor in pursuing lines of investigation, but motive as discussed in the link need not be proven to obtain a conviction. Motive, or perceived motive, is very useful to a jury, but it isn’t an required element of fact if one can prove means and opportunity. We like to bring order out of the chaos of crime and of course underlying reasons or the psychology behind choices may help us understand crimes and criminals. But knowing a person had the means and the opportunity to commit a crime is sufficient for a guilty verdict. Motive alone is not sufficient. Thus, we may identify motives, but prosecutors may find those motives insufficient to consider further action without more compelling evidence. It is also a reminder of how little we know throughout the process which to me helps set reasonable expectations in this forum as we move through this process. Now that I am again pages behind I need to learn to thumb type faster.

https://www.nycourts.gov/JUDGES/evidence/4-RELEVANCE/4.39_MOTIVE_TO_COMMIT_OFFENSE.pdf

diggndeeperstill said:

Drugs with the perp could be.

I’m just wondering if the search warrant wasn’t for the vehicle and technology to get more pieces of puzzle or if they knew because vehicle was recently acquired illicitly.

All because no arrest doesn’t make sense to me.

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1–findings evidence of blood/DNA traces at the scene does not immediately mean it was NG’s blood
2–the search warrant was for the car—not an arrest warrant for the driver
3–that driver/owner might not have had access to THAT CAR when Nancy G was abducted.
4–if he DIDN’T have access to THAT CAR (which is suspicious for some reason to LE) when she was taken, then he likely isn’t the guy who took her…
5–if LE have reason to suspect that driver or those at that house know more, I imagine those 3 are under surveillance
6–there is other info available from a through forensic search of that Range Rover—
Consider the GPS history that might have been sent back to an insurance company, the Sirius people (because cars like that usually have Sirius radio/tracking option), or the car’s mfg co before the battery was maybe disconnected to wipe any data the car’s systems collected about its location, its driving times to prevent connecting to the actual crime.
I don’t know that the battery WAS disconnected but that happens when used cars are sold—to clear the history/data cache from previous users.

Cars in that price range often come equipped with theft tracking/LoJack device that goes to 3rd part monitor….that could have collected data about the times/dates LE are interested in….

Drugs are not involved in this case IMO—certainly was not illegal amount in that Range Rover when it was stopped or that driver would be in jail