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

Skigh said:

Why on earth would a homeless person with no connection to Nancy risk moving her body ?

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Great question! They wouldn't have the means anyway.
Homeless = no vehicle in most cases (how to move body). Homeless = no extra spending money or credit cards in most cases (no $ for new clothes, shoes, masks, gloves, mouth flashlight, etc). Homeless = no place to take NG if they did kidnap her. The guy on the porch did not look like an unhoused person with his new clothes and all those gadgets and accessories. Most homeless people don't even have access to phone plans, computers or wifi. Most homeless people on cameras are stealing bicycles, petty change in unlocked cars, porch deliveries, or garage/shed burglaries - anything they can grab quickly of value and then offload for immediate cash - just to survive another day to get food, drink or cigarettes. Homeless people are more concerned with just getting by from day-to-day, not planning an elaborate kidnapping scheme and sending demands for bitcoin to media outlets IMO.

flp said:

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

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And yet, look at how many crimes were committed by very careful criminals who were undone by a single mistake. No one is perfect. If we are going to assume that this person made zero mistakes, we might as well just give up. I can think of a bunch of scenarios where a glove could accidentally be lost along the way in the chaos of this type of crime. All we can hope for at this point is that someone did make a mistake that will provide an important clue. JMO

EncyclopediaBrownJr said:

Well there was this phd criminology student that left a knife sheath that had his dna at a crime scene once…

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Right, and it seemed incomprehensible at the time, just like this glove by the side of the road does. However, from what we now know about the Idaho murders, it seems a likely scenario was that Xana maybe was making noise, maybe approaching the stairs and spooked him, wherein he suddenly needed to take care of her, rather than make sure nothing was left behind. He then encountered yet another human being to deal with (Ethan) and subsequently just vamoosed, thinking he was going to be there all night at this point.

So, I'm thinking that right now leaving a glove by the road might just be a factor of whatever was happening at the time, which was a LOT if he did, indeed, have a kidnapping victim on his hands. Lot's of things to keep track of (seems like several pairs of gloves, other stuff, like whatever was in the backpack, etc.) And, speaking of keeping track of things, it's always looked to me like he had maybe a couple of pairs of trousers on, maybe to protect him from DNA? Anyway, the trousers seem very tight to me and maybe even contribute to his somewhat slow movements.

nerosleuth said:

If they knew about the home security system, then they likely had been inside Nancy's home before. It could be home repair contractors or home health aides visitors.

Or someone who had been inside Nancy's home before could have told someone else that doesn't have a good reputation about the home visitation.

If a person never had been inside her home before or heard something about her home, it is possible for them to tell from the outside that someone has a home security system?

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I can not think of how you would know about a person’s alarm systems and habit of use without being in the house and knowing Nancy.
My job has me in lots of houses. Many have an alarm system that they do not bother to set when they are home.

TarheelHeart said:

That’s just weird. Who thinks of getting their pool cleaned in the midst of a horrific crime at the location of the crime scene? I’m thinking something else was going on with this.

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I think what we're overlooking is that pool services allow you to schedule visits. She might easily have pool maintenance on a set schedule. In that case, no one has to think of it. The pool people just show up when they are supposed to.

Fargo said:

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

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I could be wrong but I don't believe it's a reckless as it seems. SAR teams often change/discard their gloves while searching for many reasons...tearing, cross contaminating etc. I hope K9Enzo could speak to this more. jmo

MistyWaters said:

One thing I’ve learned from my years of following true crime is it’s a huge mistake to believe LE immediately shares with the public everything found at the crime scene. They only tell us what they think we should know, reason is mainly to get leads from the public.

Maybe part of the reason might be psychological, to cause the criminal to puzzle over if the note or message was found? But I’d say almost always there’s holdback evidence, for one reason I suppose is to separate true confessions from false confessions.
JMO

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We actually know very little about the crime scene. We don't even know why LE immediately knew it was a crime scene and not a missing person. We have guessed there was blood at the scene but we don't really know. LE has kept the crime scene is the house completely private. JMO

maskedwoman said:

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?

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I don’t think it’s about money at all.

The “underling” character that I suspect had been created is poor, desperate, and angry. To them, $50,000 or $100,000 is a lot of money, enough for them to live comfortably for a year. The suspect thinks it makes this character believable since the ransomer asked for six mil.

He’s both somehow involved in criminal activities - at least on the fringes - but also too timid to ask a rich family for a real amount of money, considering the alleged danger any disclosure would put him in. Total BS.

I think he’s what you’d call a sock, playing off his bold ransomer character to draw not only LE’s attention south of the border, but the media’s as well.

flp said:

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

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IMHO, the FBI is not stumped.

The FBI is methodically using all of its resources to follow every tip and lead. I believe they will solve this. MOO

Have any on Nancy’s neighbors houses been searched? If so, when?

InVinoVeritas said:

IMO the real question here for us at WS is the motive.
It seems highly unlikely that NG willingly answered the door. For a time I did think if she knew the person, this may be the case. However, since the Nest footage, I don't believe this to be true.
However, what I can't fathom is this - if NG had passed away during this incident from a medical condition - why didn't the peeps leave her there, to be found as a crime gone wrong? The hope of ransom?
The above makes me think that NG could've been alive when she left the property. However, I can't work out WHY they took her. It leads more and more to some sort of hostage/demand situation which may have gone wrong.

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Re Motive. Because it is possible it is intended kidnapping for cover for murder. 1 possibility I reiterate. But if so then they wouldn't want it to look like she was killed in the home and then removed. That would raise other flags and paths maybe. Injured last known would be ok and maybe help their strategy if cover. Remember the LE keep stating kidnapping not possible homicide which may be due to the amount of blood found in the home.

The ransom notes part of this is what continues to keep this option open. It didn't seem like a serious attempt. Shaded toward it being a "celebrity kidnapping" - note went to TMZ. Could be more mud in the water for strategy.

And if it was for ransom originally they could continue the ransom plan in return for the body which would be far riskier than trying to return an alive person who can talk and has additional DNA on them. Her body may be very important for the family to retrieve.

Open to thoughts on this.

maskedwoman said:

I think what we're overlooking is that pool services allow you to schedule visits. She might easily have pool maintenance on a set schedule. In that case, no one has to think of it. The pool people just show up when they are supposed to.

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My experience is that pool services in Tucson usually come on the same day once a week. The pool people show up regardless of whether anybody is home and don't necessarily ever interact with the homeowners. JMO

maskedwoman said:

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?

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Seems to make sense.

flabbergastedfart said:

Putting aside any theories of what happened that night and by who, I think Nancy had been isolated and lonely for quite some time. I'm glad she at least had a friend that she watched church services with. Do we know if she had any other hobbies or activities post lockdown? From looking at her Facebook account, she often re-used the same blurry picture of herself that she had originally posted in 2012. Did she not think she had any better pictures of herself? She definitely did!

Also, I know that Annie, Tommaso, and their kid live nearby but I wonder how often they really checked in with Nancy besides presumably having dinner here and there.

On another note, I find Nancy's Nextdoor posts concerning and I'm surprised people aren't talking about them more. Two particular parts of this article raised my alarm bells:

"Her posts include asking for help in finding someone to remodel her pool, how to get to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and periodic questions about how to take care of different plants."

and

"She rarely raised alarms about criminal activity. But on Sep. 4, 2020, she posted about a stolen package.
'Male thieves. Package stolen from front door yesterday. Be alert US POST OFFICE DELIVERED,' she wrote."

Surely Nancy could've asked one of her children before asking Nextdoor on how to get to an airport? Did she feel like she was an inconvenience to them? Even if no one in her family would be available to take her, I'm sure they could've arranged for an airport shuttle to pick her up.

As for the the thieves, that's alarming and I wish she would've provided more details. Did she tell anyone at all about this besides fellow Nextdoor users?

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I would be cautious about infantilizing someone. The ageism in this discussion is concerning.

Just off the top of my head I (in my 60s) know people in their 70s and 80s who are maintaining rigorous schedules in the community band, who are leaders in the garden club, who still work, who maintain their own properties, who put in a lot of hours doing childcare for their family members, who drive large RVs, etc.

My former neighbor, at age 90, used to have a large vegetable garden each year and SHE would be snowblowering my driveway while I was still lying in bed. She wrote two books in her 80s, on a computer, and still drove 100 miles a few times a month to visit her sister.

There is no indication that NG had any cognitive decline, isolation, loneliness. She had mobility issues but she seemed to have a fairly active life. She still owned and presumably drove a vehicle.

Using the same old FB photo is nothing. I personally have a 20-year-old photo on LinkedIn because I don't like images of myself.

Asking how to get to the airport? Maybe she wanted to greet someone. Maybe she offered to pick up someone. Maybe she was looking that up for a friend. She didn't need anyone to "arrange a shuttle" for her.

NG is/was not a doddering, incompetent person, based upon anything I've read. It was stated when the disappearance was first announced that she was "sharp as a tack." Lots of people look up things online out of curiosity, not need or desperation.

As to the porch pirate, it didn't unnerve her too much as she didn't move, hire security guards or purchase a Ring subscription.

The chyron on News Nation (TV) states:

FBI: GLOVE FOUND APPEARS TO MATCH VIDEO

I was hoping/assuming (?) that the DNA on the found glove matches DNA found on the porch. I don't see how this can go far if it's just a visual match to that particular set of gloves. Perhaps I'm misinterpreting what's being reported at this point.

All jmo/imo.

3mber said:

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

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One of the best posts I've read since this discussion started. Bravo!

flabbergastedfart said:

Putting aside any theories of what happened that night and by who, I think Nancy had been isolated and lonely for quite some time. I'm glad she at least had a friend that she watched church services with. Do we know if she had any other hobbies or activities post lockdown? From looking at her Facebook account, she often re-used the same blurry picture of herself that she had originally posted in 2012. Did she not think she had any better pictures of herself? She definitely did!

Also, I know that Annie, Tommaso, and their kid live nearby but I wonder how often they really checked in with Nancy besides presumably having dinner here and there.

On another note, I find Nancy's Nextdoor posts concerning and I'm surprised people aren't talking about them more. Two particular parts of this article raised my alarm bells:

"Her posts include asking for help in finding someone to remodel her pool, how to get to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and periodic questions about how to take care of different plants."

and

"She rarely raised alarms about criminal activity. But on Sep. 4, 2020, she posted about a stolen package.
'Male thieves. Package stolen from front door yesterday. Be alert US POST OFFICE DELIVERED,' she wrote."

Surely Nancy could've asked one of her children before asking Nextdoor on how to get to an airport? Did she feel like she was an inconvenience to them? Even if no one in her family would be available to take her, I'm sure they could've arranged for an airport shuttle to pick her up.

As for the the thieves, that's alarming and I wish she would've provided more details. Did she tell anyone at all about this besides fellow Nextdoor users?

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None of know what was in Nancy's mind but this photo shows Nancy was more than a casual Man Jong player. She had at least that in her life. I think her daughter also played. I don't think Nancy was a lonely shut in.

Sakura2Sophia4Lucia said:

Helpful and interesting.

If the abductor killed NG, they likely wanted to get NG's body out of their car as soon as possible. LE will likely find NG's body in an isolated area that is convenient to them and near where the they live, work or on a familiar travel route.

If they got rid of NG's body on their way home, near their home, workplace or a familiar travel route, it's unlikely that it would be on the highway going up to Mt Lemon. It's not on most people's travel routes or near where most people live and work, and would likely not be on the abductor's radar.

MOO

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Interesting source, thank you.

I've been pondering about the "NG Stalker Perp" OPs and I, this morning, have profiled as theories.

What if the Stalker was NOT local, as is the presumption by LE, it appears? What if the Stalker was from far away in another state or country?

What if they work remotely such as for a tech company so they can continue working wherever they are as long as they have WiFi?

What if the Stalker planned this possible horrific act, to control SG's emotions and get her attention, for a long time? What if the Stalker rented a short term rental and car (Grey SUV?) for a month or three to refine their plan?

What if they killed NG, and since not local, they carted her body far away from NG's home - into the desert or mountains? And what if those desert and mountains were in UT, CO, TX, CA, NV, MX?

What if their Tucson short term rental had been reserved to end the morning of 2/1 to coincide with their exit strategy?

What if their car rental and flights to / from the area were not from Tucson, but an airport ~2-8 hours away, perhaps with the dumping location on the way from Tucson, departing 2/1?

IOW, if it was a deranged SG stalker, did they come into town stay a while and then leave with no local trace and with NG far away?

All speculation. My imagination's queries.

ET: fix my NG / SG mixup!

loves2readhistory said:

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

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Very good points!!