Ex-FBI Analyst Suggests Guthrie Suspect Lacks Experience; Savannah Crafts Message Specifically for Him

A former FBI agent specializing in behavioral analysis has suggested to Fox News Digital that a recent Instagram video by Savannah Guthrie might be aimed at a suspect involved in a high-profile investigation. The suspect is believed to be an inexperienced criminal feeling the pressure of mounting scrutiny.

In her heartfelt video, Guthrie shared that despite her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, being missing for two weeks, the family remains hopeful. She issued a direct appeal to the person believed to have abducted her mother.

“It’s never too late. You are not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing,” Guthrie expressed in the video. “We are here. We believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it’s never too late.”

NBC has released an undated photograph of Nancy and Savannah Guthrie in the wake of the elder Guthrie’s disappearance, drawing attention to the situation involving the “Today” show host’s family. (Photo courtesy of NBC)

Jonny Grusing, a veteran of the FBI’s Denver Division, brings 25 years of experience investigating violent crimes, missing persons, and serial killers. For 13 years, he led the division’s behavior analysis unit, providing a wealth of insight into complex cases like this one.

Grusing said he believes the FBI is likely behind Savannah Guthrie’s messaging. Since Nancy Guthrie went messing, several related videos have been posted to the TV anchor’s Instagram page. She personally delivered messages in three of them: the first directed towards a suspect in what Grusing described as an attempt to humanize her mom, the second, a plea to bystanders to come forward with information, and Sunday night’s video. 

Grusing does not believe the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie case is a sophisticated criminal, and believes that Savannah Guthrie’s Sunday message was coached by FBI profilers with that in mind to try to get the suspect to turn himself in. 

FBI agents canvass homes near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.  (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

“I think he got in way over his head with whatever happened with Nancy, and they’re hoping that he is panicking enough since his family and friends haven’t turned him in,” said Grusing. “They’re appealing to him directly, like, ‘Look, guy, this is not going away, you just need to summon up the courage in any humanity you have left and do it.’” 

Drawing on his decades of experience, Grusing noted the signs of the suspect’s amateurishness. The suspect, who was already masked, kept turning his head away from the doorbell camera, and even attempted to obscure the camera’s view with brush pulled from a front garden. 

“If you look at him and the awkwardness of this guy walking up there, this guy is not a professional,” Grusing said. “So I don’t think whatever happened in the house is what he intended to happen. What I would say is that he didn’t plan for this sort of news coverage, for this sort of intense searching, for the FBI to come in and for this to be going on two weeks later.”

The FBI released new surveillance footage of the suspect in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie on Feb. 1, 2026. (X/ @FBI DirectorPatel)

He also told Fox News Digital that no matter how long the investigation takes, the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are committed to seeing through, and that it’s only a matter of time before the suspect is taken into custody. 

“He’s going to be arrested. At one point, he’s going to get turned in, something’s going to break. So the SWAT team is going to come through his door, and I think that’s what they’re saying. Even if it’s not [an appeal to] his humanity, he needs to get the courage to turn himself in and be proactive with this.”

Nancy Guthrie disappearance timeline: 
Jan. 31, 2026
• Between 9:30–9:45 p.m. – Family drops Nancy off at home
• 9:50 p.m. – Garage door closes (per authorities)
Feb. 1, 2026
• 1:47 a.m. – Doorbell camera disconnects
• 2:12 a.m. – Security camera detects motion
• 2:28 a.m. – Pacemaker disconnects from phone application
• 11:56 a.m. – Family checks on Nancy after she misses weekly church livestream gathering
• 12:03 p.m. — 911 called
• 12:15 p.m. — Sheriff’s deputies arrive at home