A year after “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie showcased her Tucson roots and introduced viewers to her mother and favorite local spots, the segment is facing renewed scrutiny over whether it may have helped make Nancy Guthrie a target in her unsolved kidnapping.
Experts who have examined the case say the broadcast could have supplied details later used in the kidnapping—or given someone enough information to falsely claim insider knowledge.
“There’s nothing about the house, but you could easily infer that she would still be wearing that watch two months later,” said Morgan Wright, CEO and founder of the National Center for Open and Unsolved Cases and a digital-forensics expert. “And again, it’s not an unreasonable assumption to think that elderly people would take their watch off at night.”
As News Media has previously reported, investigators have disagreed over whether two early ransom notes were genuine. Authorities have not publicly identified who sent them.
From left, Annie Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie and Nancy Guthrie appear at Tucson restaurant El Charro during a “Today” show segment that aired Nov. 5, 2025. (NBC/“Today”)
Still, experts say Savannah Guthrie’s public profile, coupled with the personal information shared during the program, could have drawn the attention of someone with criminal intent.
“I think the segment is worth considering as a very possible spark for someone’s interest in Nancy,” said Lisa Miller, a retired detective and former law enforcement executive with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office who has followed the case. “Whether this involved a kidnapping for ransom, someone fixated on Savannah, or another motive, that broadcast could have introduced a potential offender to Nancy and planted the seed of an opportunity.”
Miller described the segment’s possible influence on the kidnapper or kidnappers as “a strong possibility to investigate,” while emphasizing that the motive remains unknown.
“I want to be very clear—none of that places responsibility on Savannah,” Miller said. “She shared her love and pride in a strong woman who raised a family, spent part of those years parenting alone and built a successful career.”
Jim Clemente, a retired FBI supervisory special agent and profiler, offered a similar assessment on the “Crime & Justice with Donna Rotunno” podcast, saying Savannah Guthrie’s fame may have attracted the perpetrator’s attention.
Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy, discuss the family’s arrival in Tucson during a “Today” show segment that aired Nov. 5, 2025. (NBC/“Today”)
“Whether it actually caused it, I can’t say that, but certainly Savannah’s popularity and the fact that Nancy was on her shows and the relationship between them could have caused some sort of jealousy or some type of feeling that they belonged to this person,” Clemente said. “They wanted to get back at her for not feeling the same way. It’s not logical. It’s not something you can anticipate. But it could be possible.”
What the broadcast showed—and what it left out
“Until that story, I didn’t even know she was from Tucson,” said Bob Krygier, a retired SWAT commander with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is based in the city. “I’ve always had a bit of a feeling that there was some connection.”
I want to be very clear—none of that places responsibility on Savannah. She shared her love and pride in a strong woman who raised a family, spent part of those years parenting alone and built a successful career.
- The segment follows Savannah Guthrie as she returns to Tucson, where she grew up and attended college
- Guthrie says her mother continues to live in the city
- The “Today” co-host visits her former sorority, Pi Beta Phi, at the University of Arizona
- She also stops at the popular restaurant El Charro, introducing viewers to Nancy and her sister, Annie, and calling it a regular stop whenever she returns home
- Nancy says the family established roots in Tucson during the 1970s
- The segment does not reveal Nancy’s address or neighborhood
- Near the end of the video, the “Today” cast raises a toast to Nancy Guthrie
The segment also captures Nancy Guthrie wearing a white Apple Watch.
Wright said the watch reference could have been used by whoever wrote the ransom notes, even if that person had no direct connection to the abduction.
One note mentioned details from the crime scene that may not have been public when it was sent, including the location of Guthrie’s Apple Watch and a broken floodlight in her backyard. News Media first learned about the watch on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 3. Authorities say the note was sent the previous day, Monday, Feb. 2, suggesting the writer knew about the watch before details began circulating publicly.
Wright said, however, that the reference may have been no more than a fortunate guess.
“So I believe none of the ransom notes are credible, and that information could have been easily obtained just by watching a video,” he said.
Krygier said public figures should be mindful of the information they share online in an increasingly connected environment.
“You need to be careful, but I also don’t think they need to go into a complete shell,” he said. “It’s a balance, but being careful is incredibly important.”
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The “evolved wrench attack” theory
Visit Tucson, a local nonprofit focused on attracting tourists and businesses to the city, sponsored the segment, which remains available on YouTube. The broadcast featured several of Savannah Guthrie’s favorite Tucson locations, along with the Sonoran Desert’s iconic saguaro cacti.
“People ask me, ‘Where are you from?’ I’m always proud when I say, ‘Tucson, Arizona,’” Savannah Guthrie said in the segment, which aired Nov. 5, 2025. “I grew up there, went to college there, my mom still lives there and honestly a part of me has really never left.”
Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood during the early morning hours of Feb. 1. After she failed to attend a planned gathering with friends for church, her family discovered she was missing and contacted police.
Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie. (Instagram/Savannah Guthrie)
The FBI and Google worked together to recover footage from Nancy’s missing Nest doorbell camera. The video showed a masked, gloved intruder carrying what appeared to be a gun on her front porch. Nine months later, the person’s identity remains unknown, as does Nancy’s whereabouts.
“From what we know publicly, I see little that would explain Nancy becoming a target apart from her connection to Savannah,” Miller told News Media. “I also have difficulty reconciling her removal from the home with a straightforward burglary gone wrong.”
Miller said the abduction appeared to require planning and a “consequential decision.”
“That does not establish the motive, but it is a central reason I believe Nancy herself was the target—a pressure point to reach Savannah,” she said.
Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie. (Instagram/Savannah Guthrie)
In an earlier interview with News Media, Miller proposed that the kidnapping could represent an “evolved wrench attack”—an attempt to extort money from wealthy, high-profile Savannah Guthrie by threatening her mother.
“The question is whether someone recognized that targeting a vulnerable family member could create leverage over Savannah,” Miller said Wednesday. “But the segment’s potential significance isn’t limited to that theory. Someone fixated on Savannah could also have redirected that attention toward her mother.”
Where the investigation stands
“Behind every theory is a woman who deserves to be brought home and a family living with an anguish most of us cannot comprehend,” Miller said. “I have grave concerns about Nancy’s fate, but the evidence must answer that question. My sincere hope is that evidence and tips lead investigators to those responsible, bring Nancy home and give her family answers. Every family deserves no less than that.”
Savannah Guthrie posted this photo of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, on Instagram Aug. 1, 2026. Nancy went missing in February, and her children have appealed to the public for help identifying her kidnappers after the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released two ransom notes. (Savannah Guthrie/Instagram)
No arrests have been announced, and authorities have not publicly named any suspects.
Nine months after her mother’s disappearance, Savannah Guthrie renewed her public appeal for information on Nov. 1.
“I think it’s important for Savannah and her siblings to really look at every communication that they’ve had from whatever source—whether it’s social media, email, telephone or in-person contacts—because somewhere in that mix, this person has likely interacted with one or more of them, including Nancy,” Clemente said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or 520-88-CRIME.
More than $1 million in combined rewards remains available.