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In the bustling city of Las Vegas, a prominent forensic scientist shared her insights regarding the mysterious case of Nancy Guthrie. She suggested a chilling motive behind the incident: a local worker, perhaps a handyman or service provider, might have targeted Guthrie, believing her family to be affluent. This theory emerged during a conversation with Fox News Digital at the CrimeCon event over the weekend.
“It’s shocking that someone would prey on a woman of her age,” remarked Barbara Butcher, a seasoned medicolegal death investigator and host of Oxygen’s show “The Death Investigator.” She speculated, “It’s possible that someone discovered Nancy Guthrie was Savannah Guthrie’s mother and assumed wealth was involved. Such a person must not be in a sound state of mind.”
Butcher, who has spent years with one of the nation’s largest medical examiner’s offices, raised further concerns about the circumstances surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. The absence of a credible ransom demand might suggest that Guthrie could have succumbed shortly after her alleged abduction. This could have been due to shock or an underlying medical condition, prompting the suspect to conceal evidence and disappear before the authorities could piece together the mystery.
The investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance continues, with FBI agents canvassing the neighborhood around her Tucson home. The case has drawn significant attention, partly due to Guthrie’s connection to Savannah Guthrie, as highlighted in a family photo provided by NBC.
FBI agents canvass homes near Nancy Guthrie’s residence in Tucson on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, as the investigation into her disappearance continues. A portrait shows Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie in a photo provided by NBC. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital; Courtesy of NBC)
My second thought was that after time, when there was no valid ransom demand or any information forthcoming that it’s probably likely that Mrs. Guthrie died of shock, fright, heart disease, whatever it was, very soon after being taken from her home,” she added.
“And that’s just horrifying to me…and so now this kidnapper had nothing and probably, unfortunately, took her body into the desert and buried her there.”
Pima County deputies examine a flyer taped to the mailbox outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 23, 2026. Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to have been abducted from her home in the early hours of Feb. 1. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
Guthrie is believed to have been taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of Feb. 1.
She is the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, whose family offered to meet ransom demands sent to TMZ in February.
Aerial drone shots show the home and grounds of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Nancy Guthrie, mother of ‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie, is suspected of being abducted from her home earlier this week. (Fox Flight Team)
Despite that, Guthrie’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The family is urging anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that breaks the case.
Anonymous tips can also be sent to Tucson’s Crime Stoppers affiliate, 88-Crime, at 1-520-882-7463.
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