The individual responsible for the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie may have acted alone, a retired FBI agent has said.
Jennifer Coffindaffer asked on X if the suspect seen in surveillance footage released by law enforcement “did this horrendous act on his own and he’s a loner so no one is connecting him?”
Coffindaffer told Newsweek, “I still lean that there’s more than one person involved, but it has to be considered.”
“Would that be a complete outlier of a scenario? Yes,” Coffindaffer said. “Normally people who abduct people need help. They need somebody to handle the person. They need somebody where they’re taking the person to, you know, to help care for that person. If indeed, they wanted to keep them alive, they would need somebody.”
Why It Matters
Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for two months. Her disappearance has prompted a multiagency search involving local law enforcement and the FBI. She was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on January 31.
Alleged ransom notes have been sent to multiple news outlets.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference last month that there were clues at the crime scene indicating that Guthrie “did not leave on her own.” He also said Nancy Guthrie needs daily medication, and it could be fatal if she did not take it every 24 hours.
What To Know
Last month, the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance photos and videos of a potential subject as part of the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance.
“Working with our partners, as of this morning, law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance,” the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.
Coffindaffer questioned why only one individual has been seen in images and videos released by law enforcement.
“Doesn’t it seem odd that we only keep seeing one character, not any of the other people who would have been helping? Does that raise flags?” Coffindaffer said. “It does raise some flags for me.”
Coffindaffer said that it is difficult for individuals to keep secrets if more than one person is involved, especially when a large amount of reward money is being offered.
“For a lot of those reasons, that could lead somebody to say, ‘Well, it’s because there’s nobody else involved. There’s nobody to tell on them.’ So that just has to be considered anyway, that he’s a loner,” Coffindaffer said.
She said the reason that no one has come forward to claim the money could be that “he’s not going to tell on himself.”
“I just see a lot of indications that this guy really did his home work and could be possibly operating alone,” Coffindaffer said.
As the search for Nancy enters its second month, law enforcement have not announced any suspects or arrests in the case. Nancy’s whereabouts also remain unknown.
What People Are Saying
Savannah Guthrie, in an interview with TODAY: “We need answers. We cannot be at peace without knowing, and someone can do the right thing, and it is never too late to do the right thing. And our hearts are focused on that.”
Pima County Sheriff’s Department, in a statement earlier this month: “The Pima County Sheriff’s Department continues to analyze various forms of evidence in the Nancy Guthrie case, including material from laboratories as well as images and videos captured by cameras. At this time, we will not comment on the details or status of this analysis.”
What Happens Next
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
“To help keep the tip line available for actionable investigative law enforcement leads, please submit only serious and detailed fact-based information, no well-wishes or case theories. The tip line is not for personal messages to the Guthrie family,” FBI Phoenix said.
Additionally, 88-CRIME is offering a reward of $102,500 for the arrest of the person or persons involved in the disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie announced on Instagram that the family is offering a reward of up to $1 million, payable only for her mother’s recovery.
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