An Ex-FBI agent and CIA officer, Tracy Walder, has said she believes Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper targeted her because they were obsessed with her daughter, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, or because they were upset about something she did.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson, Arizona, on January 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will.
Walder spoke about her theory in an interview with NewsNation’s Brian Entin on Brian Entin Investigates.
Why It Matters
The Nancy Guthrie case has garnered huge national attention, with multiple theories being put forward.
Authorities, including the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) and the FBI, are investigating her disappearance as a possible abduction after surveillance footage showed a masked individual approaching her home.
Investigators have found drops of her blood on the front porch, though few other details have been released publicly.
What To Know
Walder said she “definitely” does not think the Nancy Guthrie disappearance could be a “burglary gone wrong.”
“In a burglary, we don’t tend to see them taking a victim with them,” she said, “that just tends to not be the case because it bogs them down.”
“I do think that was someone that was either upset with something Savannah Guthrie had done, or had some obsession with her, and that’s why they targeted this family,” Walder said.
“It’s just too targeted,” she said, adding: “This is not a house that you just come upon and decide to rob—it’s just not that.”
What People Are Saying
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office previously told Newsweek: “This remains an active investigation and will continue until Nancy Guthrie is located or all leads have been exhausted. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is refocusing resources to detectives specifically assigned to this case. As leads are developed and resolved, resource allocation may fluctuate. PCSD will maintain a patrol presence in the Guthrie neighborhood.”
Savannah Guthrie previously said in part in an Instagram video: “We also know that she may be lost, she may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad, and with her beloved brother Pierce, and with our daddy. And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it. But we need to know where she is, we need her to come home.”
What Happens Next
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department will continue the active criminal investigation and will ask anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME, or submit a tip.
The FBI has offered up to $100,000 for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery and/or arrests and convictions, and the family is offering up to $1 million for information directly leading to her recovery.
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it’s not “both sides,” it’s sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
