Ex-FBI agent outlines four key scenarios investigators may be wxploring in Nancy Guthrie case

The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, continues to generate new theories as former FBI officials weigh in on what may have happened.

Several former FBI agents and investigators have outlined multiple scenarios authorities could be considering as the case remains unsolved more than three months after Nancy vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home.

One possibility raised by former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is that Nancy was intentionally kidnapped in a planned abduction tied to ransom demands. Bongino said investigators cannot rule out the possibility that the perpetrators targeted her specifically because of her family’s public profile.

A second theory suggests the case may have begun as a burglary or home invasion that escalated into something more serious. Bongino said it is possible that criminals entered the home for another reason before events spiraled out of control.

Other former investigators believe multiple suspects may have been involved. Retired homicide detective Kurt Dabb told Newsweek that the logistics of the alleged kidnapping appeared too complex for one person to manage alone, estimating there could have been “two to four accomplices.”

Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer has also suggested investigators are closely analyzing clothing, equipment and possible communication devices seen in surveillance footage of a masked suspect outside Nancy’s home. She previously theorised that the suspect may have used a walkie-talkie to coordinate with accomplices while avoiding digital tracking.

Meanwhile, another possibility investigators reportedly considered early in the case was whether Nancy may have suffered a medical emergency unrelated to a crime, though authorities later said evidence at the scene strongly indicated she “did not leave on her own.”

The FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department have continued to analyze DNA evidence, surveillance footage and thousands of public tips. Authorities have also released images of a masked man captured on recovered doorbell camera footage outside Nancy’s home the night she disappeared.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31, 2026. Her disappearance has drawn national attention, with rewards totaling more than $1 million being offered for information leading to her recovery or the arrest of anyone involved.