Nancy Guthrie Update: Ex-FBI Agent Floats Link to Arizona Teen Case

A retired FBI agent has suggested investigators in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie should look closely at a recent alleged home invasion reportedly tied to a plot to steal millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.

Two teenage suspects from California, aged 16 and 17, allegedly posed as delivery drivers to gain entry to a home in Scottsdale, Arizona, on the morning of January 31 before duct-taping and assaulting the homeowners, Fox 10 reported.

Scottsdale Police said the suspects were arrested after a brief police pursuit. They have both pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, including second-degree burglary, kidnapping and aggravated assault, local newspaper The Tribune reported.

The pair were taken into custody hours before Nancy Guthrie disappeared. She was last seen at her home outside Tucson on the evening of January 31 and authorities believe she was taken against her will in the early hours of February 1.

According to police, the motive in the Scottsdale home invasion was the robbery of $66 million in cryptocurrency the pair believed the homeowners possessed.

One defendant “got the information from someone known as ‘Red’ and someone known as ‘8,’ and all communications with those people were through the Signal application,” police reported in the documents obtained by The Tribune.

“This is the captivating part! Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent, wrote on X, outlining reported details of the alleged crime, asking “Could this scheme somehow be related?”

“If I were the case agent and if I had no suspects, I would be all over this lead!” she added.

The Context

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than a month. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and said drops of her blood were found on the front porch.

Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about her health because she needs vital daily medication.

On February 10, the FBI released video from a doorbell camera showing a masked man on Nancy Guthrie’s porch on the night she disappeared. The FBI later called the person a suspect and described him as being about 5 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall with an average build. The FBI said he was carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.

Multiple news outlets reported receiving purported ransom notes last month, including at least one demanding payment in cryptocurrency for Guthrie’s release, but authorities have not said whether the notes were authentic.

What To Know

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News, in an interview that aired on the Today show on Monday, that investigators are “definitely closer” to tracking down the suspect seen in the surveillance footage.

He said that investigators have not identified any other items the suspect was wearing, and are looking into the possibility the suspect’s backpack, which is sold exclusively at Walmart, may have been purchased online.

He also said that investigators had not identified a car captured on a Ring camera driving past a home about 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence around the time authorities said her pacemaker last synced with her iPhone.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed last week that DNA from black gloves that were recovered about 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home have been traced to a local restaurant employee who is “not part of this investigation.” The sheriff’s department did not disclose how the gloves were traced to the employee, but had previously said investigators would seek to use investigative genetic genealogy in the investigation.

Authorities said last month that DNA from the gloves did not match any entries in CODIS, the FBI’s national database. The FBI had earlier said the gloves appeared to match those worn by the masked person seen in the surveillance footage.

Nanos also said in the interview that investigators were still facing challenges processing mixed DNA found at Nancy Guthrie’s home that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her. The sheriff suggested the mixture could contain DNA from several people.

Last Monday, Savannah Guthrie and her family returned to Nancy Guthrie’s home in their first sighting at the house since she went missing. The family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.

What People Are Saying

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News on Monday: “There’s so much that everybody wants to know, but I would be very neglectful, irresponsible as a police, law enforcement leader, to share that with everybody.”

He added: “We have information on this case that we think is going to hopefully lead us to solving this case. But it takes time.”

Savannah Guthrie wrote on Instagram on Monday: “We feel the love and prayers from our neighbors, from the Tucson community and from around the country.”

She added: “Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us. bring her home.”