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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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A forensic expert has suggested the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, may be due to an extortion plot.
“I’ve had people that have taken advantage of the elderly because they knew that they had money, and they bum rush them into their house and they snatch them out of there, or they do terrible things like murder inside of the house,” forensic analyst Joseph Scott Morgan told NewsNation.
Morgan said Nancy Guthrie would be a “much more valuable target” if her abductor knew who her daughter was, adding that it could be a “grandson that might be in the neighborhood that has some knowledge.”
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The Context
The search for Nancy Guthrie has entered its second month. She was last seen at her home on January 31 and was reported missing the following day. 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 bureau later called the person a suspect and described him as about 5 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall with an average build. The agency said he was carrying a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.
What To Know
Morgan’s comments come after Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News on Monday that investigators are “definitely closer” to tracking down the suspect.
Nanos also said investigators are looking into the possibility the suspect’s backpack, which is sold exclusively at Walmart, may have been purchased online.
He said that investigators have not managed to identify 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.
“We’re looking at that vehicle as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day,” Nanos said.
Nanos also said authorities are still facing challenges processing mixed DNA found at Nancy Guthrie's home. The sheriff suggested the mixture could contain DNA from several people.
Investigators have collected DNA from Nancy Guthrie's property that did not belong to her or those in close contact with her and are seeking to use investigative genetic genealogy in a bid to track down the suspect.
Authorities said last month that DNA from gloves found a few miles from Nancy Guthrie's home did not match any entries in CODIS, the FBI's national database. The FBI said the gloves appeared to match the gloves worn by the masked person seen in the surveillance footage.
On Monday, Savannah Guthrie and her family returned to Nancy Guthrie's home in their first sighting at the house since she went missing. Last week, she said the family was 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: "I personally believe Nancy Guthrie is alive. That’s my personal opinion, but that's because I put faith in. That's just who I am.”
The Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) said on Friday: "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 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.”
What Happens Next
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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