'She's Haunted by That': Chilling Motive Behind Nancy Guthrie's Abduction Was to Make 'Savannah Suffer,' Brian Entin Claims — As Hunt for Missing 84-Year-Old Continues
Savannah Guthrie has already broken down about blaming herself for her mom's abduction.
May 7 2026, Published 6:40 p.m. ET
Several of the world’s top criminal mind experts are weighing in on the twisted motive behind who abducted Nancy Guthrie more than three months ago, and their conclusions are bone-chilling, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
NewsNation's Brian Entin sat down with the behavioral profilers for a disturbing deep dive into the case, with the experts warning the culprit may have targeted Nancy specifically to emotionally "hurt" her famous daughter, Today co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Kidnapper May Have Targeted Nancy Guthrie to Make Savannah 'Suffer'
Criminal profiler Dr. Ann Burgess believes whoever took Nancy Guthrie wanted to make Savannah 'suffer.'
The special NewsNation Presents: The Nancy Guthrie Mystery, which aired on May 6 on The CW, had the profilers examining all angles of the abduction case involving the frail grandmother. Nancy was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early morning hours of February 1 and hasn't been seen or heard from since.
When Entin asked about the suspect's motive, Dr. Ann Burgess, billed as the "founder of modern criminal profiling and inspiration for Netflix’s Mindhunter series," offered a heartbreaking response.
"Well, first you want to always ask who’s suffering the most of this, who is hurt the most? And in this case, it doesn’t have to be the mother. It could be somebody in the family. Somebody — Savannah," she explained.
Burgess delivered a firm "yes" when Entin asked if the motive could have been to make Savannah "suffer."
Savannah Guthrie 'Haunted' by Mom's Kidnapping
Nancy Guthrie most recently appeared on 'Today' during Savannah's hometown visit piece in November 2025.
Criminologist, behavior analyst, and attorney Dr. Casey Jordan noted, "And she’s haunted by that," referring to Savannah.
Burgess agreed the grief has been overwhelming for the NBC personality, saying that she has been suffering, adding, "I mean, it’s her mother."
Savannah and her mom were incredibly close, as the TV host lost her dad when she was just 16. Nancy had even made appearances on Today alongside her mega-successful daughter, becoming a familiar face to viewers.
Kidnapping Suspect May Have 'Resented' Savannah Guthrie's Notoriety
Dr. Gary Brucato wondered if the suspect wanted to be forever tied to such a high-profile crime.
Clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Gary Brucato suggested the kidnapper may have targeted Savannah's mom to be forever tied to such a prominent criminal act.
"What happens when you target a celebrity or somebody tied to them is that forever, you look in the encyclopedia, you know, you look up the well-known person, the name of the offender targeted at them is attached in eternity, in perpetuity," Brucato told Entin. "You can’t look up Abraham Lincoln without seeing John Wilkes Booth."
"And so, you get this parasite quality that also can happen with some of these people," the behavioral analyst explained. "And I wonder also about that, that if attention seeking and resentment of somebody’s notoriety is not embedded somehow in the story."
Theories 'Too Much to Bear' for Savannah Guthrie
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Savannah Guthrie wept as she spoke of fears her mother may have been kidnapped due to her TV fame.
Savannah already shared that she worried she was to blame for her mom's disappearance early on, after her brother, Camron, suggested Nancy could have been kidnapped for ransom due to his sister's fame and notoriety.
In the interview with Hoda Kotb that aired just before Savannah's April 6 return to Today, she explained through tears how difficult it was imagining "that it's because she's my mom and somebody thought, 'Oh, that girl, that lady has money, we could get -- make a quick buck.'"
"I mean, that would make sense, but we don't know, but, yeah, that's probably...which is too much to bear to think that I brought this to her bedside, that it's because of me. And I just have to say, I'm so sorry, mommy. I'm so sorry," Savannah shared while weeping.
