Shocking Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Latest — Former FBI Agent Convinced 'Abduction' Was Really 'Crime Gone Wrong' and NOT Planned Kidnapping
Nancy Guthrie's abduction may have been a crime gone wrong, according to a former FBI agent.
Feb. 10 2026, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Nancy Guthrie's disappearance has taken another twist after a retired FBI agent suggested the 84‑year‑old mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie was the victim of a "crime gone wrong" rather than a premeditated kidnapping.
As RadarOnline.com has been reporting, Nancy was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona home on the evening of Saturday, January 31, after dining with relatives.
Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home.
Family members said she never arrived at church the next morning.
Authorities later revealed her blood had been discovered on the property's porch, and investigators believe she was taken against her will.
The FBI and Pima County Sheriff's Office have been leading a large-scale search, as photos of a potential suspect have been revealed.
"Law enforcement has uncovered these previously inaccessible new images showing an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance," FBI director Kash Patel tweeted on Tuesday, February 10.
Former FBI Agent Questions Kidnapping Narrative
Newly released footage shows an individual tampering with the security camera.
Speculation about what really happened has now intensified after Rob Chadwick, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, said the evidence in the case so far does not resemble a classic kidnapping operation.
"The facts of what I see available to use right now are more in line with a potential crime gone wrong," Chadwick said. "It could've been targeted, could have been random – we don't know. But we don't see a traditional kidnapping or designed kidnapping for ransom."
Chadwick added such cases usually unfold quietly, without the enormous public exposure that has followed Guthrie's abduction, and suggested those now claiming to have sent ransom notes may not be the same individuals responsible for what took place inside her home.
"If someone were truly invested in trying to recover money for this case, they're going about it in a very, very different way," he said.
'We Beg You Now to Return Our Mother to Us'
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have pleaded publicly for her mother’s return.
Law enforcement sources told local outlets the latest ransom note, sent to Tucson television station KGUN, demanded $6million in Bitcoin and threatened Nancy's life if payment was not made by 5pm local time Monday, February 9.
Officers were later seen at the Tucson home of Savannah's sister, Annie, reportedly carrying evidence bags after a three-hour search. KGUN said on X: "Law enforcement has not confirmed the ransom amount referenced in the letter."
The messages echo earlier notes received by KGUN and other outlets, each demanding multi-million-dollar bitcoin payments.
Savannah and her siblings released a video on Saturday pleading with Nancy's suspected abductors. "We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her," Savannah said in the clip.
"Our mom is our heart and our home. She's 84 years old. Her health, her heart, is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, and she needs it not to suffer."
Officials Cite Sophisticated Tactics as Reward Offered
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Former FBI agent Rob Chadwick suggested the case involves a crime gone wrong.
Authorities have confirmed the ransom deadlines of February 5 and February 9, but have not said whether any payment was made.
At a press conference last week, Heith Janke, the FBI's special agent in charge in Phoenix, referenced the notes but declined to elaborate.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said the suspected kidnappers appeared "very sophisticated" in using digital tools to mask their identity. "I really believe there's a backdoor communication going on here that we don't know about," she said.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump weighed in recently, saying: "We have some clues that I think are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon."
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy's recovery or to an arrest.
