EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Why Savannah Guthrie's Missing Mom Was Snatched — Radar Reveals Mexican Cartels' Business Plan to Cash in on Heartless Nancy Kidnapping
Savannah Guthrie's mom was kidnapped as Mexican cartels allegedly profited from the crime.
July 10 2026, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
A team of organized border-crossing bandits – backed by Mexican cartels – may be responsible for the mysterious abduction of Today host Savannah Guthrie's ailing 84-year-old mom in Arizona, and now the money-grubbing goons appear to be setting their sights on other wealthy American families, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A new bombshell report alleges Nancy Guthrie's disappearance is a so-called "wrench attack" orchestrated by Mexican organized crime syndicates that use kidnappings to extort cryptocurrency from deep-pocketed families – a tactic that's already rampant south of the border.
Cartel Kidnapping Fears Reach America
Private investigator Jason Jensen said Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping may be linked to cross-border criminals backed by Mexican cartels.
And now, the cartels are using contract kidnappers to employ the same frightening methods in America, sources warned.
"Cross-border kidnapping has been increasing in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. It's a modern version of border raids," said renowned private investigator Jason Jensen. "Savannah Guthrie's mom lived very close to the border, and everybody knew that Savannah's mother lived [near] Tucson.
"It's likely someone from the cartel thought it would be a great idea to kidnap Savannah's mother."
The frail senior was snatched from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1, with chilling ransom notes delivered to several media outlets demanding $4million in Bitcoins by Feb. 5 and later $6million "or else" after the deadline was missed.
Kidnappers Taunt Desperate Investigators
Investigators used a Bitcoin payment in an attempt to trace the wallet tied to Guthrie's kidnappers.
Investigators sent the callous kidnappers $152 to the specified Bitcoin wallet in a ploy named "tickling the wire" in an effort to trace the crypto accounts, but the suspects didn't bite.
Later, the thugs offered an "apology" and demanded $4million for the return of her corpse.
Acting on a May tip that Nancy was buried in a shallow grave, a Mexican volunteer group searched a remote area near Nogales, Mexico, about 70 miles south of Tucson, but no remains were discovered.
The crypto security firm CertiK issued a 2026 report stating there is a 41 percent increase in "wrench attacks," a term derived from a comic depicting crooks using the metal hardware to beat the password out of a victim. The report also calls Nancy a "proxy target."
Savannah Makes Emotional Public Plea
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CertiK's 2026 report identified Guthrie as a 'proxy target' amid a rise in cryptocurrency-related 'wrench attacks.'
The report states, "Estimated losses across all demand types – failed, ransom paid, frozen funds, funds recovered, etc. – amount to approximately $101million over four months."
Meanwhile, Savannah recently made a tearful appearance on Today "to beg people to come forward," following a report about another note sent to media outlets that suggested Nancy had died, insisting, "Somebody knows something."
