Nancy Guthrie Death Bombshell: Ashleigh Banfield Guest Claims Kidnapper Hasn't Collected 'Ransom Money' Because Missing Elderly Woman Might Not Be Alive
Ashleigh Banfield originally claimed Tommasso Cioni was a person of interest in the case.
March 18 2026, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Nearly two months after Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Arizona home, her alleged kidnapper still hasn't collected ransom money or appeared to have made any meaningful contact with the family.
On a recent installment of her Drop Dead Serious podcast, Ashleigh Banfield discussed the harrowing possibility that could mean the ailing elderly woman is no longer alive, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
'It's Too Risky'
News Nation investigative producer Allison Weiner theorized it was possible Nancy Guthrie is dead.
Nancy, 84, went missing on February 1. In the days that followed, several ransom notes were sent to media outlets demanding millions for her safe return. While the Guthries expressed willingness to pay as long as they received proof that their mother was still alive, it appears that they never got it and contact with the alleged kidnappers seemingly stopped.
Authorities have yet to confirm that any of the letters were legitimate.
When asked why the perp hasn't tried to cash in on either a ransom or the $1.2million reward offered by authorities and the Guthrie family, News Nation investigative producer Allison Weiner told Banfield: "I think it’s too risky. Because she’s dead."
Quickly backtracking, Weiner added, "I mean, god forbid, but I think it’s too risky. You’re going to go to jail if you come forward and say I have her. You can't get the ransom money if you killed her."
'Someone Knows Him'
Ashleigh Banfield said she believes that the suspect acted alone.
Banfield, who faced backlash in the past for her controversial theory that Nancy was taken by her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, also speculated on the potential suspect's behavior.
She noted he was likely acting strangely in the days after Nancy's kidnapping and "somebody knows that."
Weiner said she agreed, but claimed whoever knows it was "probably in on it with him."
'One-Man Job'
A masked man was caught on camera at Nancy Guthrie's door.
"I don’t think it was a one-man job. I haven’t thought that the whole time because there’s a back door, and you know there’s blood drops in the house," the producer pointed out.
Blood spatter was also found on the front door, the porch and the driveway on Nancy's Catalina Foothills property.
However, Banfield held fast to her belief that the kidnapper likely acted alone.
"Absolutely, I think it’s one guy," she said. "Happens all the time. And they can easily haul 150 pounds over their shoulders. It’s happened before."
Why Haven't Police Released the Ransom Notes?
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The Guthrie's begged the kidnapper for proof of life.
Armchair sleuths following the shocking case have been curious about the alleged ransom notes and called for authorities to release them publicly in case any clues can be gleaned from someone who may recognize the kidnapper's style of writing.
However, Lisa Ribacoff-Mooney, a polygraph expert and the owner of Interpoint Investigative Services, exclusively told Radar that could cause more problems for the investigation.
"By releasing the letters, it also allows copycat letters to be sent in where the public would learn language, tone, and even if it is a typed letter, matching the font of the letter," the private investigator shared at the time. "It would remove the authenticity of the actual letters."
