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Savannah Guthrie reveals new details in mom’s disappearance that don’t add up as questions haunt case: expert
A veteran law enforcement expert is raising serious questions about the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie after her daughter revealed alarming new details about the night she vanished.
The concerns follow an emotional, three-part interview — “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s first since her mother disappeared — in which she described signs of a possible struggle, early fears of kidnapping, and her belief that ransom notes sent to the family were real.
Randy Sutton, a retired Las Vegas police lieutenant who has been on the ground in Tucson since the early days of the investigation, told Fox News Digital those details and how they were handled early on could have had a significant impact on the trajectory of the case.
Guthrie described a troubling scene inside her mother’s home, pointing to multiple factors she believes indicate foul play.
She said doors were open, including one that had been “propped open,” there was blood on the front doorstep, and the home’s Ring camera had been yanked off.
Sutton said the “propped open” door is a critical detail.
“That’s an interesting piece of evidence that we had not heard before,” he said, noting there has been no public indication of forced entry.
He emphasized that investigators are dealing with multiple areas within the home, including entry points, the bedroom, and locations where blood was found, making it a complex scene.
At the same time, Sutton pushed back on speculation that the scene itself may have been staged.
“The question is, was the scene staged? … I don’t believe there’s anything that points to the scene being staged,” he said.
Savannah Guthrie said her mother disappeared in her pajamas with no shoes and without her medication.
“It’s how is it possible that we are having to make video speaking to a kidnapper who took an 84-year-old woman,” she said. “In the dead of night. In her pajamas, with no shoes, without her medicine. This little person. And to beg for mercy.”
Sutton downplayed speculation surrounding Nancy Guthrie not taking her evening medication.
“People don’t take their medication all the time… I don’t think that’s a big issue,” Sutton said.
Guthrie also emphasized her mother’s physical condition, saying Nancy Guthrie was in significant pain and had very limited mobility — able to walk to the mailbox on a good day, but often unable to do even that.
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The family’s immediate reaction was to suspect a kidnapping for ransom.
“Even on the phone. When I called him, he knew. And he said, ‘I think she’s been kidnapped for ransom,’” Savannah Guthrie said.
From the outset, the family feared her disappearance was not random, but a targeted abduction.
Sutton said that reaction is understandable given the circumstances.
“It’s not something outside the realm of possibility,” he said, adding that there is no single “typical” kidnapping scenario.
Guthrie described the emotional toll of what followed, including the family’s decision to record a video appeal directed at a possible abductor.
Savannah Guthrie also said she believes ransom notes sent to the family may be legitimate.
“I believe. The two notes that we received that we responded to. I tend to believe those are real.”
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Sutton, however, said aspects of the reported communications raise significant concerns.
“Kidnappings for ransom are very, very rare,” he said.
He noted that in this case, the messages did not follow typical patterns.
“They didn’t go through the family — they went through media outlets. That is not the norm.”
He also pointed to a key missing element.
“The fact that there was no back-and-forth… I question whether any of these ransom demands were real,” Sutton said.
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As “irresponsible and cruel speculation” has circulated, Savannah Guthrie said, she strongly defended her family against any suggestion of involvement.
“And no one took better care of my mom than my sister and brother-in-law. And no one protected my mom more than my brother,” she said. “And we love her and she is our shining light. She’s our matriarch. She’s all we have.”
Sutton said that while those statements are understandable, investigators cannot rule anyone out prematurely.
“In any crime of violence… there is no way you can eliminate the family from being suspects until there is a full investigation,” he said. “Law enforcement has to follow the evidence where it leads.”
Guthrie also signaled growing frustration with the investigation’s progress.
“But we need answers,” she said.
Sutton said that frustration is warranted, pointing to what he described as critical missteps early in the case.
“This should have been locked down immediately,” he said, referring to the initial handling of the scene.
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He added that those early decisions may have had lasting consequences.
“Now the damage has been done,” Sutton said. “They have to go back… and redo all of their investigative work to see if there are any stones left unturned.”
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Sutton said one of the most striking aspects of Guthrie’s interview was the emotional weight she is carrying — particularly moments where she appeared to blame herself.
“The absolute pain and agony… it was palpable,” he said.
He noted that Guthrie expressing guilt stood out, but emphasized that reaction is common in cases involving violent crime.
“When she was talking about whether she caused this… that reaction is more common than people think,” Sutton said.
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“She has absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.”
Still, he warned that those feelings can linger.
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“This is something she will live with forever,” he said, adding that one of the most difficult realities for the family is the possibility they may never fully know what happened.
Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance remains unsolved, as her family continues to push for answers.
A reward of more than $1 million is being offered for information leading to her recovery.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip to law enforcement.
Americans searching for a happier place to live may want to look beyond the country’s biggest and most well-known cities.
A new WalletHub study analyzing more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities found that overall happiness is driven by more than just income, factoring in mental health, physical well-being and community environment.
Instead of major hubs like New York or Los Angeles topping the list, smaller and mid-sized cities dominated the rankings.
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Fremont, California, ranked as the happiest city in America. It was followed by Bismarck, North Dakota, Scottsdale, Arizona, South Burlington, Vermont and Fargo, North Dakota.
Rounding out the top 10 were Overland Park, Kansas, Charleston, South Carolina, Irvine, California, Gilbert, Arizona and San Jose, California.
Higher salaries in large metro areas don’t necessarily lead to greater happiness, the results suggest. Instead, quality of life appears to play a larger role.
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“Research shows that having more money only increases your happiness until you’re making at least $75,000 per year — anything more you earn likely won’t have an impact,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement.
“Therefore, when deciding where to live to maximize your happiness, you’ll want to pick a city that offers more than just a decent average income,” he added.
Cities that ranked highest tended to perform well in areas such as emotional and physical well-being, job satisfaction and strong community ties.
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Fremont stood out in particular, ranking first in emotional and physical well-being and fourth in community environment.
The city also has one of the lowest separation and divorce rates in the country, along with a low depression rate and high life expectancy, the study noted.
Nearly 80% of Fremont households earn more than $75,000 annually, a key benchmark tied to happiness levels, according to the report.
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Fremont also ranks fifth among the most caring cities in America, WalletHub noted.
Together, those factors highlight what separates the happiest cities from the rest.
“The ideal city provides conditions that foster good mental and physical health, like reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather and caring neighbors,” Lupo said.
Nick Cannon is getting real about his political stance.
During Friday’s episode of Cannon’s “Big Drive” online talk show, the “Masked Singer” host had an open conversation with model Amber Rose about President Donald Trump and the political parties.
“Democrats don’t care about Black people, and they don’t care about people of color, and the Republicans do, and that’s the misconception,” Rose said.
“I agree with you 100 percent,” Cannon replied. “People don’t know that the Democrats are the party of the KKK. People don’t know that the Republicans are the party that freed the slaves.”
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“I mean, both you and I have some conservative views,” he continued. “You just a little bit more outspoken than I am. And honestly, I don’t subscribe to either party. I rock with W. E. B. Du Bois, when he said there’s no such thing as two parties. It’s just one evil party with two different names.”
When the topic of conversation turned to Trump, Cannon said, “Motherf—er’s cleaning house,” and is “doing what he said he was gonna do.”
“We got the Gulf of America now. [Trump is] like the club. He’s charging a $5 million bottle service fee to get into the country. I f— with Trump,” he added.
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While Cannon has been more reserved about discussing his political beliefs, Rose has been open about how her support for Trump has impacted her career.
“During the election, I was ‘canceled,’” Rose told Maxim, as the magazine’s February cover star. “Now? All the naysayers are quiet. They see he’s already changing our country for the better.”
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At the Republican National Convention in 2024 in 2024, Rose said she would not be silenced.
“I let go of my fear or judgment of being misunderstood, of getting attacked by the left, and I put the red hat on,” she told attendees. “The left told me to hate Trump. And even worse, to hate the other side: the people who support him.”
“Unfortunately, the ‘woke’ left cancels people for having a different ideology,” she told Maxim. “Fortunately for me, I don’t give a f— and will always stand 10 toes down until the wheels fall off, regardless of what my beliefs may be. I used to be on the left and thought I was doing the right thing. That’s why it’s so important to have open conversations.”
“On the left, there’s no objective truth. It’s only about feelings,” she stated. “As a society, we all need to get back to reality and have these difficult conversations to bring us all back to a better place.”
Dominic Smith was playing with a heavy heart when he made his Atlanta Braves debut on Saturday night – his sixth team in four years.
Smith’s mother, Yvette LaFleuer, died of cancer earlier this month. When Smith stepped up to the plate against the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, he said he could feel her presence with him.
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The slugger hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Braves, 6-2.
“It’s just amazing,” he told reporters. “Played against the Braves for a long time, and being on the other side a lot of these endings kind of hurt, so to be on the right side of it this time was so fun.”
Smith said that his teammates had been very supporting of him during spring training when his mother was ill. She was diagnosed with cancer in September and nearly died at the start of camp.
He left the team to be with her for over a week when she had a “scare” and when he returned, he was fighting for a roster spot.
“This team is just so awesome,” Smith said. “I’m so blessed because of the love they showed me, the support every day. They’re asking about her, asking about her well-being, my well-being, and that’s all they really cared about. They didn’t care about baseball.”
Smith’s walk-off grand slam made him the first player in MLB history to achieve the moment in his debut with a new team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Smith has been trying to find a permanent home after spending his first six years with the New York Mets. He played for the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants since leaving New York.
Last year, Smith had five home runs and 33 RBI in 63 games with the Giants.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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