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At first glance, it looked like a heartbreaking mystery with few answers. Now, investigators and experts are pointing to disturbing signs that suggest this may have been planned long before anyone realized.
As the search for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, stretches into its fifth day, the narrative is quietly shifting. What once seemed like a sudden disappearance is starting to look far more deliberate.
During a tense press conference on Thursday, February 5, 2026, authorities confirmed something investigators could no longer ignore.
What Raised New Alarms
There was no usable DNA recovered from the Arizona home where Nancy vanished. That absence immediately stood out to former CIA officer and FBI special agent Tracy Walder, who said the lack of forensic evidence raised early concerns for investigators. Also, in Walder’s view, the lack of DNA suggested an effort to avoid leaving anything behind. Walder said:
“This is a person who is clearly suited up and gloved up, right? Even though they may have surprised [Nancy] in her sleep, I find it very hard to believe that she wouldn’t have fought back a little bit in some way.”
At that point, it was less about what investigators found and more about what they didn’t.
The Detail Investigators Couldn’t Ignore
Walder explained that even a brief struggle typically leaves something behind.
Skin cells, blood, or fibers are almost always transferred during close contact. “I understand that she’s 84 and not of the best health, but human nature is to respond,” Walder sad, adding that DNA “could have gone places.”
The fact that nothing usable was recovered suggested, in her view, that the intruder may have anticipated that risk. That level of foresight rarely happens on impulse.
The Camera Footage That Vanished
And the missing DNA wasn’t the only thing investigators couldn’t find. According to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, Nancy’s doorbell camera disconnected around 1:47 a.m. Sunday.
“At 2:12 a.m. [local time], software detects a person on a camera, but there’s no video available,” Nanos said. The reason was painfully simple: there was no paid subscription, meaning the footage automatically overwrote itself.
Sheriff Chris Nanos delivers remarks on developments in an ongoing criminal investigation, as posted on February 3, 2026 | Source: YouTube/CBSNews
Sheriff Chris Nanos delivers remarks on developments in an ongoing criminal investigation, as posted on February 3, 2026 | Source: YouTube/CBSNews
“It just kind of loops and covers up. That’s what our analysis teams have told us,” Nanos added. “Could [the movement] be an animal? I imagine that’s possible. We don’t know that. We just have no video,” Nanos added.
Investigators later confirmed they have “run out of [any] way to recover any video” from the home.
Pima County Sheriff, Chris Nanos, speaks to the media in Tucson, Arizona on February 3, 2026. | Source: Getty Images
Pima County Sheriff, Chris Nanos, speaks to the media in Tucson, Arizona on February 3, 2026. | Source: Getty Images
A Timeline That Doesn’t Sit Right
Based on the timestamps, Walder believes the perpetrator may have been on the property for about 45 minutes. More troubling, she said, is that the person appeared to know exactly where the cameras were.
“Now, that doesn’t always mean it’s a family member,” Walder clarified. “That could mean it’s a stalker.”
The length of time and the apparent awareness of surveillance pushed the case beyond a spontaneous act.
Personal Details Were Easy to Find
One of Walder’s most chilling claims is that Nancy’s information was so accessible. She said she easily found Nancy’s home address, email address, and phone number online. That accessibility, Walder argued, is a serious risk when a family member is as high-profile as Savannah. She believes someone could have quietly tracked Nancy’s routines.
“I also think because of the fact [Nancy’s] home is set so far back, if this is just some random person, I think they probably stalked her for some time and got a pattern life … Her comings and goings and those kinds of things.”
Her routines. Her comings and goings. All quietly observable.
Savannah Guthrie poses alongside her mother Nancy Guthrie at Sydney Opera House in Australia on May 4, 2015. | Source: Getty Images
Savannah Guthrie poses alongside her mother Nancy Guthrie at Sydney Opera House in Australia on May 4, 2015. | Source: Getty Images
Something About This Didn’t Add Up
Walder is firm on one point: “There’s no way this is a robbery gone wrong.” She said a thief wouldn’t abduct the homeowner and bring them along.
