'This Guy Behaved in Extraordinary Ways': Ashleigh Banfield Believes One Man Abducted Nancy Guthrie

Journalist Ashleigh Banfield doubled down on her theory that there was only one kidnapper who took Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who has been missing since February 1.

The former NewsNation host reported that she believes a single perpetrator — whom she initially identified as Tommaso Cioni, Nancy's son-in-law — was responsible for the abduction.

She has maintained her stance on this reporting, even as local authorities, including embattled Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, have pushed back and cleared all family members.

Ashleigh has theorized that the individual likely targeted Nancy specifically, potentially due to a long-standing grudge or as a "targeted hit” and doubled down on her theory as the kidnapper acting alone in an episode of her “Drop Dead Serious” podcast.

“Why do you think no one has come forward with 1.2 million dollars on the table?” she asked NewsNation investigative producer Allison Weiner.

“I think it’s too risky. Because she’s dead. 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,” Weiner said.

Ashleigh interrupted, saying, “I don’t think it’s him. But it’s someone who knows him and knows he behaved bizarrely because that guy’s entire Sunday was blown. And his Monday wasn’t a whole lot better either, and then he was really nervous the minute that video of the guy with the mask came out.”

She explained that the perpetrator had to have acted differently after more information emerged in the case.

“This guy behaved in extraordinary ways. All throughout February 1, February 2, I’ll say, right through February 5. And then I think it was — February 10 or 11 when they came out with the mask video. ‘Oh, finally we can see him!’ He behaved differently, and somebody knows that,” she insisted.

Allison agreed, but also offered her own theory that the kidnapper did not act alone.

“Yes, I agree. But you know we’re just speculating. But I have to say that the person who knows it was probably in on it with him. 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,” she said.

When Allison asked Ashleigh if she still thought Nancy’s kidnapper acted alone, she said, “Absolutely, I think it’s one guy. Happens all the time. And they can easily haul 150 pounds over their shoulders. It’s happened before.”

Aliison noted that the perpetrator(s) would have to act very carefully in collecting the reward money.

“I thought whoever would get the reward would be implicated, so it has to be done very carefully,” she said as Ashleigh interrupted, saying, “Who loves this person very much until she doesn’t, and then maybe she’ll talk.”

Allison offered a more ominous theory.

“Or he does it again to someone else, and then they catch him,” she said.