Ashleigh Banfield Exposes 'Disturbing Similarities' Between Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance and 2018 Murder of California Woman

Ashleigh Banfield is pointing to what she called "disturbing similarities" between the recent disappearance of Nancy Guthrie and the 2018 killing of California woman Nancy Woodrum.

During the Tuesday, March 10, episode of her "Drop Dead Serious" podcast, Banfield walked listeners through details of Woodrum’s case while explaining why the circumstances surrounding the two women have stood out to her as the search for Guthrie continues.

"It is day 37 in the search for Nancy Guthrie," Banfield said on the episode, which was recorded March 9. "There are so many theories about what might have happened to Mrs. Guthrie… only the police know more than we do."

Banfield said she decided to revisit Woodrum’s case because of the parallels she sees between the two investigations.

"Two women, both disappeared from their beds, both absolutely mysterious," she explained. "As I go through this case, you won’t believe the number of similarities."

Woodrum, 62, lived on a sprawling ranch property in Paso Robles, Calif., surrounded by vineyards and equipped with a pool, spa and guest house. After her husband died, she moved into the smaller guest house while renting the main home for events.

On May 4, 2018, 24 wedding guests arrived to stay at the property for a weekend celebration. But the festivities quickly turned into a frightening mystery.

According to Banfield, Woodrum’s daughter arrived the following morning searching for her mother and made a disturbing discovery inside the bedroom.

"The bed had been stripped. The room looked disturbed. There was blood," Banfield said, adding that the scene immediately raised alarm bells. Woodrum’s son-in-law then called 911.

Investigators quickly realized the situation was "far from a routine missing person call," Banfield said.

Inside the bedroom, authorities found blood evidence on the carpet and walls, along with a decorative pillow stained on both sides. Forensic testing later uncovered a key clue.

"All of the testing that they were doing, all the CSI they were doing… it revealed the presence of unknown male DNA," Banfield mentioned.

She noted that investigators in both the Woodrum case and the disappearance of Guthrie have referenced unidentified male DNA, though officials have not publicly said where the evidence was found in Guthrie’s case.

In the Woodrum investigation, police first turned their attention to the dozens of wedding guests who had stayed on the property that night.

"Every single one of them had to be interviewed. Every single one of them had to be ruled out," Banfield continued.

Authorities also looked into other people connected to Woodrum, including a former real estate agent who had previously listed her multimillion-dollar ranch and contractors who had worked on the property.

Eventually, investigators focused on a painter who had done work at the home, later identified as Carlo Fuentes.

Banfield said detectives used cellphone location data to place Fuentes near the ranch around the time Woodrum disappeared, and DNA evidence later tied him to the crime.

"Carlo freaking caved. Sang like a canary," Banfield added while recounting the moment investigators say he confessed.

According to the investigative journalist, Fuentes later admitted he had developed a sexual interest in Woodrum before attacking and killing her.

Banfield believes the case serves as a reminder that complicated investigations can take time — and that authorities searching for answers in Guthrie’s disappearance may still uncover the truth.

"The similarities between Nancy Guthrie’s case and Nancy Woodrum’s case are eerie and sometimes honestly… uncanny," she concluded.