TRUE CRIME NEWSNancy Guthrie's Alleged Abductor May Have Used One Piece of Evidence as a Calculated 'Distraction,' Claims Legal Expert
Savannah Guthrie's mother has been missing since February 1.
June 2 2026, Updated 3:31 p.m. ET
The ransom demands connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, could just be a calculated distraction meant to mislead investigators, legal expert RJ Dreiling warned.
Speaking with HELLO! magazine, the former prosecutor-turned-criminal defense attorney emphasized that the total lack of follow-up on the ransom notes — including a Bitcoin ransom demand — suggests the letters are entirely fake.
'This Is Someone Intelligent'
A legal expert admitted Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper may not have a 'rational' motive.
"The lack of follow-through on any ransom demand makes it look like it was a distraction meant to throw off investigators," he explained. "This is someone intelligent enough to completely hide their tracks, including DNA, fingerprints, and electronic data, but also deranged enough to kidnap this woman out of her home and hold her hostage."
He argues that a perpetrator capable of flawlessly masking physical footprints, DNA and electronic data wouldn't leave such disorganized trails unless it were a deliberate ploy to throw off law enforcement.
RJ supported the theory that Nancy was targeted by someone familiar with the family.
He drew parallels to historical obsessions, such as Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassin John Hinckley Jr.'s fixation on actress Jodie Foster.
"What is worth considering are parallels to the Jodie Foster-John Hinckley Jr. case. Someone who is methodical in preparation but has a motive that makes no rational sense," he said.
John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan, was allegedly obsessed with Jodie Foster's movie 'Taxi Driver.'
Despite several months having passed since Nancy vanished from her Arizona home on February 1, 2026, RJ reminded the public that it is entirely possible she can still be brought home safely.
"It's important to remember that even though it has been a substantial amount of time since she went missing, hope is not lost,” he said.
He also drew a powerful parallel between Nancy's case and that of Elizabeth Smart, who, at just 14, was abducted at knifepoint from her Salt Lake City, Utah, home in 2002, yet was miraculously rescued nine months later after enduring tremendous trauma and suffering.
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Elizabeth Smart Encourages People to Have Hope for Nancy Guthrie
Kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart believes Nancy Guthrie could still be alive.
"One of the most famous kidnappings in recent history – Elizabeth Smart – was solved several months after her disappearance when a family member remembered a key piece of evidence and disclosed it to the police," he explained.
Elizabeth herself recently expressed the belief that Nancy could "absolutely still be alive."
Citing her own nine-month abduction and other missing-person cases, she urged the public and investigators not to give up hope, emphasizing that every victim deserves to be brought home.
Potentially critical "mixed" DNA evidence — including a hair sample recovered from Nancy's home — was sent from a private Florida lab to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Va. Investigators are using advanced technology to isolate genetic material from multiple people.
"Technology has come a long way since then, particularly as it pertains to cell phone data and electronic tracking," the legal guru continued. "The best possible outcome here would be a DNA profile from the scene or another location matches someone with a clear motive, whether through prior contact, a personal grievance, or even a digital footprint on social media."
