Nancy Guthrie Case: Retired Detective 'Fearful' 84-Year-Old 'Didn’t Survive the Abduction' Amid Months-Long Hunt for Suspect

Retired detective Jon Buehler told NewsNation’s Brian Entin he's afraid Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, didn't survive her abduction.

Jon based his fears on several critical pieces of evidence from the scene and the kidnapper's behavior, explaining that a combination of physical evidence, the victim's health and communication patterns points to a tragic outcome in the abduction.

A substantial amount of blood was found at the front of her Tucson, Ariz., home, indicating a heavily bleeding wound occurred during the initial struggle.

At 84 years old, Nancy uses a pacemaker and has poor overall health. Jon noted that the intense fear and physical strain of complying with an abductor would be exceptionally dangerous for someone in her condition.

Despite multiple ransom notes, there has been no immediate, definitive demand for a reward accompanied by proof that she is alive and safe.

“The reason I’m fearful she didn’t survive the abduction is kind of twofold. No. 1, no instantaneous demand for a reward with indication that she’s fine and that they’ll release her. That’s a pretty big stretch there to think that she survived it,” he said. “But the amount of blood that was present there in the front of the house suggests to me a wound that was bleeding a lot, probably not arterial, but bleeding a lot. And with poor health and age on a pacemaker in fear, and him trying to get her to comply, that’s why I just don’t think she survived it.”

Despite his fears regarding her survival, Jon told NewsNation that the case is still highly solvable. He pointed out digital and physical investigative strategies that could break the case wide open, including car tracking data.

Modern vehicles have built-in tracking capabilities. Pulling GPS and surveillance data from cars passing her neighborhood around February 1 could isolate the perpetrator, he explained.

He also noted that authorities can look into map service records to see who searched for Nancy’s specific address before the abduction.

Jon said the captor may be a local service worker, delivery driver, or plumber who visited the home, realized her low-risk profile, and recognized her connection to her daughter Savannah.

As investigators sift through thousands of tips, Jon noted, as other case watchers have, that the suspect's identity could already be in a file, waiting to be properly prioritized.

Jon noted a 1999 case in which four women were murdered in Yosemite by Cary Stayner, who sent investigators a hand-drawn map to where he left one victim.

That map was buried in a stack of mail, and investigators missed it for several days.

“When tips come in on a case like Nancy Guthrie’s, they’re prioritized as best they can, but you still don’t know for sure if they’re prioritized correctly, and so there might be something in there that we’re waiting on that could break it wide open,” Jon said.

“We had a random murder that went 11 years unsolved, and it was only because the one person that could give us the information was afraid to come forward, and it took 11 years for them to get over that fear,” Buehler added.