NEWSNancy Guthrie Was at 'Very High Risk' of Heart Attack If Abducted While Sleeping, Expert Warns
A sleep expert is concerned that a slumbering Nancy Guthrie may have been at a 'high risk' for a heart attack when she was allegedly abducted.
March 9 2026, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
In the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, sleep expert Pat Byrne recently warned that she was at a "very high risk" of a heart attack during her suspected abduction.
According to Byrne's analysis on former prosecutor Nancy Grace's "Crime Stories" podcast, the circumstances of her early-morning disappearance on February 1 created a dangerous medical scenario.
Pat explained that being violently or abruptly woken at 2 a.m. — a time of peak deep or REM sleep — causes "sleep inertia," leaving a person profoundly confused and disoriented.
Nancy Guthrie has a known heart condition.
Nancy has a known heart condition and relies on a pacemaker. Pat noted that research shows elderly individuals, even those without prior heart issues, are at high risk for cardiac events when suddenly roused from deep sleep.
“So what I started to think about was what’s going on in her brain? What sleep stage was she at? And how did that affect her emotions and her thought process once she woke up? So our human brains do not go from fully asleep to fully awake,” he told the TV star.
“There’s this process, and it’s called sleep inertia. There’s this process of waking up. And that depends partly on how you’re woken up and what sleep stage you’re at. So, at 2 a.m., [Nancy Guthrie] was probably either in a very deep sleep or in what’s called REM sleep, which is rapid-eyed movement sleep, which is where we dream. And the interesting thing about that is if she were in a deep sleep, then she would be incredibly confused," Pat explained.
Nancy Guthrie has been missing since February 1.
The combination of intense disorientation from sleep inertia and the physical stress on her heart/pacemaker significantly increased the likelihood of a fatal heart event during the encounter.
“That concerned me immediately,” he said.
“The research just shows that elderly people who, even without heart conditions, are at a high risk of heart attacks and being violently woken up from a deep sleep. So that’s what the scientific research shows. And so you add on the fact that she has a pacemaker, which means she has a heart condition, makes it worse," Pat speculated.
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Nancy Guthrie was likely abducted from her home.
Investigators recently addressed public speculation regarding a woman's body found near a Phoenix canal on March 9. As of now, authorities have not officially connected this discovery to Nancy's disappearance.
A home west of Nancy's in the Catalina foothills of Tuscon, Ariz., was searched on Thursday, February 5.
Investigators found blood spatters on her front porch, which forensic experts suggest may have come from her nose or mouth.
Savannah Guthrie returned to the 'Today' show one month after her mother's disappearance.
The FBI is analyzing cell records and surveillance footage of a masked man seen at her door and is currently investigating a "mysterious internet glitch" or blackout that occurred at Nancy’s home the night she vanished.
Experts are exploring if a Wi-Fi jammer was used to disable security cameras.
A $1 million reward is being offered for information leading to her recovery.
