Nancy Guthrie's 'Baffling' Disappearance Might Not Be Kidnapping for Ransom, Claims Ex-FBI Special Agent

The mysterious disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mom, Nancy Guthrie, may very well not be a kidnapping for ransom case, according to a former FBI special agent.

James Gagliano told CNN’s Pamela Brown on Monday, February 9, that he doubts the Today show star's elderly mother was abducted by strangers hoping for a big payout.

Nancy has been missing since Sunday, February 1, and authorities reported in the days following that they found evidence at her Tucson, Ariz., home that led them to believe she was abducted. Alleged random notes have also been sent to several media outlets so far.

The Guthrie family has since released multiple videos pleading with Nancy's purported abductors to release their beloved mother.

But based to his experience in the field, James is not convinced the 84-year-old grandma was taken against her will.

"Pam, I’ll give you a stat here," he said. "Do you know the percentage of kidnappings that occur of 80-year-olds? It’s like infinitesimal. It’s less than one half of 1 percent. That’s why this case, again, is so baffling and confounding."

When Pam then asked James outright whether he thinks she was kidnapped, he replied, "No, and I’ll give you this.. I’ll tell you this: there are numbers of ways to conduct kidnappings, right?"

"There’s a new craze of this, and again, we saw this south of the border when I was stationed there called virtual kidnappings where they do everything they can to make you believe that they have your loved one in their quote, unquote 'possession' when they don’t," he explained.

"And they’re acting quickly, they’re utilizing AI now, artificial intelligence, to help, you know, cause this fog of vagaries so that the families are panicked and do what they need to do," the CNN contributor continued.

He went on to clarify that he believes, in his experience, kidnappers would've contacted the family already.

Savannah, 54, said in a message on Saturday, February 7, "We received your message and understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay."

In another video posted on Monday, the TV personality declared to her followers she believes Nancy "is still out there."

"She was taken, and we don't know where. We need your help," she said, pleading with the public for help. "So I'm coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you're far from Tucson, if you see anything, hear anything that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement."

Nancy was reportedly last seen by her daughter Annie Guthrie at dinner on Saturday, January 31. It's believed either Annie or her husband, Tommaso Cioni, dropped Nancy off at around 9:30 p.m.

Her disappearance was reported by family members the following day at around 12:15 p.m. after a parishioner at her church let them know she had failed to show up to services.

Authorities found blood at the retiree's upscale Catalina Foothills home. Additionally, there were signs of forced entry, and part of her Ring doorbell camera was also missing.

Police have offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy, "and or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance."