A motive remains unknown as the search intensifies for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who investigators say appears to have been kidnapped from her Arizona home.
The 84-year-old was last seen Saturday night, and investigators believe she was abducted in her sleep early Sunday morning, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.
While this could be random, according to ABC News contributor and former FBI agent Brad Garrett, there are several possible motives.
“Is it for kidnap ransom? Well, you haven’t heard anything about a ransom,” Garrett said. “Is it personal to Nancy, somebody in her circle? I think that’s less likely, but that is a possibility.”
The motive could also be to target “her daughter, Savannah, who has this huge, international profile,” Garrett said.
Garrett said the case could also be mistaken identity.
“Houses have been broken into, people have been abducted and even killed, when the bad guys went in the wrong house,” Garrett said.
And if the case is random, Garrett said, it’s “much more difficult to solve.”
The evidence left at Nancy Guthrie’s home will be very important for investigators, Garrett noted.
Authorities have not released specifics, but did say “we do in fact have a crime scene” and said “there were circumstances on scene that we believe are suspicious in nature.”
Possible evidence could include blood, drag marks or broken or scattered items, Garrett said.
He said investigators will also analyze any potential foreign DNA left at the house, as well as local traffic and surveillance cameras.
“All you need is one little bit and you might be able to get on to these guys,” Garrett said.
Authorities also said they have Nancy Guthrie’s phone, which Garrett said could help because it reveals her recent communications.
As the investigation reaches the third day, Garrett said his “big concern” is that “it’s very difficult to hold” kidnapping victims.
“And if they are fragile,” like the elderly, he said, “they have a greater likelihood of perishing.”
Nancy Guthrie is “sharp as a tack,” authorities said, but does suffer some physical ailments. Authorities said she could die without access to her medication.
Savannah Guthrie said in a statement Monday night, “Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. … Bring her home.”
Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.
