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Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie case believes they know kidnapper's motive

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AI Legal Analyst
March 13, 2026, 7:05 PM 3 min read 12 views

Summary

Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie case believes they know kidnapper's motive 2 hours ago Share Save Brandon Drenon Share Save Getty Images The sheriff investigating the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of US TV presenter Savannah Guthrie, says authorities believe they have a motive, but have not identified a suspect. The sheriff did warn there was "absolutely" a chance that the unknown suspect who kidnapped Guthrie 41 days ago could strike again. "It'd be silly to tell people, 'Yeah, don't worry about it. So far, the lone glimpse officials have of the suspect is of a masked man whose image was captured on the doorbell camera outside Nancy Guthrie's home. Unanswered questions as search for Nancy Guthrie enters a new month 'I don't want to imagine what happened' - Shock and disbelief in area Nancy Guthrie went missing Nancy Guthrie's family offers $1m reward to bring home missing mother United States Arizona

## Summary
Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie case believes they know kidnapper's motive 2 hours ago Share Save Brandon Drenon Share Save Getty Images The sheriff investigating the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of US TV presenter Savannah Guthrie, says authorities believe they have a motive, but have not identified a suspect. The sheriff did warn there was "absolutely" a chance that the unknown suspect who kidnapped Guthrie 41 days ago could strike again. "It'd be silly to tell people, 'Yeah, don't worry about it. So far, the lone glimpse officials have of the suspect is of a masked man whose image was captured on the doorbell camera outside Nancy Guthrie's home. Unanswered questions as search for Nancy Guthrie enters a new month 'I don't want to imagine what happened' - Shock and disbelief in area Nancy Guthrie went missing Nancy Guthrie's family offers $1m reward to bring home missing mother United States Arizona

## Article Content
Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie case believes they know kidnapper's motive
2 hours ago
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Brandon Drenon
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The sheriff investigating the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of US TV presenter Savannah Guthrie, says authorities believe they have a motive, but have not identified a suspect.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that "we believe we know why he did this". He said authorities "believe it was targeted", but they were "not 100% sure of that".
Guthrie, 84, has been missing since she was taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on 1 February.
A nationwide search has unveiled certain clues, including DNA evidence and ransom notes, but no suspect has been identified.
Nanos declined to elaborate on the suspected motive, as he said it could compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigation to do so.
The sheriff did warn there was "absolutely" a chance that the unknown suspect who kidnapped Guthrie 41 days ago could strike again.
"It'd be silly to tell people, 'Yeah, don't worry about it. You're not his target,'" Nanos said in Thursday's NBC News interview. "Don't think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you're safe."
Nanos warned residents in Guthrie's affluent Catalina Foothills neighbourhood to "keep your wits about you".
Savannah Guthrie has posted multiple videos on social media making direct appeals to her mother's captor, and is offering $1m (£760,000) for information that leads to her return.
"She may be lost, she may already be gone," Savannah said in a video shared in February.
There have been arrests and detainments in the case, but they have not led officials to find the actual suspect.
A California man arrested on suspicion of sending fake ransom notes is facing federal charges, but does not seem to be involved in Nancy's disappearance.
A delivery man was also detained for questioning, but he was released shortly after he was cleared by authorities.
So far, the lone glimpse officials have of the suspect is of a masked man whose image was captured on the doorbell camera outside Nancy Guthrie's home.
Unanswered questions as search for Nancy Guthrie enters a new month
'I don't want to imagine what happened' - Shock and disbelief in area Nancy Guthrie went missing
Nancy Guthrie's family offers $1m reward to bring home missing mother
United States
Arizona

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- Nanos declined to elaborate on the suspected motive, as he said it could compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigation to do so.
- The sheriff did warn there was "absolutely" a chance that the unknown suspect who kidnapped Guthrie 41 days ago could strike again. "It'd be silly to tell people, 'Yeah, don't worry about it.
- Savannah Guthrie has posted multiple videos on social media making direct appeals to her mother's captor, and is offering $1m (£760,000) for information that leads to her return. "She may be lost, she may already be gone," Savannah said in a video shared in February.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers guthrie, nancy, suspect topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 393.
guthrie nancy suspect sheriff nanos motive mother savannah

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