Nancy Guthrie Update: 2 Theories Floated for Kidnapping Motive

Four weeks ago today, the search for Nancy Guthrie began. Since then, local and federal investigators have worked tirelessly to try to bring the 84-year-old Tucson, Arizona resident home.

Despite all the leads that have been pursued, authorities still haven't landed on a concrete motive for the suspected kidnapping. One former FBI and CIA agent posited two potential theories this weekend.

Expert: Suspect may have had issue with Savannah Guthrie

In an interview with NewsNation's Brian Entin on Brian Entin Investigates, former investigator Tracy Walder's suggested motives centered around someone having it out for Savannah Guthrie, Nancy's daughter and longtime Today cohost.

“I do think that was someone that was either upset with something Savannah Guthrie had done, or had some obsession with her, and that’s why they targeted this family,” Walder said, via Newsweek.

“It’s just too targeted,” she added. “This is not a house that you just come upon and decide to rob—it’s just not that.”

Walder shoots down other possible theory

One thing Walder is not buying is that this was a robbery gone wrong, because of the fact Nancy was taken from the scene.

“In a burglary, we don’t tend to see them taking a victim with them. That just tends to not be the case because it bogs them down," Walder said.

Another investigator agrees with Walder

Last week, Jonny Grusing, a 25-year veteran of the FBI’s Denver Division, spoke with Fox News Digital about Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.

Grusing suggested "personal grievance" as the motive, and says the behavior of the potential suspect on surveillance footage indicates he wanted to lure Guthrie outside, which would not be typical for someone who just wanted to rob the home.

“The first thing he does is with his glove, and with his glove, it doesn’t look like he’s trying to take [the camera] off,” Grusing said. “It looks like he’s trying to cover it with his right hand.And then he looks down, he looks around, and he gets the branches, and he puts the branches up in front of it.”

“Is there a chance, since we don’t have audio, that he is either knocking on the door loudly or that he has pressed the ring doorbell, [that] he’s trying to get Nancy to answer the door, and he’s shielding himself from being seen as a masked person, so she will, in her confusion, open the door?” 

source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/nancy-guthrie-update-2-theories-floated-for-kidnapping-motive