Detective details how abduction of Nancy Guthrie may have 'went sideways'

A detective who specializes in cold cases says the abduction of Nancy Guthrie may have started as an attempt to gain money but escalated into a far more serious crime because the woman’s captors misjudged her health.

Brian Martin, a detective with the Fort Wayne Police Department in Indiana, told Brian Entin in an interview on Tuesday with NewsNation that he believes those responsible for abducting Nancy Guthrie likely intended to hold her briefly while demanding money, then release her.

The detective speculated that the kidnappers planned to keep the 84-year-old woman in an unknown location for a few days before collecting the money and abandoning her somewhere, like a Walmart parking lot.

Martin theorized that the kidnappers “underestimated” Nancy Guthrie’s health, suggesting that some sort of medical event forced them to change their plans.

“It just scares me to think that somebody maybe took Ms. Guthrie, and she had some sort of medical event when it was happening, because obviously it’d be an incredibly stressful situation and very taxing on somebody,” the detective said.

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has drawn nationwide attention as authorities continue to search for the missing woman.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing Feb. 1 after she failed to attend a virtual church service that morning. She was last seen around 9:45 p.m. Jan. 31 after having dinner with her family.

Law enforcement officials have released doorbell camera footage of a masked man outside the elderly woman’s home in Tucson, Arizona, on the day of her disappearance. However, authorities have not named any suspects or persons of interest in connection with the case.

During the interview with the Fort Wayne detective, Entin said Martin’s theory would explain why no one appears to have tried to collect a ransom in exchange for Nancy Guthrie. The detective replied that the perpetrator or perpetrators cannot attempt to collect any money now, which he believes was the motive for abducting the 84-year-old woman.

“Things went sideways, things went wrong, and what they had to do is they had to … it sounds horrible … they had to dispose of Ms. Guthrie because she was no longer of value to them in that monetary gain that they’re hoping to get,” Martin said.

Media outlets like TMZ have reported receiving ransom notes following the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother. The notes include demands for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and graphic descriptions of the consequences of not paying the ransom.

On April 6, TMZ reported that it had received another note from someone claiming to offer information about Nancy Guthrie’s location in exchange for one Bitcoin.

According to Martin, the ransom notes are either legitimate and written by someone involved in the case, or they were written by someone seeking attention and “trying to cause the family heartache.”

In past cases Martin has worked on, authorities had to decide whether to keep the contents of ransom notes or taunting letters private or share them with the public in hopes of gaining information.

Martin hopes the notes in this case do not lead law enforcement down “a completely wrong path” that would distract from finding Nancy Guthrie.

“This person … whoever sent the letters obviously … they want some attention,” he continued. “They want those letters to be found, or they wouldn’t have sent them to a news outlet. I would hope that if it is the person involved in Ms. Guthrie’s disappearance, they want to be heard and are legitimately trying to negotiate some type of deal.”

Even though Guthrie has been missing for more than 60 days, the detective does not consider it a cold case.

“I don’t think this is a cold case at all,” Martin said. “We’re looking at 60 days. I think there’s still a lot of very viable information that can be gained, both electronically and through interviews and re-interviews, and not only that, but tips that are coming in.”

Amid the ongoing investigation, the Guthrie family has asked the public to continue praying for their missing relative.

In an Easter video message for Good Shepherd New York church, Savannah Guthrie discussed her mental struggles after her mother’s disappearance. During this period of uncertainty, Savannah Guthrie said she has wondered whether Jesus ever experienced pain like hers during His time on Earth.

“Recently, though, in my own season of trial, I have wondered, I have questioned whether Jesus really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel," she said. "This grievous and uniquely cruel injury of not knowing, of uncertainty and confusion and answers withheld."

“In those darkest moments, I have thought bitterly, and perhaps irreverently, that I have stumbled upon a feeling that Jesus did not know,” the co-anchor added.

At the conclusion of her message, Savannah Guthrie said that she would close her eyes and “feel the sunshine.”

“I see a bright vision of the day when Heaven and Earth pass away because they are one, on Earth as it is in Heaven," she continued. "When we celebrate today, this is what we celebrate, and I celebrate, too. I still believe. And so I say with conviction, 'Happy Easter.'”