A legal expert suggests the Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie’s case might have an idea of the assailant’s motive.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos hinted that cops “know why he did this,” and pointed towards a “targeted” kidnapping, as reported by The Irish Star. He also told NBC News, “It’d be silly to tell people, ‘Yeah, don’t worry about it. You’re not his target.’ Don’t think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you’re safe.”
On the other hand, Savannah Guthrie spoke on the Today show about receiving ransom notes.
“There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came. And I think most of them, it’s my understanding, are not real,” as reported by The Irish Star.
She further added, “But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”
Savannah Guthrie broke down in tears during her first TV interview as she discussed her mom Nancy’s disappearance possibly being her fault:
“[I asked my brother] do you think it’s because of me? He said, ‘Well, I’m sorry sweetie, but yeah, maybe.’ But I knew that. I hope not. I… pic.twitter.com/0p5d61NBqk
— Variety (@Variety) March 26, 2026
Savannah also said she believed her fame was the reason for the kidnapping.
When her brother suggested their mother had been kidnapped, she “just said, ‘Do you think because of me?’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry, sweetie, but yeah, maybe.’ But I knew that,” as reported by The Guardian.
This difference in statements stood out to legal expert Chad D. Cummings, who spoke about it to The Irish Star.
He observed, “If Nancy Guthrie was taken because her daughter is a national television personality, the crime is specific to the Guthrie family, and the risk to the residents of the Catalina Foothills is near zero. Nanos knows this.”
He added, “His refusal to confirm the celebrity motive while simultaneously hinting at it suggests that he has evidence to suggest a different motive – one which has not been shared publicly.”
Cummings also criticized the handling of the case and commented, “In a competent investigation, the family, law enforcement, and the press operate from a shared set of facts. In this case, they operate from three separate sets of facts.”
However, Cummings is not the only one who believes the case is not being properly handled. A former Orange County prosecutor, Matt Murphy, shared a similar view on the “Prof Jo Explains” podcast.
He even claimed that the perpetrator could be someone known to investigators, as reported by Parade.
The FBI has just released these images of Nancy Guthrie’s likely kidnapper
pic.twitter.com/9O3apTX9xy
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) February 10, 2026
Murphy said, “I will bet my bottom dollar that this guy, whoever he is, turns out to be a known dude in the jail of Pima County, and I would not be at all surprised—and this is based just on my own jaded lens—if this guy hasn’t been a frequent flyer and released on some ridiculous social justice program.”
Murphy also labeled the investigation of Nancy Guthrie’s case a “clown show.”
The New York Post reported that a masked intruder was caught in the security system of Nancy’s home.
