More than two months after Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Tucson-area home, an expert’s assessment of the kidnapping suspect’s potential motives suggests Savannah and her family may be targeted again. The “Today” host’s 84-year-old mother disappeared in the early hours of February 1, amid disturbing signs of violence at the scene. Blood was found on the front porch and data from her Bluetooth pacemaker showed it disconnected from her phone around 2:30 a.m., suggesting she was taken against her will.
Experts warn Savannah and her family
Former FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit researcher Ann Burgess believes the attack may not have been primarily about Nancy herself. Instead, she said the motive may involve revenge against someone close to her.
“In her orbit, we call family, may be friends, who would be hurt the most [by her kidnapping]? ” Dr. Burgess told NewsNation’s “Brian Entine Investigates” on Friday. She further suggested that the abduction could be an attempt to emotionally impact loved ones.
She added that such a motive indicated deep personal grievance rather than a random crime. “I think you can answer… it was a very vile, angry, horrific thing to do. If something went wrong, which it obviously did, I don’t think it made sense for her to be anything other than a target for kidnapping,” she said.
Savannah’s popularity leaves family vulnerable
Burgess also said law enforcement may investigate whether Savannah’s public image made her family vulnerable. “I’m sure law enforcement has talked to her about it. Has she had any similar experiences over the years, not necessarily just recently, has she received any bad letters or anything like that?” she said.
Experts say the risk of repeat targeting is likely to be low if the motivation is personal and specific. “If it’s what we call personal reasons, in other words, it only makes sense to that person, so it’s not like a serial offender who would go out and do something like this to other people,” she explained.
She also raised the possibility that multiple people may be involved, which could ultimately help investigators solve the case. “I think there are other small pieces of evidence that could be released that would suggest there’s more evidence for people to make assumptions or speculations again. I think they could be releasing more evidence,” she said.
Reflecting on the crime scene itself, Burgess noted there were signs that the situation might have escalated unexpectedly. “I thought something was wrong in the house … because, you know, there was blood,” she said.
