Additional Coverage:
A cold case investigator has proposed a grim new theory about the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, suggesting she may have been “disposed of” following a medical emergency. Nancy was last seen on January 31 after being taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
Brian Martin, a cold case expert, now believes those responsible for her abduction might not have fully understood the seriousness of Nancy’s fragile health, including the presence of her pacemaker. Speaking with NewsNation’s Brian Entin, Martin shared his concerns: “It just scares me to think that somebody maybe took Miss 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.”
Martin pointed out that Nancy’s pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple Watch around 2 a.m. on the night she disappeared, though whether the device remained functional after that is still unknown. He suggested that an unforeseen medical crisis might have drastically changed the kidnappers’ plans.
“What really bothers me,” Martin said, “is if they underestimated Miss Guthrie’s health and thought, ‘We’ll take her, hold her for a day or two, get some money, and then leave her somewhere.’ But if she became ill or worse during that time, they may have felt they had no choice but to dispose of her because she was no longer of any monetary value to them.”
This chilling theory comes as Nancy’s daughter, Savannah Guthrie, recently returned to The Today Show. On April 6, Savannah appeared alongside co-host Craig Melvin, who warmly welcomed her back.
Throughout the show, Savannah wore a bright yellow dress-a color that has become a symbol of hope in the search for her mother. The set was adorned with yellow flowers, and Craig also incorporated yellow into his outfit as a sign of support.
In recent weeks, other NBC personalities have shown solidarity by wearing yellow ribbons on air, while yellow ribbons and decorations have appeared throughout Nancy’s Tucson neighborhood, tied to lampposts and fences. The ongoing search for Nancy has even drawn comparisons to the mysterious disappearance of an Air Force general, which shares some unsettling similarities.