Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, was likely “stalked for some time” before she was kidnapped, a former CIA officer and FBI special agent believes.
As the frantic search for Nancy Guthrie continues into its fifth day, expert Tracy Walder tells Page Six there are clues that suggest she may have been stalked before her abduction.
At a news conference Thursday, authorities confirmed there was no DNA indicating the suspect was found in the Arizona home, but Walder believes the gunman was very prepared.
“This is someone who is obviously wearing a suit and gloves, right? Even if they had startled[Nancy]in her sleep, it’s very hard to believe that she didn’t fight back a little bit in some way,” she told Us.
“I understand that she is 84 years old and not in the best of health, but human nature is responsive and that means DNA.”
It could have gone somewhere else,” she continues.
At a news conference Thursday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Nancy’s doorbell camera was disconnected around 1:47 a.m. Sunday.
Walder noted that based on the timeline, it appears the perpetrator was there for about 45 minutes and knew where the security cameras were installed.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean being part of the family,” Walder clarifies. “It could be a stalker.”
Walder said it was easy to find Nancy’s personal information online, including her home address, email address and phone number, but this was a “problem” because of Savannah’s prominent career.
“Also, the fact that (Nancy’s) house is pretty remote, I think that if this was just a random person, they were probably stalking her for a while and living a patterned life… her comings and goings and things like that.”
“There’s no way this was a robbery gone wrong,” she added. “You’re not going to take that person with you. This can’t be random.”
“If this was planned, I think it was…Maybe this person knew about her illness, maybe this person knew there was medicine for her.”
Ms Walder said she was not convinced the motive was purely financial as a great deal of effort and preparation had gone into the kidnapping.
“My gut feeling is that this person was someone who had some sort of obsession with Savannah because she’s so famous, and I feel like this was a potential way to get closer to her,” she says. “Or this person is someone who has some kind of connection to Savannah because of the stories she covered or who she interviewed.
“I’m not completely convinced that this is just about money. I’m not completely convinced that this is just about ransom.”
Nancy did not show up for church on Sunday and was reported missing.
At a news conference Thursday, Nanos said authorities are “actively investigating all” as suspects in Nancy’s kidnapping.
Nanos added that Nancy’s family was “very supportive” and “did everything” that was asked of her.
The sheriff previously said he and investigators believe Nancy was abducted while she was sleeping and was “harmed” in the process.
A blood stain was seen just outside her front door, and Nanos confirmed Thursday that it was Nancy’s.
Also during the press conference, FBI Phoenix Special Agent Heiss Janke revealed that the ransom note being investigated has a deadline of 5pm Montana time.
“And if the transfer does not take place, the second request will be next Monday,” he said. “I have no intention of going beyond that.”
At the beginning of the press conference, officers noted the ransom note’s mention of an “Apple Watch” and “light projector.”
There is a $50,000 reward for information regarding Nancy’s disappearance.
On Wednesday night, Savannah, along with her siblings Annie and Camron, made an emotional plea for their mother’s safe return in an Instagram video.
