Nancy Guthrie is still missing. Her body has not been found, but her family and friends remain hopeful that they will be reunited with her soon. Since her disappearance in January, very little is known about what really happened to Nancy. A handful of clues have emerged amid ongoing investigations into her abduction, yet authorities have not named a single suspect.
Several experts not directly involved in Nancy's case have also shared their thoughts about what might have happened to her. Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer most recently outlined four possible scenarios of what she thinks happened to Savannah Guthrie's mum.
Chilling 'Wrench Attack' Kidnapping Scenario
Nancy Guthrie
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) May 23, 2026
The evidence shows a kidnapping for ransom plot gone south.
But who is behind the plot that likely resulted in 84 YO Nancy's death?
If we examine similar historical cases, here are the likely propositions (no special order):
*Wrench Attack - A sophisticated… pic.twitter.com/FyZ4oVF0wq
On X, Coffindaffer first pointed to a wrench attack as a possible scenario in Nancy's disappearance. She said that a crime group must have done their research into how much money Nancy had because she's the mum of a popular TV personality.
Since Savannah is a public individual, photos of her home, as well as her mum's home, have also been publicised, giving Nancy's abductors the impression that they are well-off. In her wrench attack theory, Coffindaffer said that it's possible for Nancy to have died in the hands of one of her attackers, who later sent a ransom note to her family. However, they failed to provide any proof of life.
In the second scenario, the former FBI agent said that it's possible that a close relative was behind her disappearance. Even though Nancy's children and immediate family have been clear, Coffindaffer said that it's always a possibility that someone close to Nancy abducted her.
She also said that a handyman who had been working at Nancy's home could have been behind her disappearance. If not a handyman, it could also have been a family friend living close to the missing 84-year-old matriarch.
Abduction As A Possible Revenge Plot
For Coffindaffer, a revenge plot could also be a great motive for abducting Nancy. She said that someone who wants to hurt her family would have done it by kidnapping the most important woman in their lives.
'Someone angry at Nancy [or] a Guthrie family member perpetrated this crime to cause absolute misery to this family. That means the torture of abducting Nancy with 0 regard for her life. They wanted to strip of the family of money (thus ransom demand), cause severe emotional distress, and inflict damage on their reputations by publicly going forth with the demands, knowing the ransom demand would not be paid, causing much public scrutiny (which has happened),' she wrote.
The Possibility of Framing Annie Guthrie and Tommaso Cioni
The former FBI agent added that it's also possible that whoever kidnapped Nancy wanted to frame her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, and his wife, Nancy's daughter, Annie Guthrie. After all, Nancy's last hangout was with the couple for dinner before she returned to her home in Tucson, Arizona. Later that day, she was kidnapped.
'This would be someone completely obsessed with torturing the Guthrie family. Someone who would risk it all to murder their matriarch — like the Annie Hearin case,' Coffindaffer said.
Family and friends of Nancy continue to plead with the public for help in locating her. Nancy has been missing for over 100 days.
