Experts say a distressing new detail in the search forSavannah Guthrie's mother may hold important clues, as criminal profiling specialists focus on whether 84 year oldNancy Guthriewas taken from her Arizona home in herpyjamasduring the early hours of 1 February near Tucson.
Guthrie, the mother of Today co anchorSavannah Guthrie, was last seen on the evening of 31 January at her home near Tucson. Authorities believe she was taken against her will, but months into the search there is still no named suspect, no clear motive and no confirmation of exactly what happened inside the house before she vanished.
In a detailed interview withNewsNation,Dr Ann Burgess, often credited as a pioneer of modern criminal profiling and an inspiration for the seriesMindhunter, said that something as simple as what Nancy Guthrie was wearing could be critical to understanding the sequence of events.
'Did they have to wake her up and get her dressed, or did they take her out when she's in night clothes?' Burgess asked. For her, that question is not idle speculation, but a starting point for building a picture of the offender's behaviour and planning.
Investigators know that Guthrie's pacemaker stopped syncing with her phone at around 2 a.m., a timestamp that narrows the likely window of the abduction. If she was still in nightwear at that point, it could suggest she was taken abruptly, possibly from sleep. If she had changed into day clothes, that might point to more time spent inside the house and a different kind of interaction between victim and offender.
Authorities have said they believe Guthrie was taken from her home against her will, but they have not released a full timeline. She failed to arrive at a friend's house to watch an online church service and was reported missing around midday on 1 February.
The idea that Nancy Guthrie was taken in her pyjamas has largely entered the public narrative through Savannah Guthrie herself. CriminologistDr Casey Jordantold NewsNation she had focused on comments Savannah has made describing her mother as having been taken barefoot and in sleepwear.
Jordan was careful, however, to separate an anguished daughter's mental picture from what detectives have publicly confirmed.
'I've never known for certain if [Savannah] knows that as a fact because investigators have some kind of evidence of that or if she just knows her mother's routine,' Jordan said.
Drawing on her experience interviewing violent offenders, Jordan said she suspects Savannah may be reconstructing what likely happened rather than relying on official briefings.
Source: International Business Times UK
