Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino laid out three “stark” possibilities in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, arguing the lack of actionable leads is forcing investigators to confront uncomfortable alternatives as the case drags on.
“The first [possibility] would be, obviously, it’s a kidnapping. That was an intended kidnapping for a ransom payment…” he said on Hannity Monday night.
Bongino said a second scenario is a crime that spiraled into opportunism: “Someone was at the house, maybe it was a burglary, maybe something went bad, and you’ve got some bad actors committing another crime unrelated — in other words, requesting a ransom for something you didn’t do just to take advantage of a situation like this.”
His third possibility, Bongino said, is that the initial narrative itself may be wrong — that Guthrie’s disappearance might not be a kidnapping at all, but the result of a medical emergency or other non-criminal event that was later misunderstood or misrepresented.
Bongino emphasized he wasn’t assigning odds, but said the absence of the usual investigative breadcrumbs — “DNA, license plate hits, cellphone activity or social media data” — raises serious questions, especially given how quickly most credible ransom kidnappings move.
Pointing to remarks from retired FBI agent Lance Leising, Bongino noted that legitimate ransom kidnappings typically feature rapid communication and early proof-of-life — patterns that authorities say have not materialized publicly in this case. “At this point, I think we have to consider everything outside the box, because whatever is inside the box is not really panning out right now,” he added.
Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen around January 31, 2026 at her home in Tucson, Arizona, and investigators have described the matter as a criminal investigation while the FBI assists. Authorities have also publicized a $50,000 reward for information, while reporting no confirmed communication with any suspected kidnappers amid scrutiny of alleged ransom messages. 
As the search intensified, Savannah Guthrie issued an emotional public plea for help, describing an “hour of desperation,” urging the public to report anything suspicious as the case drew national attention.
Watch the clip above.
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