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Nancy Guthrie update: Kidnapping mastermind close to family? Expert drops chilling 'wolf in sheep's clothing' hint

The case of Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping is yet to be solved and an expert shared an insight that the mastermind might be a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing'. 

Published on: May 7, 2026, 08:59:15 IST
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Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, and authorities believe she was taken from her home the night before. It has been three months since, and no suspect has been publicly named in the case. The 84-year-old mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie is yet to be found.

A banner with notes from hundreds of well-wishers for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, is seen in Tucson, Arizona. (AP)
A banner with notes from hundreds of well-wishers for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, is seen in Tucson, Arizona. (AP)

Amid this, an expert shared insights about who might be behind the kidnapping. Dr. Gary Brucato – a member of the Cold Case Foundation – was speaking to NewsNation's Brian Entin, when he shared his expert views.

Brucato is a clinical psychologist, researcher and author in the areas of psychotic illness and violence, as per his bio on the Cold Case Foundation page. The foundation describes itself as being ‘dedicated to stopping the deadly compounding effect of cold cases and providing hope and resources to families affected by violent crime,' on its LinkedIn profile.

Also Read | ‘Annie Guthrie, Tommaso Cioni’s home was a crime scene': ‘Investigator’ makes shock claim in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping

Entin, meanwhile, has covered the Guthrie case from on-ground in Tucson, after the octogenarian was taken from her Catalina Foothills home, in Arizona.

Nancy Guthrie case: What expert said on kidnapping suspect

Brucato, speaking about the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping, turned his focus to the masked individual seen at the elderly woman's home. This is the closest to the suspect information that the FBI has released to the public. They are assisting the Pima County Sheriff's Department on the case, and the visuals of the masked man has sparked many theories.

The expert, however, seemed to indicate that the masked man was not the mastermind in the case. He hinted at a ‘spiderweb’ that might lead to someone way more sinister. “When he is caught, if he’s alive, he will lead down the spiderweb to the center where you will find somebody who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” the expert noted.

He was referring to the instance that the masked man is taken in alive by the law, if and when they track down Guthrie's whereabouts. Brucato also indicated that there was someone at the ‘center’ or behind the scenes, who was pulling the strings in the entire case. The expert described this person as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing'.

Notably, the phrase refers to ‘someone or something that seems to be good but is actually not good at all,’ as per the Cambridge Dictionary. While Brucato did not explicitly mention if the suspect might be close to the family, his choice of phrase indicates that it would be someone the family was not likely to suspect. Thus, the individual might just be close to them, though Brucato did not spell this out when he spoke to Entin.

Many appeared to agree with Brucato's analysis of the situation. The person who shared the post wrote “I 100% agree with this.” Others chipped in, writing “Agree,” and “Same.” Notably, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has already cleared family members, saying they're not suspects. This came amid scrutiny directed towards daughter Annie Guthrie and her husband Tommaso Cioni, because they were among the last to see Guthrie before she was taken.

  • Shuvrajit Das Biswas
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shuvrajit Das Biswas

    Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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