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Nancy Guthrie missing case update: Expert weighs in on motive; 'possible revenge'
Former FBI agents have weighed in on a possible motive behind Nancy Guthrie's abduction, saying her kidnapping is “very strange.”
Nancy Guthrie's high-profile disappearance case has entered its sixth day mark with no publicly confirmed motive for her apparent abduction by law enforcement.
However, a retired FBI agent has weighed in on a possible motive behind Savannah Guthrie's mother's abduction. He described the nature of abduction as “very strange,” given the way the captors allegedly tried to contact the family via media.
Read more: Old clips of Savannah Guthrie interviewing Epstein victims resurface
Guthrie's abduction motive speculation per former FBI agents
Former FBI supervisor agent James Gagliano described the circumstances of Guthrie's kidnapping as strange and noted that the "most compelling piece of evidence thus far" is the ransom message requesting Bitcoin payments, Daily Mail reported.
Gagliano said that there are two noted reasons for a kidnapping to take place. “It's either for profit or it's for revenge,” he said.
Another former FBI agent, Lance Leising, told Fox10 that abductions driven by such motives are extremely rare, especially for a victim who is of Guthrie's age.
Leising said that the ransom note going out via media outlets does not satisfy the typical “ideological purpose.”
Leising explained, “In most cases, a ransom note going to a media outlet is for an ideological purpose. You want to get your message out. This victim doesn’t scream that. This is an 80-year-old grandmother.”
Gagliano said that Guthrie's case of abduction is “baffling and beguiling,” noting that nothing about the kidnapping circumstances and ransom meets with “any of the traditional types of kidnappings.”
Read more: Savannah Guthrie Silence of the Lambs quote in video plea for Nancy sparks buzz
What have the authorities confirmed?
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and the FBI continue to treat the disappearance as a potential abduction. However, officials have not officially confirmed a motive.
Authorities suspect that the 84-year-old was forcibly taken from her Tucson home. According to Leising, the home's isolated location suggests a deliberate act that might have taken weeks to prepare. But according to the Sheriff's Department, there isn't any reliable proof to back up that hypothesis at the moment.
Police have not confirmed or identified any prime suspect or person of interest in the case of Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping.
