It has been nearly four months since Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills neighborhood by a masked, gloved man. The police have yet to name a suspect, find a body or reveal a motive. A combined reward of over $1.2 million has been offered for information.
Investigators explore possible cybercrime connection
As the investigation drags on, a retired detective is pointing to an unusual explanation. Lisa J Miller, a former law enforcement executive at the Colorado Attorney General's Office, told Fox News Digital that sophisticated cybercriminals may be moving away from keyboards and toward kidnapping, a tactic known as a “wrench attack.”
Miller said a “wrench attack” is when cybercriminals use violence or kidnapping instead of hacking to force victims to hand over passwords or money.
Miller believes Nancy Guthrie's case has some of these hallmarks but with a twist. “In the beginning of this Nancy Guthrie case, we're all taking a look at it, and we're seeing things that just didn't seem to fit,” Miller told Fox News Digital. "What we're seeing with Nancy Guthrie is not a typical wrench attack."
She pointed to the man caught on a Nest doorbell camera on Nancy's front steps, both on the day of the abduction and three weeks earlier works as a key piece of evidence. “The street level thug theory fits with what we're seeing in the Guthrie case, because when the FBI released the pictures of this porch guy, and I've referred to him from the beginning as 'porch monster,' I mean, the guy comes across as a bit of a doofus,” Miller said. “Look at his getup, look at how he carries his firearm… yet there's some very sophisticated elements to this case that again falls in line with what we see in a traditional wrench attack.”
{{/usCountry}}She pointed to the man caught on a Nest doorbell camera on Nancy's front steps, both on the day of the abduction and three weeks earlier works as a key piece of evidence. “The street level thug theory fits with what we're seeing in the Guthrie case, because when the FBI released the pictures of this porch guy, and I've referred to him from the beginning as 'porch monster,' I mean, the guy comes across as a bit of a doofus,” Miller said. “Look at his getup, look at how he carries his firearm… yet there's some very sophisticated elements to this case that again falls in line with what we see in a traditional wrench attack.”
{{/usCountry}}According to Fox News, the typical mastermind behind such attacks is young, tech-savvy and operates from overseas likely from a country with no extradition treaty with the United States. "They know where to go," Miller told Fox News. “They know how to hide their digital tracks, and they know where to operate from.”
Miller also said that she she believes at least some of the early ransom demands were genuine. “I don't think for a minute, and I've said before from the early stages, that the FBI would have put Savannah Guthrie [and] her family through the trauma of recording those videos if they did not believe that there was something real behind these videos,” she said.
One man, 42-year-old Derrick Callella of California has already been arrested for sending a fake ransom demand to take advantage of the crime, according to Fox News.
Old Tucson crimes cast shadow over ongoing investigation
The Pima County Sheriff's Department has not confirmed the wrench attack theory. In a statement cited by both Fox News, a department spokesperson said: “The Pima County Sheriff's Department has not received any reports referencing 'wrench attacks' in our community. The investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance remains active and ongoing. When there is a significant update, it will be shared publicly.”
Meanwhile, KVOA News 4 Tucson has drawn a comparison to a dark chapter in the neighborhood's history. The Catalina Foothills area was once the hunting ground of a criminal known as "The Prime Time Rapist," who carried out more than 30 home invasions and targeted over 90 victims between 1983 and 1986. That case was solved after five months when police identified a man named Brian Larriva, who died by suicide before he could be arrested.
Many residents in the area are not eager to relive those memories. “We're getting attention for something bad again,” one neighbor told KVOA. Still, the community appears to be holding together. "We get closer with each tragedy. We are a close-knit community. Nothing or no case will ever change that," the neighbor added.
As of now, the Guthrie family is still waiting for answers. The case is still under investigation.