Did Kidnappers Mistakenly Target Nancy Guthrie And Hit The Wrong Address? Ex-Lieutenant Explains

Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old author, has been missing since January 31, 2026. She was last seen at her home during the family dinner. On February 1, 2026, a missing report was filed, and since then, the search mission has been on. More than 100 people, along with the FBI, are working on this case, but till now, no prime suspect has been found. It was revealed by the Pima County Department that some new leads came in the case, and thus the search mission will expand, along with a continuation of the investigation into the Guthrie households. 

Was Nancy Guthrie mistakenly targeted?

Earlier, it was stated by some former FBI agents that there could be a revenge angle in Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping. Now, a former Pima County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant said that while it is very unlikely, it can also be the case that Nancy Guthrie's abduction has cartel ties. A Fox News reporter asked the former lieutenant whether there could be a cartel hit on the wrong address. He said that there are remote chances, but it can very much be the case as well.

Cartel ties in Nancy's case mean that it can happen that it was an organised crime caused by criminals, who hit the wrong house and targeted the wrong person. To mention, the ex-lieutenant doesn't confirm that it is the case, and rather mentioned that while it's least expected in this case, it can not be ruled out yet. Explaning why he believes that there can also be a tiny possibility of cartel ties, the ex-lieutenant said:

"It is a possibility. I think it'd be more far-fetched. I have responded to plenty of home invasions in my career, and there have been houses that have been hit, basically the wrong house, the wrong people would live there, where they recently moved in, and whoever was living there before had issues with whoever may have done the home invasion or had it, you know, taken care of. In this instance, if they've lived there for a long time, probably not a cartel-related home invasion, but it doesn't mean it's not. Like I said, Tucson's pretty notorious for their home invasions."

Who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie?

No prime suspect in Nancy Guthrie's kidnap case has been found yet, but the attention shifted to Annie Guthrie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, given that a journalist, Ashleigh Banfield, earlier claimed that the latter could be a person of interest in this case. While Tommaso was tagged as a person of interest, it was also added that a family member of such a victim, like Nancy, is often interrogated for further investigation. In this case, Tommaso was the last one to see Nancy, and he also received the ransom letter.

Talking about the ransom note, an amount of USD 4 million in Bitcoin was demanded in exchange for Nancy's safe return, and the deadline was set for February 5. Another ransom note claimed an increased amount of USD 6 million in Bitcoin, with the deadline being February 9, 2026. However, it couldn't be confirmed if the Guthries contacted the kidnappers or paid the amount yet, as shared by a statement to PEOPLE by the FBI.

Savannah released a video after the first ransom note, where she said she would pay the amount, and on February 10, she again shared a clip, where she thanked the well-wishers, while asking for help. The investigation is currently ongoing, and Annie's home was also investigated, which will continue until February 11, 2026, as revealed by a note by the authorities.

Do you think there could be cartel ties in this case?

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