Eight weeks after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her home north of Tucson, Arizona, investigators still haven’t publicly explained one detail that her daughter, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, revealed weeks ago — and a former law enforcement expert says it may be one of the most telling clues in the entire case.
When Savannah Guthrie and her family arrived at her mother’s home after she was reported missing on February 1, they found the two back doors propped open. There was no sign of Nancy. Her phone, purse, and medication were still inside, and she was taken in her pajamas.
“We thought maybe they came and there was a stretcher and they took her out the back,” Savannah told Today colleague Hoda Kotb. “But her phone was there, and her purse was there and all her things. It just didn’t make any sense.”
To former Pima County SWAT Commander Bob Krieger, it makes complete sense — and that’s what concerns him.
The Latest Nancy Guthrie Theory
Krieger, speaking with NewsNation reporter Brian Entin on Brian Entin Investigates, says he believes the doors were deliberately propped open by whoever took Nancy Guthrie — not left open carelessly, and not by Nancy herself.
“For me, it’s a quick way in and a quick way out,” Krieger said. “Just one less thing you have to think about — opening the door, you don’t want it closing behind you and maybe automatically locking.”
In other words: this wasn’t panic. It was preparation.
Krieger’s theory is that Nancy was restrained inside the home and then carried out — possibly by one person, possibly two. The doors were propped to ensure a clean exit, with no risk of getting turned around or locked inside.
“The doors were propped open to make sure they didn’t get lost in the house,” he said. “Quick in, quick out, whichever it was.”
The Terrain Tells Its Own Story
The desert brush surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s property also factors into Krieger’s read of the scene. Despite the back doors being open, he believes whoever took her almost certainly exited through the front, because the terrain made a rear exit nearly impossible.
“You can’t even see her house necessarily, there’s just so much brush and trees back here,” Krieger said. “There’s no way they’re bringing her back this way.” That assessment aligns with where bloodstains belonging to Nancy were found — near the front of the property, not the back.
The morning Nancy disappeared, doorbell camera footage — recovered by the FBI despite the camera having been disconnected — showed an armed and masked man outside the residence. Her pacemaker disconnected from her phone around the same time the camera went offline.
Investigators have not publicly commented on whether there were signs of forced entry, nor have they addressed the open doors directly. The case is being treated as a kidnapping. A pair of gloves found roughly two miles from the property contained DNA from an unknown male that did not match the FBI’s database or samples collected at the scene.
The Search for Nancy Guthrie Continues
On March 21, the Guthrie family issued a renewed plea to the Tucson community, asking anyone with information — no matter how small — to come forward. The family is offering a reward of up to $1 million. The FBI is separately offering $100,000 for any information leading to Nancy’s whereabouts or the identification of a suspect. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Two months in, the doors may have been the fastest part of what happened that night. Finding answers has proven far slower.
This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Mar 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.