'No ransom demand': Investigator fears Nancy Guthrie was 'buried in the desert' after abduction

TUCSON, ARIZONA: A veteran death investigator has suggested that missing Arizona woman Nancy Guthrie may have died shortly after she was allegedly abducted, pointing to the lack of a credible ransom demand months after her disappearance.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since February 1 after she was believed to have been taken from her home in Tucson. Despite an extensive investigation and a reward of more than $1.2 million, authorities have not located her.

No credible ransom demand in Nancy Guthrie case

Speaking on the sidelines of CrimeCon Las Vegas, longtime medicolegal death investigator Barbara Butcher said the absence of a credible ransom demand raises concerns about what may have happened to Guthrie shortly after she was taken.

"My second thought was that after time, when there was no valid ransom demand or any information forthcoming, that it's probably likely that Mrs Guthrie died of shock, fright, heart disease, whatever it was, very soon after being taken from her home," Butcher said.

"And that's just horrifying to me...and so now this kidnapper had nothing and probably, unfortunately, took her body into the desert and buried her there."

Butcher stressed that her comments were based on her experience and not on any direct involvement in the investigation.

Expert shares theory on Nancy Guthrie disappearance

Butcher also suggested that Nancy may have been targeted by someone who believed her family was wealthy because of her daughter's public profile.

"I find it flabbergasting that anyone would take a woman her age, but what I think is probably the case is that someone in the area, maybe a handyman, maybe a service person, had known, had found out that Mrs Guthrie was the mother of Savannah Guthrie and said, 'Oh, she must be rich,'" Butcher said. "So this person is not well."

Nancy is believed to have been taken from her Tucson home during the early hours of February 1. Her family later offered to meet ransom demands that were sent to TMZ, but her whereabouts remain unknown.

Federal authorities continue to investigate the case. The FBI has urged anyone with information to contact investigators, while anonymous tips can also be submitted through Tucson-area Crime Stoppers.

The disappearance has drawn national attention, but no arrests have been announced, and no major breakthrough has been reported since Guthrie vanished. Authorities are offering a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that helps solve the case.