A former detective said the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie should no longer be treated as a missing person case, arguing that investigators should consider it a potential homicide. Morgan Wright, a former law enforcement officer and current CEO of the National Center for Open and Unsolved Cases, made the remarks during an appearance on Brian Entin’s YouTube program as the search for Guthrie stretched beyond six weeks.
“At some point you have to realize it’s not a missing person anymore,” Wright said, The Mirror reported. “We have to realize Nancy is 84 years old, with cardiac compromise. You are violently confronted at 2 o’clock in the morning in your own home. We know it’s violent because there was blood.”
Authorities previously confirmed that blood believed to belong to Guthrie was found on her porch. Investigators also believe she was forced from her home, indicating what Wright described as a violent encounter.
Wright said the case should be approached as a “no-body homicide,” a legal framework in which prosecutors seek to prove a killing without recovering a victim’s body. “You need to treat this like a no-body homicide because it tells the public something different about what you’re looking at and where you’re looking for things,” he said.
He explained that such a shift would change search tactics. “When we have a no-body homicide, we’re looking for clandestine grave sites, open grave sites, concealed grave sites,” Wright said. “Things that when you’re out walking in the foothills, you need to be looking for these kinds of things,” he said.
Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31 after being dropped off at her home following dinner with her daughter. She was reported missing after failing to attend church the following day.
Despite weeks of investigation, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest. Law enforcement has released surveillance images and confirmed the recovery of DNA evidence, but has not announced a motive.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators believe the incident may have been targeted but stopped short of confirming that conclusion. “We believe we know why he did this, and we believe that it was targeted, but we can’t — we’re not 100% sure of that,” Nanos said.
He warned residents not to assume they are safe. “Don’t think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you’re safe. No, keep your wits about you,” he said.
Former FBI agent Harry Trombitas said a ransom motive appears increasingly unlikely. “There’s too much involved,” he said, adding that kidnappings for ransom have declined in recent years.
Trombitas said other motives could include revenge or personal conflict. “[The motive] could be for revenge of some type, anger, or it could be for a third purpose that we’re just not even aware of,” he said, The Mirror reported.
Investigators are continuing to analyze “mixed” DNA recovered from the home and are following leads from neighbors, including activity at a nearby vacant property. Authorities are also examining a damaged utility box that may be linked to an internet outage around the time Guthrie disappeared.
Officials said the case will continue to be treated as a missing person investigation while evidence is reviewed. “The FBI and law enforcement will continue to work this case as though she’s still alive,” Trombitas said.
However, he acknowledged the challenges. “With her age, 84 years old, and some of her health conditions that she has, the prospects of her being found alive are not as great as they were originally,” he said.
