Nancy Guthrie Update: ‘Something Went Very Wrong’ in Kidnapping, Expert Says
What To Know
- Forensic nurse Ann Burgess theorizes that “something went very wrong” inside Nancy Guthrie’s home, citing the blood evidence found at the scene of her disappearance.
- Burgess suggests that Guthrie, mother of Savannah Guthrie, may have been abducted as a means to target someone else in her social circle, rather than being the primary target herself.
- Possible motives such as retaliation or revenge are being considered, with Burgess emphasizing the need to profile those close to Guthrie to uncover the reason behind the kidnapping.
Ann Burgess, a forensic nurse who inspired a Mindhunter character, has a theory about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today’s Savannah Guthrie, from her home near Tucson, Arizona, on February 1.
“I think something went very wrong inside the house,” Burgess said in an episode of Brian Entin Investigates, citing the blood found at the scene.
Burgess also noted how little blood appeared in evidence released by investigators. “Where does it go?” she wondered. “Does it go into a car? Does it follow a path? … It’s just like it vanishes. She just vanishes.”
As for the presumption that Nancy was kidnapped, Burgess thinks those responsible might have abducted the 84-year-old to target someone else.
“Who in her orbit — let’s call it that, it could be family, it could be friends — would be hurt the most [by the kidnapping]?” she asked. “Something could have come up there that we don’t know about, and that’s up to people in her orbit to figure out. Because it’s a very mean, angry, horrible thing to do. And then if it goes wrong — which obviously it did, I think — it doesn’t make sense that she would be a target to do more than abduct her.”
Burgess went on: “Is there retaliation? Is there revenge? You want to go down that line of possible motives, and that this is some way of getting even or whatever. I’m just listing them. It’s not that I think that it’s any one of those, but those would be possible motives. I mean, we usually do that anytime we’re profiling and trying to go after motive.”
Burgess, a professor at the Boston College School of Nursing, is a forensic nurse who has been pioneer in the assessment and treatment of victims of trauma and abuse, and she’s the author of books including Expert Witness: The Weight of Our Testimony When Justice Hangs in the Balance and A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind, according to her school bio. The character of Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) in Mindhunter is based on Burgess’ work with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, per BC News.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services