Nancy Guthrie Case Takes Dark Turn as Expert’s Disturbing Theory Points to How She May Have Died During Abduction

The Nancy Guthrie investigation saw a new twist in early April when a media outlet received two new ransom notes. The messages, obtained by TMZ, claimed that Nancy was already dead, and the sender wanted half a bitcoin to reveal the site of her burial.

While authorities have not officially confirmed the 84-year-old woman’s fate, experts are concerned about her chances of survival because more than two months have passed since her disappearance. Brian Martin, a law enforcement expert and Fort Wayne Police Department Detective, has now shed light on Guthrie’s possible tragic fate.

In a conversation with investigative journalist Brian Entin, Martin said that Guthrie might have suffered a medical event during or after her kidnapping because of her fragile health. It has already been confirmed that the grandmother relied on critical medication and a pacemaker in her daily life.

Talking about how the situation may have escalated during the abduction, Martin said, “We’re dealing with an elderly female who’s not living, by all accounts, she’s not living an at-risk lifestyle. It just scares me to think that somebody maybe took Miss Guthrie, and she had some sort of medical event when it was happening, because obviously it’d be an incredibly stressful situation and very taxing on somebody.”

Martin said the kidnappers may have initially sought money in exchange for Guthrie. However, if she died after the abduction, she would have been of no further use to them. Martin said the kidnappers might have disposed of her body, which is why she has not been found till now.

“Things went sideways, things went wrong, and what they had to do is they had to… it sounds horrible…. They had to dispose of Miss Guthrie because she was no longer of value to them in that monetary gain that they’re hoping to get,” he explained.

Authorities believe Guthrie was forcefully taken from her home in Catalina Foothills around 2 a.m. on February 1. Detectives noticed blood droplets on the home’s front porch, which were later confirmed to belong to Guthrie.

In March 2026, another expert echoed similar concerns about how the elderly woman might have suffered a medical emergency during her abduction after being suddenly woken from sleep.

“The research just shows that elderly people who, even without heart conditions, are at a high risk of heart attacks and being violently woken up from a deep sleep. So that’s what the scientific research shows. And so you add on the fact that she has a pacemaker, which means she has a heart condition, makes it worse,” sleep expert Pat Byrne said during an appearance on the Crime Stories podcast.

The new ransom notes, received on April 6, claim that Guthrie was last seen across the border in Sonora, Mexico. The sender claimed to have no involvement in the crime but said they have information about the kidnapper and were willing to share it for another half a bitcoin.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been made aware of the ransom notes, but it remains unclear whether the agencies consider them legitimate.