Detective Fears Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Triggered Fatal 'Medical Event'

A cold case expert explains why the Nancy Guthrie case is looking bleaker two months into the search.

Detective Brian Martin says it's likely Nancy Guthrie suffered an urgent 'medical event' while being held by her presumed kidnappers. 'They underestimated her health, or lack thereof,' he said in an interview with Brian Entin. 'When you have people who aren't living at an at‑risk lifestyle, they're not putting themselves out there in harm's way,' he added.

Dwindling Hope for Nancy Guthrie's Condition

Guthrie, 84, was reportedly healthy and stable on 31 January, the night she was last seen in her Tucson home. She has a pacemaker and takes daily medication for high blood pressure, both of which investigators say raise the risk of a crisis under extreme conditions.

Guthrie's limited mobility and prior heart issues mean that even short periods of exertion or fear could be dangerous. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has confirmed that she required consistent medication to keep her blood pressure under control.

Detective Exposes Flaws in Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping

Martin contends that the kidnappers assumed the abduction would be brief, expecting to collect an 'easy' ransom. 'If things had gone to plan, they would have had her for 'a day or two' and then received their ransom money,' he explained.

Because Guthrie's health needs were not widely known, Martin says the suspects did not prepare for possible complications. He fears 'some sort of medical event' could have happened shortly after she was abducted.

In his assessment, the emotional and physical strain of being bound and moved could have triggered a cardiac event or other acute episode. Martin warned this would have been 'incredibly stressful,' and the worst may have already happened in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping.

Martin said Nancy Guthrie's kidnappers could have been focused on the money and, as such, were only thinking short-term. 'We don't know of major gambling or drug debts or anything of this nature or bad affiliations,' he explained. 'It really makes you wonder what our perpetrator or perpetrators endgame was and logical.'

Law enforcement sources note that her pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple Watch on February 1, forcing authorities to focus on other forensic evidence. This includes mixed DNA retrieved inside Guthrie's home, and surveillance footage that showed a masked man on her porch on the night of her disappearance.

Nanos' Former Boss Says Guthrie Has Already Passed

Former Chief Deputy Rick Kastigar speculated that the abductors took Guthrie across the border to Mexico, in hopes of securing her much-needed medication. Kastigar believes the chances of Guthrie's passing increase as the weeks go by.

'What would prevent an individual who had planned this out to the level that I think he did, from going into Mexico and harbouring her someplace in Mexico where, theoretically, they could deal with her medical issues,' Kastigar told Entin in a separate interview.

'I believe that she passed somehow, that she died somehow, while that plan may have been attempted,' he asserted. 'And I believe that negated their opportunity to get what they wanted from the family. A lot of us think it's money—and that very well may be.'

On Tuesday, TMZ confirmed receiving new, anonymous messages claiming knowledge of Guthrie's whereabouts and the identity of her captor. The sender of the ransom note offered information in exchange for one Bitcoin, prompting detectives to treat the message either as a taunt or a potential confession.