Nancy Guthrie Will Likely Never Be Found, Admits Investigator

As the search for Nancy Guthrie approaches its eighth week, a private investigator has suggested that the missing 84-year-old may never be found.

Speaking to RadarOnline, Lisa Ribacoff-Mooney, a polygraph expert and the owner of Interpoint Investigative Services, theorized that Nancy is likely dead and, therefore, the chances of discovering her become increasingly difficult as it’s like searching for a “needle in a haystack.”

Ribacoff-Mooney explained the differences between investigating a missing person and someone believed to be deceased, noting that a missing person could be “observed and identified” by a member of the public while being moved to a new location or if they are able to escape.

“DNA, evidence, clues, could all be located at the crime scene, video or audio from neighbors’ cameras. Acquiring the license plate, even from a rental vehicle, is traceable,” she said. However, when trying to “recover a body,” investigators lose one of the most crucial pieces of evidence, and that is unexpected sightings.

“It is harder because authorities don’t know where to look,” Ribacoff-Mooney stated. “It is looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Nancy, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since January 31, when police believe she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Since then, investigators have released doorbell camera footage of a masked suspect and shared a description of the potential abductor. No suspects have been named.

Ribacoff-Mooney added, “If the person that was abducted [was] moved by any mode of transportation, they may not even be in the state where the initial crime occurred.”

Earlier this week, Rick Kastigar, the former boss of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, told Brian Entin Investigates that he believes Nancy could have been taken to Mexico in hopes of getting her the medication she needed to keep her alive. However, he said it’s likely she died in the process, meaning the kidnapper(s) no longer have leverage.

Previous reports noted that Nancy’s pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple Watch on February 1. Nanos also revealed Nancy had limited mobility and required daily medication for high blood pressure and heart issues.

Ribacoff-Mooney previously told Radar that it’s possible the kidnappers thought about the medication ahead of time and suggested investigators should look at pharmaceutical records.

“If I was leading the investigation, I would be looking at pharmaceutical records to see if there is an individual with a new prescription or multiple that match hers that were ordered or picked up all at once,” she said.