Retired FBI agent Gregg McCrary, described as a pioneer of criminal profiling, has shared his expert analysis of Nancy Guthrie’s suspected kidnapping on a true crime podcast
A retired FBI agent has offered his analysis on the likely “personality” of Nancy Guthrie’s abductor. The disappearance of the 84-year-old has gripped global attention in recent weeks, yet the hunt for Nancy – mother of NBC News presenter Savannah Guthrie – continues without resolution, with no suspect officially identified by investigators.
Nancy was reported missing from her residence outside Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, with authorities believing she was taken against her will. The FBI is pursuing a suspect described as approximately 5ft 9in to 5ft 10in tall with an average build.
Doorbell footage from Nancy’s property shows a figure dressed in a ski mask, gloves and carrying a black 25-litre Ozark Trail Hiker Pack rucksack, with the FBI doubling its reward for information from $50,000 to $100,000 (£37k to £74k)
During a recent episode of the true crime podcast Surviving the Survivor, former FBI agent Gregg McCrary – recognised as one of the “pioneers” of contemporary criminal profiling – discussed the investigation with presenter Joel Waldman.
In response to the FBI’s description of the suspect, Gregg noted that the release of this information was likely a tactic to maintain the public’s attention, and conceded that the doubling of the reward would “get some” people’s.
He also suggested that a white tent positioned around the doorway may have been authorities conducting a 3D scan, a technique that would enable them to produce more precise height measurements.
Gregg said the height and “average build” would apply to a “lot of people in Tucson” and that is why “behavioural things” are crucial in the case, as he opened up about the suspect’s likely “pre-abduction” conduct.
He said: “I mentioned, you know, driving by and casing and recon, but also could have been if it is more celebrity focused, or in that case, it would be someone who would be kind of fixated or obsessed with the Guthries in general, perhaps, or Savannah or her mother.
“And so that would be someone who would be talking about them and a little bit obsessed about them prior to the abduction. So that’s another factor to keep in mind.”
He added: “If somebody fits that physical description, seem to have some fixation on the Guthries prior to this, and now has kind of disappeared or his normal routine is gone. Those things start stacking up. That’s the kind of lead that really needs to be reported.”
Joel questioned whether the perpetrator could be someone like a “stalker” with what he characterised as a “demented sense of reality”, to which Gregg responded that this was “exactly” what he was referring to.
He went on: “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m talking about, the stalker type of personality, some psychopathology at work, has some perceived relationship between them that doesn’t actually exist, and but it does in his mind.”
In additional remarks, he explained that in this eventuality, you simply “can’t understand” the motive because it’s “not based in reality” apart from the individual’s own.
