Nancy Guthrie remains to be found after her family reported her missing on February 1. Authorities believe she was taken from her home the night before. Amid the search for the 84-year-old mother of TODAY show host, Savannah Guthrie, a ‘wrench attack’ theory had come up.
This theory posits that Guthrie was targeted by a hired assailant who works for a remote ‘mastermind’ seeking to extort money from the family. Now, as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has completely rejected the theory, a former FBI agent has raised critical questions in the Nancy Guthrie case.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, who was a Special Agent with the FBI, noted that CertiK had officially classified Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping as a ‘wrench attack’.
CertiK is a blockchain security firm, and it noted “The 84-year-old mother of journalist Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped as part of a $6 million bitcoin ransom demand, illustrating the documented trend of proxy target selection already identified in our 2025 report.” However, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is lead on the case, has junked this theory.
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“The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not received any reports referencing ‘wrench attacks’ in our community…The investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance remains active and ongoing. When there is a significant update, it will be shared publicly,” the former FBI agent quoted them say.
Jason Pack, another retired FBI agent, had challenged this theory earlier in the month, saying that people outside the investigation could not possibly have all details to zero in on the ‘wrench attack’ theory. However, Coffindaffer noted that the cops’ response left her confused.
Following this, the former FBI agent raised five critical questions in the kidnapping case.
Ex-FBI raises five critical questions in Nancy Guthrie case
The former law enforcement expert asked whether the Pima County cops had junked the ‘wrench attack’ theory after exploring the possibility. “Did they explore this possibility?,” she wrote on X.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not shared much information in the case, apart from clearing the Guthrie family members from the suspect list.
Coffindaffer went on to raise more questions in the case. “Is this beyond their experience?,” the ex-FBI further asked of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. She also turned to her old employers asking “If not, is the Bureau investigating?”.
The FBI is assisting the Pima County cops in this case. Currently, forensic evidence from the kidnapping is being tested in the FBI labs. Coffindaffer doubled down and asked of the FBI “If not, is it because they know who is behind this horrible crime?”.
Notably, no suspect has been publicly named. Only the photo of a masked man seen at Guthrie’s porch was released by way of suspects. At the end of her questions, the former FBI agent asked “if they don’t know who did abducted Nancy, how can you say it is not a Wrench attack?”.
Thus, while authorities are apparently not considering the ‘wrench attack’ theory, the former FBI agent raised questions about why this was beyond the realm of possibility in Guthrie’s kidnapping case.
Nancy Guthrie update: Ex-FBI raises five key questions as Pima County cops junk ‘wrench attack’ theory
