File photo of Savannah and Nancy Guthrie. TODAY show/NBC.
TODAY show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother Nancy has been abducted and ransom notes have been sent, in an extremely rare kidnapping for ransom plot. NBC News. Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Sunday after she did not show up for church. Investigators say that she was apparently taken at night and blood was found at the scene, which was later confirmed to be hers. Ransom notes were delivered to media outlets demanding millions of dollars worth of bitcoin. Nancy Guthrie was in poor health and had several medical conditions, including a pacemaker. No suspect has been identified in the case. Savannah Guthrie sent a video begging for the safe release of her mother. President Trump spoke to Savannah and vowed federal resources to solve the case.
My Comment:
This story is notable because abduction for ransom is extremely rare in the United States. When it does happen it's big news largely because of just how rare it actually is. The majority of kidnappings in this country are custody issues between parents. A break in abduction for ransom is something that is almost unheard of in the United States, though it is common across the border in Mexico.
Why? Because America is actually really good at tracking down kidnappers. The majority of kidnappers for ransom get caught fairly quickly as the FBI is actually competent in these kinds of cases. It's a very low percentage crime and doing it to a relative of someone famous is even dumber as the President himself has taken an interest in this case. I would assume that the chances of the kidnapper(s) getting away with this as close to zero.
All of this is strange as it seems like it was a competently planned crime. They were able to grab Nancy without too much trouble and they apparently did enough research to realize both who she is and who she is related to. That's not something you do on the spur of the moment during a home invasion, this was a planned crime. The idea that they are smart enough to pull this off but stupid enough to attempt in the first place is hard to square.
Folks are naturally suspecting the involvement of Cartels or other organized crime. So far there is no evidence of that either way, but it is certainly possible. As I said before, kidnapping for ransom is a very common crime in Mexico and it wouldn't be surprising if they were involved. Doing so would be a huge escalation as it would invite law enforcement and possible military action, against them, so I would guess they are not involved.
As for Nancy herself, I am very concerned about her survival. She's fairly old at 84 and she was at the very least bleeding as she was taken. She needs medication that she's probably not getting and her pacemaker tracking device has been turned off, which does not bode well. The kidnappers do have an incentive to keep her alive but so far they haven't released any proof of life.
I do have to say that just because this happened we shouldn't think that this kind of crime is common. It absolutely is not and it's mostly notable because of how rare it actually is. I guess it could become more common if this case isn't solved, but I doubt that will be the endgame in this case.
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