Could Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper be dead?

Brian Entin, Tatiana Carter

Updated: May 5, 2026 / 11:14 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — One factor investigators may be considering in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie may be that her kidnapper, caught on footage from a doorbell camera, may not still be alive, according to a roundtable of law enforcement experts.

In a new one-hour documentary, “NewsNation Presents: The Nancy Guthrie Mystery,” Senior Correspondent Brian Entin sits down with some of the top minds in criminal profiling to discuss the details of the case and examine the evidence to help find out what happened to Nancy Guthrie more than 90 days ago.

Guthrie, 84, vanished after a late-night encounter at her home, where security footage reportedly showed a masked person approaching her front door. She has not been seen since. Investigators continue to search for answers and no suspect has been publicly identified.

Authorities have not confirmed whether they believe more than one person was involved or whether the person in the video is alive.

Forensic nurse Dr. Ann Burgess suggested in the special that the person seen in the footage may have been killed after the encounter.

“So, the person we see at the front door could be dead… killed by someone else… killed by the boss,” Brian Entin asks.

“Right? By the boss. Right. It was well-planned. They got away with it. And they form a type of case that we’ve never seen before. As far as we know,” Burgess said.

Is more than one person involved in the Nancy Guthrie case?

Criminal psychologist Dr. Gary Brucato said the circumstances could point to a broader structure behind the disappearance.

“If he is caught, if he’s alive and is caught, he will lead down the spider web to the center,” Brucato said, suggesting others may be connected and referencing a possible orchestrator behind the scenes.

Nancy Guthrie suspect: ‘No name on the table,’ source tells NewsNation
Brucato also described the incident as potentially reflecting differing levels of planning and execution.

“That amateur hour kind of quality is interesting also, and suggests to me a difference in intelligence. Some schemer behind the scenes, and this character who is the sort of hired or asked to do this,” he said. “I don’t believe this person worked alone… I think there is a little group of people.”

Did Nancy Guthrie know her abductor?

Criminologist Dr. Casey Jordan also spoke with Entin about whether Guthrie knew the person at the door. Jordan said, “This person knew her. I don’t think she knew this person … it could have been somebody who saw her on the Today Show with her daughter, Savannah.”

Authorities have not commented on whether the suspect may have acted alone, whether others are involved, or whether the person in the video is still alive.

Authorities have not released a motive.