A retired FBI special agent believes it’s unlikely that missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie walked out of her home on her own accord and was instead “wrapped up in something” and carried out.

Maureen O’Connell, an ex-FBI agent, shared her assessment based on forensic evidence and the pattern of blood found outside Nancy’s front door. Appearing on Brian Entin Investigates on Sunday (March 8), O’Connell said, “I doubt that [Nancy] walked out because there were no voids [in the blood spatter].”

“So, let’s say the pattern of the blood is concentrated here, but the sphere is this big, it’s round, you would have a void here from one foot or from another foot or from something,” she explained, per InTouch. “There don’t appear to be any voids.”

As for what this means, O’Connell said that, in her mind, “[Nancy’s] wrapped up in something and they’re carrying her out. The shape of the blood droplets… they’re all round and the sphere is intact. That means it went straight down. It wasn’t moving at speed.”

Nancy, the mother of Today’s 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. Photos also show blood spatter at the front of the property.
As of writing, no suspects or persons of interest have been named publicly by law enforcement. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously stated that Savannah and her family have been ruled out as suspects. Nanos also confirmed the blood on the stoop belonged to Nancy.

Fellow retired FBI agent Jim Clemente wasn’t fully on board with O’Connell’s theory. He agreed that the droplets suggest the blood dripped “straight down” and “wasn’t moving at speed.” But if Nancy was wrapped up, Clemente noted, “She wasn’t wrapped up well.”

Clemente offered an alternative theory, saying that if Nancy had tried to fight the suspect, it could have resulted in her suffering an injury that made her bleed.

This forensic disagreement underscores the immense pressure on the Pima County Sheriff’s Department as the investigation enters its second month with few concrete leads. While the “wrapped” theory suggests a more calculated, pre-planned abduction, the possibility of a violent struggle indicates a potentially more volatile suspect profile. As federal resources continue to assist local authorities, the focus remains on the high-resolution doorbell footage, which remains the most significant piece of evidence in identifying the masked individual seen at the property just moments before the 84-year-old disappeared.

Amidst the clinical analysis of blood spatter and suspect movement, the human element remains at the forefront of the #FindNancy campaign. Savannah Guthrie’s emotional visit to the Today studio on March 5 served as a poignant reminder of the professional community standing behind her, even as the $1 million reward remains unclaimed. With the case garnering national attention, investigators are hopeful that the increasing media coverage will eventually reach someone with information on the “masked suspect,” as every passing day intensifies the urgency to bring Nancy home and provide answers to a family caught in a state of agonizing uncertainty.