Ex-FBI Agent Says Nancy Guthrie Abductor Likely Walked Backwards With Her Slumped Over, Leaving No Footprints
Jennifer Coffindaffer says her reconstruction could explain why investigators found no footprints in blood at Guthrie's Arizona home, though authorities have not publicly endorsed the theory.
TUCSON, Ariz. — A retired FBI agent who has followed the Nancy Guthrie case closely has offered a new theory about how the 84-year-old was taken from her Arizona home. She says it could explain a long-standing puzzle: no footprints were found in the blood at the scene.
Jennifer Coffindaffer is a former FBI special agent and a NewsNation contributor. She said on X that she believes the masked suspect seen on Guthrie's doorbell camera walked backwards while carrying her out of the house.
"The reason there are no footprints in Nancy's blood is because Porch Guy extricated her from her home walking backwards with her in front of him, slumped over. Demonstrations coming," Coffindaffer wrote.
The suspect has become widely known online as "Porch Guy." He was captured in surveillance footage outside the home on the night Guthrie disappeared.
"The Most Probable Way"
Coffindaffer said she reached her conclusion after physically acting out the scenario.
"This is the only way, I believe that she could have been taken out of that house without the blood being disturbed," she wrote. She added that the method would also be the easiest way to move Guthrie, who she said weighed 150 pounds.
The former agent said the idea came from her own law enforcement training. "What made me think of this was SWAT tryouts. This is exactly how I was able to pick up the big guys and move them," she wrote.
Coffindaffer said she had changed her earlier view. "I previously believed she was carried. Not anymore after acting this out. Based on the blood not being disturbed, this is the most probable way she was removed from her home that night," she said.
Investigators have not publicly commented on her theory. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, which are working the case together, have not released a detailed account of how they believe Guthrie was removed from the house.
A Case Still Unsolved
Nancy Guthrie is the mother of "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. She was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson on the evening of Jan. 31. Her family reported her missing on Feb. 1, after she failed to show up for church.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said authorities believe she was taken against her will. "We do believe that Nancy was taken from her home against her will," he said early in the investigation.
More than nine months later, no suspect has been publicly identified and Guthrie has not been found.
In early November, the sheriff's department said members of its task force had traveled to Florida to meet lab scientists about new ways to analyze DNA evidence recovered from the home. Officials say the investigation remains active and are still asking the public for tips.
Warning Over Fake Ransom Notes
Coffindaffer has been an outspoken commentator on the case. She recently said she had received ransom demands that included a disturbing image appearing to show Guthrie.
She told NewsNation the messages arrived in April. She reported them to the FBI but didn't speak about them publicly at the time. According to her account, the bitcoin address in the messages did not match the address in notes investigators consider possibly genuine.
She said she decided to speak out after Lauren Serpa, a neighbor of Guthrie's, received a similar message.
"That's the reason I wanted to come forward because I was concerned that now other people might be contacted and might fall for the ploy," Coffindaffer said.
She said she believes the senders are an organized group trying to exploit people following the case. She said the messages included Bible verses and personal details about her that are not available online.
Authorities have repeatedly said that several ransom messages tied to the case were not credible. In late September, the task force said it had looked into a new possible ransom text message and found it was not credible either.
Calls to Publicize the Suspect
Coffindaffer has also urged investigators to circulate the suspect's image more widely. She has called for a nationwide push to "plaster his face everywhere," including outreach to Spanish-speaking communities.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 88-CRIME or the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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