Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: Savannah Guthrie Mom Missing: Neighbor Speaks Out
Date: March 29, 2026
Host: Nancy Grace
Guests: Jeff Lemay (Neighbor), Joseph Scott Morgan (Forensics Expert), Terry Wynn Yates (Master Locksmith), Brian Fitzgibbons (Security Expert), Todd Shipley (Cybercrime Expert)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Nancy Grace investigates the mysterious disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Savannah Guthrie, by delving into eyewitness accounts, forensic evidence, and professional analysis. A key segment features neighbor Jeff Lemay, who provides first-hand insight from the night Nancy Guthrie went missing. The episode also dissects unusual ridges found in front of Guthrie’s home, explores the possible use of a lock pick, and scrutinizes the “porch guy” video for fresh leads.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Neighbor’s Account: The Night of the Disappearance

[02:41–28:16]

• Guest: Jeff Lemay (Neighbor, lives four homes away)

• Routine Encounters:

  • Lemay describes Nancy Guthrie as a pleasant, wonderful neighbor encountered frequently on dog walks.

• Community Response:

  • Shocked by the sudden influx of law enforcement and search/rescue volunteers after Guthrie’s disappearance.
  • “A large response of sheriff's department, a volunteer crew of community members who do rescue in the mountains..." (06:20, Jeff Lemay)

• Unusual Canine Behavior:

  • Lemay’s dogs, normally sound sleepers, woke him in the early morning hours on the night of the disappearance (Jan 31st) and another date under investigation (Jan 11th).
    • “Our dogs are usually sound sleepers…That night, the night Mrs. Guthrie is kidnapped, your dogs get up and want to go outside. Is that correct?" (12:19, Nancy Grace)
    • “Yeah. And also some of the other evenings that we've been questioned about..." (12:33, Jeff Lemay)
    • He led the dogs to a back courtyard. On reviewing video, the dogs appear to focus intently into the distance but make no noise.

• Security Cameras & Outages:

  • Lemay provides all camera footage to law enforcement but notes limitations due to lot size and camera field of view.
  • Two of his cameras were inexplicably offline during the key nights:
    • “Two of our cameras were, ‘quote, unquote,’ offline during this time, which really surprised us.” (24:47, Jeff Lemay)

• Neighborhood Layout & Routes:

  • Dense brush and utility roads offer concealed routes through the neighborhood.
  • Old service road/cut-through was known to local school kids:
    • “There’s an abutting cul de sac towards the rear. There’s a service road that connects to that…” (18:49, Jeff Lemay)

• Suspicious Vehicle:

  • Lemay and his wife recall seeing a car parked on Escalante the Saturday before the disappearance, in a gravel cutout used by dog walkers.
    • “We noticed a vehicle... shared whatever data we had, but... it’s just something that we noticed.” (26:12, Jeff Lemay)

• Community Mood:

  • Residents feel unsettled and focused on supporting the family:
    • "You've seen the yellow ribbons, the angels on the palo verde trees, the concern... it is unsettling that something like this occurred." (27:34, Jeff Lemay)

2. Forensic Analysis: The Ridges & Blood Trail

[28:17–36:12]

• Guest: Joseph Scott Morgan (Forensics, Jacksonville State University)

• Ridges/Tire Marks:

  • Forensic photos reveal two parallel, linear ruts in front yard gravel—suggesting a narrow-wheeled device (wheelchair, wagon, or similar).
    • “You can see the composition out here... is uneven. This rock aggregate… creates quite a problem if you want to do a cast.” (29:11, Morgan)
    • “The smaller the gauge, the deeper the rut…more narrow the rut, you're going to talk about something that has a very, very tight gauge…Can you actually say that this originated from this particular item? Probably not, but it can at least put you in the ballpark.” (31:42, Morgan)

• Blood Trail:

  • Noted that blood ends at a certain point, tracks pick up at that spot—possible transfer via wheeled device.
    • “The blood ends at a certain point and those tracks pick up at that point.” (31:38, Nancy Grace)
  • Details on blood trail and ground composition:
    • “Not in that particular area… aggregate that has some kind of cement to it. So, no, you're not going to pick up anything. The best thing you can do is… photograph, photograph, photograph.” (35:35, Morgan)

3. Entry Method: The Wrought Iron Door Lock

[38:44–42:55]

• Guest: Terry Wynn Yates (Mr. Locksmith)
• Ease of Entry:
  • The lock on Guthrie’s wrought iron door is standard and not high-security.
    • "An amateur could open that lock in minutes, a professional in seconds." (40:27, Yates)
    • "It's extremely easy to pick open. Extremely easy. And that's what we start our beginners with." (41:54, Yates)
• Tools Used:
  • Lock-pick guns are noisy, but basic or advanced lock-picking methods would defeat the lock quietly.
    • “A lockpick gun… is like bumping the lock… makes some noise… If you want to be quiet, use a regular lock pick or some more advanced methods.” (43:02, Yates)
  • Commentary on the myth of door's impenetrability:
    • “All this business about this door being impenetrable is all BS—technical legal term, right?" (42:06, Nancy Grace)
    • “Totally.” (42:14, Yates)

4. Video Analysis: “Porch Guy” and Possible Accomplices

[43:22–46:20]

• Guest: Brian Fitzgibbons (USPA Nationwide Security)

• Porch Guy Video:

  • Crowd-sourced observations suggest headlights in the background, possibly indicating a waiting vehicle.
    • “Does this piece of video mean that there’s an accomplice? Not necessarily. However, logic tells us… leads us to think there has to be more than one person involved…” (44:19, Fitzgibbons)
    • “See him look back? I did not notice that the first time.” (44:40, Nancy Grace)
    • “Seeing this, what appears to be some communication from the perp on the porch back in the direction of what appears to be headlights going off.” (44:58, Fitzgibbons)

• Number of Accomplices:

  • Doubt cast on rumors of five accomplices, more likely two or three.
    • “…$1.2 million reward and five people associated in a conspiracy ... very unlikely they could keep things that tight.” (45:48, Fitzgibbons)
    • “I think it’s more likely that two or three were involved here, at least a second person to bring up a vehicle and one to make entry…” (45:48, Fitzgibbons)

• Neighborhood Layout and Concealment:

  • The school kid cut-through offers concealed movement from the rear.
    • “…this cut through... you would have pretty good concealment to move on foot to the southeast and gain access to Mrs. Guthrie’s property from her backyard…” (46:35, Fitzgibbons)

5. Digital Evidence: Video Footage and Metadata

[47:09–49:56]

• Guest: Todd Shipley (Cybercrime Expert)
• Surveillance Review:
  • Critique of law enforcement’s tunnel vision on “porch guy,” missing other critical scene details (e.g., headlights/accomplice).
    • “They focused on the person in the video... and missed the fact that there was something in the background...” (48:00, Shipley)
• Data Gaps:
  • No metadata released—leaving accuracy/timeline of footage uncertain.
    • “We don’t know what that med data is related to any of these videos or any of the pictures that have been taken.” (49:56, Shipley)
• Technology Angle:
  • Suggests more video/images exist or are being recovered; information may still emerge.

Notable Quotes

• On Community Involvement
  “I will never understand it… how many people, quote, don't want to get involved... I just want to hear at the beginning of your encounters with Mrs. Guthrie…”
  (05:00, Nancy Grace)

• On Dogs Noticing Trouble
  “This is becoming more important in my mind because your dogs don’t normally do that... The best witness I ever put on the stand was a dog.”
  (11:19, Nancy Grace)

• On Physical Evidence
  “As you begin to think about something, say for instance, like a wheelchair… you’ve got two parallel lines that are running in one specific direction… The idea here is to try to understand was it bearing weight at that particular time.”
  (31:12, Joseph Scott Morgan)

• On Lock Security
  “An amateur could open that lock in minutes, a professional in seconds… It’s not a high-security lock at all.”
  (40:27, Terry Wynn Yates)

• On Accomplices
  “I think it’s more likely that two or three were involved here, at least a second person to bring up a vehicle and one to make entry…”
  (45:48, Brian Fitzgibbons)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Neighbor Jeff Lemay’s Account: [02:41–28:16]
• Forensics on Ridges and Blood Trail: [28:17–36:12]
• Locksmith Analysis: [38:44–42:55]
• Porch Guy, Headlights & Accomplices: [43:22–46:20]
• Digital Evidence & Metadata: [47:09–49:56]

Memorable Moments

• Nancy equates a dog’s unusual behavior to a critical alarm, recalling cases where a dog’s reaction was pivotal to solving a crime (e.g., the O.J. Simpson case).
• Joseph Scott Morgan’s breakdown of gravel evidence sheds light on why certain expected forensic techniques (like casting) failed.
• Locksmith Terry Wynn Yates calmly debunks the myth of an impenetrable lock in seconds, live on air.
• The “porch guy” video is re-examined, with Fitzgibbons and the online community identifying unexplored clues missed by investigators, highlighting the value of crowdsourced analysis.

Conclusion

Nancy Grace expertly synthesizes neighbor testimony, forensic detail, and digital sleuthing into a multidimensional investigation of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. The episode underscores the importance of minute details—canine behavior, camera outages, neighborhood cut-throughs, and overlooked video backgrounds—in building a timeline and attempting to answer how and why Nancy Guthrie vanished. The tone is passionate, relentless, and deeply invested, mirroring Nancy Grace’s prosecutorial background and commitment to keeping the story alive.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, contact authorities at 800-225-5328 or anonymously at 520-882-7463.