The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Inside the Nancy Guthrie Case with James Fitzgerald

Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Tudor Dixon
Guest: James R. Fitzgerald, retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Criminal Profiler
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

This gripping episode focuses on the high-profile abduction of Nancy Guthrie, mother of TV journalist Savannah Guthrie. Host Tudor Dixon is joined by legendary FBI profiler James R. Fitzgerald—best known for helping solve the Unabomber case—to break down the known details, analyze the investigative strategies, and offer expert insights into the likely scenarios at play in this rare and mysterious case.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Current Status of the Case

• Nancy Guthrie, 84, was abducted from her Tucson-area home under circumstances indicating premeditation and sophistication.
• Cameras at the scene were disabled or taken, raising the question of inside knowledge.
• At this stage, law enforcement is withholding many details from the public, fueling speculation.

Tudor Dixon:
"It's a very weird case. She's an 84 year old woman in poor physical condition... Her house is covered in cameras and they were all either smashed or they're missing. So it to me seems like someone knew her house, someone had some foreknowledge of the home." (02:20)

2. Abduction Typologies & Motive Analysis

• Fitzgerald notes that abductions of this kind fall under two main categories: for profit or for revenge.
• Ransom kidnappings targeted at celebrity families are extremely rare in the U.S. but more common in Mexico and Central/South America.

James R. Fitzgerald:
"As I've said earlier, when this case is finally resolved, it's going to be someone known to the Guthrie family, or at least Mrs. Guthrie. It could be a direct relationship, it could be a tangential relationship, even a, you know, a friend of a friend of a friend..." (04:43)

• He recounts rare U.S. cases and stresses that if this is about money, it’s “the rarest of the rare types of crimes in the U.S.” (06:20)

3. Ransom Letters & Forensic Linguistics

• Discussion of ransom notes sent to various news outlets (not to Savannah’s network).
• Fitzgerald, an expert forensic linguist, emphasizes the importance of language analysis in determining legitimacy and possibly identifying the author(s).

James R. Fitzgerald:
"I'm hoping the FBI or someone in federal government has a forensic linguist looking at these letters, the content of them. First of all, let's compare them to see if it's the same author.... A linguist could be able to tell if in fact they're the same person." (08:21)

• He raises the possibility that only one note may be legitimate and that some could be from people seeking attention.

4. Family’s Public Plea and Its Purpose

• The Guthrie children released an emotional video, with Savannah and her siblings addressing both their mother and her captor(s).
• Fitzgerald applauds their approach to “humanize” Nancy, making her more relatable in hopes of persuading the abductors to keep her alive.

James R. Fitzgerald:
"In kidnapping, missing children, whatever it may have been over the years, you're not sure if they're kidnapped or not. But humanize the person... Everyone at some point has a mother, certainly in their early life, and they're hoping to somehow bond..." (12:00)

• He notes the mix of pragmatic (Savannah) and poetic (her sister Annie) tones, as well as the calculated presentation, which could be based on abductor instructions.

5. Crime Scene and Victim’s Likelihood of Survival

• Bloody evidence at the scene and Nancy’s medical dependency raise grave concerns.
• Fitzgerald speculates the abductors were organized, used violence for compliance, and may have prior knowledge of Nancy’s vulnerabilities.

James R. Fitzgerald:
“She was hit or assaulted just enough to render her compliant, to be taken out to a car or a van somehow... This seems sophisticated. You mentioned the smash cameras. In the old days, they'd unscrew light bulbs before cameras so it has less visibility..." (19:41)

6. Investigative Procedure: Victimology and Suspect Pool

• Fitzgerald emphasizes the importance of constructing a thorough victimology.
• All family, friends, household workers, and service providers are being vetted.

James R. Fitzgerald:
"Every single person in which she's been in contact for the last several years, if not her lifetime, have to be interviewed, and they should be interviewed separately..." (23:06)

• He predicts a connection to the household: “I would be very surprised...if when this case is resolved, it doesn't have some connection to the house.” (25:33)

7. Border Proximity and International Angles

• Given the Tucson location, Fitzgerald does not rule out cross-border criminal involvement.
• Lists border checks and broader suspect modeling as priorities.

James R. Fitzgerald:
“With the proximity to another country about 65 miles away, Mexico, in which these kidnappings happen often, that certainly can't be ruled out.” (26:32)

8. Ransom Demands, Publicity, and Investigative Tactics

• Fitzgerald finds the currently publicized reward amount (“$2,500”) surprisingly low and suggests there may be strategic reasoning for that.
• He recommends publishing redacted ransom letters to help identify the author, drawing on Unabomber case experience.

James R. Fitzgerald:
“I was the first proponent on the Unibom task force to publish the manifesto... You publish these types of letters by law enforcement, you may get someone recognize the writing style...” (27:56)

9. Forensic Linguistics in Action

• Discusses the science of ‘idiolect’—how personal dialect nuances help linguists identify writers.
• Suggests linguistic analysis could break the case if other leads fail.

James R. Fitzgerald:
“We all have what's known as an idiolect, and that is a personal dialect, and it's reflected in how we speak, but also how we write.” (32:06)

10. Timeline of Investigative Resolution

• Fitzgerald speculates that if there’s no active negotiation/ransom demand within 72 hours, it likely isn’t a kidnapping for profit.

James R. Fitzgerald:
“I'll just throw out in the next 72 hours if there's not a confirmed notification for some sort of a ransom payment, I would... guess that... this is not a kidnapping for profit. It was done for some other reason.” (34:16)

• He warns alternate motives (revenge, personal feuds, or retaliation against a family member) could take over as leading theories.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On humanizing the victim:

  "Call them by their name... But it was mom, mommy, mama. Different references there. That's fine. Everyone at some point has a mother, certainly in their early life, and they're hoping to somehow bond..."
  — James R. Fitzgerald (12:00)

• On the need for forensic linguistics:

  "A linguist may hear me and say, oh, that guy's from the Philadelphia area. Which is true. Born and raised. And I still have some dialect features of that. ... And that also is reflective in written language..."
  — James R. Fitzgerald (32:16)

• On the rarity and severity of such kidnappings in the U.S.:

  "...these types of kidnappings are very, very rare in the U.S. I mean, I can count on one hand the ones I worked as an FBI agent..."
  — James R. Fitzgerald (06:20)

• On victimology and the household connection:

  "I would be very surprised, greatly surprised, if when this case is resolved, it doesn't have some connection to the house... certainly to the house in terms of someone who's been inside there."
  — James R. Fitzgerald (25:33)

• On timeline and expectations:

  "If we don't hear something in the next few days, maybe we can start ruling out that this is a for profit kidnapping."
  — James R. Fitzgerald (34:16)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Episode premise, case introduction: 02:20
• Fitzgerald on abduction motives: 03:49–07:08
• Discussion of ransom notes and forensic linguistics: 07:36–10:44
• Analysis of family’s video plea: 10:44–15:52
• Details of the crime scene and viability of survival: 18:56–22:41
• Victimology and suspect strategies: 22:41–25:33
• Border/international angles: 26:05–27:21
• Ransom/publicity tactics: 27:21–29:28
• Forensic linguistics & case parallels: 31:47–33:51
• Timeline for resolution speculation: 33:51–36:08
• Wrap-up and guest plugs: 36:52–39:59

Final Thoughts

This episode offers an in-depth, methodical look at a headline-grabbing crime through the eyes of a world-class criminal profiler. Fitzgerald’s expertise contextualizes the rarity, complexity, and possible strategies behind the abduction, navigating both personal and forensic perspectives. The discussion is compassionate, analytical, and leaves listeners with a sense of the investigative challenges ahead.

Additional Resources

• James R. Fitzgerald’s book series: A Journey to the Center of the Mind (JamesRFitzgerald.com)
• Cold Red Podcast: Hosted by Fitzgerald and Dr. Raymond Carr, focusing on true crime, victim advocacy, and law enforcement insights.

For updates and further discussion, listeners are encouraged to tune in to future episodes and to keep the Guthrie family in their thoughts.