Nancy Guthrie case points to criminal underworld 'wrench attack' theory, retired detective says

The evident abduction of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie’s parent is throwing a wrench into assumptions astir the tools cybercriminals use, with 1 adept informing that "mastermind" hackers are swapping keyboards for guns and hired kidnappers.

In a unsafe inclination of "wrench attacks," they compression kidnapping victims oregon their relatives for cash, said Lisa J. Miller, a retired detective and instrumentality enforcement enforcement astatine the Colorado Attorney General's Office.

The word originated successful a 2009 web comic astir a frustrated hacker who suggested utilizing a $5 wrench to bushed idiosyncratic until they gave up their password, she said, since trying to ace it was excessively hard.

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An equipped idiosyncratic appears to tamper with the doorbell camera astatine Nancy Guthrie's beforehand doorway the greeting of her disappearance successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 1, 2026. An undated photograph shows Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of Today Show big Savannah Guthrie. (Provided by FBI; Courtesy of NBC)

"In the opening of this Nancy Guthrie case, we’re each taking a look astatine it, and we’re seeing things that conscionable didn’t look to fit," Miller told Fox News Digital. "What we’re seeing with Nancy Guthrie is not a emblematic wrench attack."

In accepted wrench attacks, blase criminals down computers place imaginable targets, past enlistee section musculus to transportation retired the violence, she said. The "masterminds" program retired the logistics — and wage thugs a chopped to bash the soiled work, which successful immoderate European cases has included torturing victims until they springiness up their passwords, accounts oregon different targeted information, she said.

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Pima County deputies analyse a flyer taped to the mailbox extracurricular Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 23, 2026. Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to person been abducted from her location successful the aboriginal hours of Feb. 1. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

In Guthrie's case, Miller said it's little apt that each of those tactics were employed due to the fact that the idiosyncratic whose wealth they were apt seeking was her daughter, "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie.

"The thoroughfare level thug mentation fits with what we’re seeing successful the Guthrie case, due to the fact that erstwhile the FBI released the pictures of this structure guy, and I’ve referred to him from the opening arsenic 'porch monster,' I mean, the feline comes crossed arsenic a spot of a doofus," Miller said. "Look astatine his getup, look astatine however helium carries his firearm… yet there’s immoderate precise blase elements to this lawsuit that again falls successful enactment with what we spot successful a accepted wrench attack."

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A well-wisher signs a banner with a photograph of Nancy Guthrie and the words "Bring her home" extracurricular the KVOA newsroom successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 12, 2026. Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of writer Savannah Guthrie, is missing from her Tucson home. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)

For one, it's been much than 100 days since purported ransom notes were sent to TMZ and section media, Miller noted, and nary 1 has been arrested successful transportation with those.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department, which is starring the probe into Guthrie's suspected kidnapping, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

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An equipped idiosyncratic appears to tamper with a Google Nest camera astatine Nancy Guthrie's beforehand doorway successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 1, 2026, the greeting of her disappearance. (FBI)

News outlets' extremity boxes are designed to assistance journalists get accusation from radical similar transgression witnesses and whistleblowers without putting their identities astatine hazard — which makes them utile tools for criminals, too, Miller said.

At slightest immoderate of the aboriginal demands could person perchance been legitimate, Miller said. For one, Savannah Guthrie said arsenic overmuch successful an interrogation with her "Today" workfellow Hoda Kotb successful March.

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"I don’t deliberation for a minute, and I’ve said earlier from the aboriginal stages, that the FBI would person enactment Savannah Guthrie [and] her household done the trauma of signaling those videos if they did not judge that determination was thing existent down these videos," Miller said.

At slightest 1 man, 42-year-old Derrick Callella of California, is accused of making a hoax ransom request to capitalize connected the transgression without being progressive successful Guthrie's disappearance. He sent the request utilizing little blase attempts to screen his tracks and was identified and arrested wrong days.

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Derrick Callella allegedly tried to extort bitcoin from the Guthrie household aft Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. (Nathan Congleton/NBC/Getty Images, Obtained by Fox News)

The emblematic mastermind successful a wrench onslaught is operating from overseas, apt successful a state without an extradition pact oregon wherever the authorities would beryllium hostile to cooperating with the FBI, Miller said.

"They cognize wherever to go," she told Fox News Digital. "They cognize however to fell their integer tracks, and they cognize wherever to run from."

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Aerial drone shots amusement the location and grounds of Nancy Guthrie successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Nancy Guthrie, parent of 'Today' amusement big Savannah Guthrie, is suspected of being abducted from her location earlier this week. (Fox Flight Team)

In immoderate cases wherever they've been arrested, masterminds person been linked to much than 1 abduction, she said. They're typically young and machine savvy.

"Their moving cognition of computers and integer forensics is disconnected the charts," she said.

Nest doorbell camera video shows a masked antheral wearing gloves connected her beforehand steps astir the clip of her abduction, arsenic good arsenic 3 weeks earlier, creeping up to the location again. Her backmost doorway was besides propped unfastened by the clip constabulary arrived hours later, prompting questions astir whether much than 1 idiosyncratic was involved.

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There is simply a combined reward of much than $1.2 cardinal for cracking the case. The household is asking anyone with accusation to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tipsters tin stay anonymous by contacting the section Crime Stoppers affiliate, 88-Crime.

"Hopefully idiosyncratic volition spot something, accidental thing and let the household to get Nancy Guthrie home," Miller said.