POLYGRAPH SHOCKER: Investigators Narrow Search For Possible Suspect!

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]really really appreciate you guys for watching. Uh if you guys um like this content, please click to subscribe. I really appreciate all of your support.

[00:00:08]Uh in this episode, I'm diving into the newest developments in the Nancy Guthrie investigation, and there are a few important updates worth clearing up right away. A number of people have been reaching out after seeing stories circulate suggesting investigators may already have a specific name they're zeroing in on. After checking with sources close to the case, I'm told that simply isn't accurate. As much as everyone would love for that to be true, that's not what's happening behind the scenes. From what I'm hearing, investigators are still working through an enormous volume of tips, and there are plenty they haven't fully sorted through yet. So, while there's still reason to believe something meaningful could break, the idea that they've already landed on one particular person does not appear to be correct at this stage. It's still a wide and active investigation, and that distinction matters. In this episode, I also sit down for a detailed conversation with John Beller, the detective who worked the Scott Peterson case. He's incredibly sharp, deeply experienced, and brings a lot of perspective to the Nancy Guthrie investigation, especially when it comes to what may be unfolding right now behind closed doors. His insight into the mechanics of a case like this is genuinely fascinating. One of the most interesting parts of our conversation centers on polygraphs. I had previously reported that polygraphs were used to help rule people out in the Nancy Guthrie case, but John explained the process in a way that added a lot more depth and nuance than I initially understood. He breaks down not just how polygraphs are used, but why they can matter in an investigation even when the public doesn't always see the full picture. So, in this episode of Ryan Investigates, we get into all of it.

[00:01:56]>> Always good to be with you.

[00:01:57]>> I wanted to ask you, um, and a lot of people are talking about this because there's so many tips that have come in with the Nancy Guthrie case, right? Uh, and I'm told by sources that, you know, they're still going through tips even that came in weeks a month ago just because there's so many, you know, that are going into like the FBI center or to the local sheriff's office. Do you think within those thousands of tips there is a name or something that they just haven't seen yet that could be the answer?

[00:02:25]>> Yeah, I think it's entirely possible and and Ryan, it's it's possible for several different reasons. Um, you may remember the um, four women that were killed in Yusede back in 1999 by the a serial killer named Carrie Stainer. And there was a he he sent a a handdrawn map to the to the command post about where he left one of the victims. And it was in a stack of mail. We missed it for several days just because there was so many things coming in. And when tips come in on a case like Nancy Guthri's, they're prioritized as best they can, but you still don't know for sure if they're prioritized correctly. And so there might be something in there that we're waiting on that could break it wide open.

[00:03:06]>> Do you still have hope?

[00:03:09]>> Well, in my life experience, I don't have a lot of hope that she survived the abduction. Um, that's that's my I I've pretty much maintained that from the beginning. They don't want to say much about that in the beginning if you're called upon because the family still is struggling and they're struggling even at this moment. Um I I think there's a fairly good possibility they will solve this. Um it just is going to take the right thing to break it open. There were so many cases over the years that uh our detectives, myself and others handled that. We looked at them at when we got to the crime scene and we just looked, we have nothing to work with here. This is never going to be solved. But then something came in and you never know when it's going to come in and and sometimes it takes a while. We had a um a stranger, a random murder that went 11 years unsolved. And it was only because the one person that could give us the information was afraid to come forward.

[00:03:54]And it took 11 years for him to get over that fear. But how is it possible that like there's that image from the front doorbell camera of Nancy Guthri's house?

[00:04:02]When that came out, I thought it's only a matter of days now. I mean, someone's going to recognize the eyebrows or the mouth or the the gate. Um, how is it possible that, you know, months later now and even with DNA evidence and and everybody's [clears throat] so interested and the FBI is so invested that that's still nothing?

[00:04:19]>> Well, there's there's a couple of possibilities that I, you know, you don't like to talk about them, but they they're they're very real because you you covered it, you know, much more than I did when I was the short period of time I was down there. Um there is a bit of friction between the agency um you know the the sheriff's office and the FBI and it's it's exaggerated a little bit in entertainment and movies and things like that but there's always a little bit of a um a friendly rivalry. I I knew many wonderful FBI agents, great great interviewers. You know, >> there was apparently some lingering tension between the sheriff and the FBI tied to something that happened a few years ago, and I can't say for certain whether that played a role here, but it's definitely something people have been talking about. Around Crime Con, the general feelings seem to be that any DNA evidence in a case this sensitive should have gone straight to the FBI rather than to a private lab. That's not necessarily a criticism of private labs or the work they do. But when you keep testing streamlined and centralized, especially in a case that may eventually go to trial, it can sometimes make the overall process cleaner and easier to defend. There's also the question of speed. If evidence had been sent to Quantico, could results have come back faster or been handled differently in a way that moved the case along more efficiently? That's hard to say without knowing every detail, and I don't know enough about the specific lab involved to make that judgment with confidence.

[00:05:43]Still, in a major investigation, simplicity can be an advantage. The more direct the path, the fewer complications you risk later, could that decision have slowed things down? I think it's possible. While I was down there, I also heard that the sheriff had reassigned some of the more seasoned violent crime investigators out of the unit over some internal issue. If that's true, it's the kind of move that can absolutely affect momentum in a case. I've seen situations like that before. Sometimes agency leadership is outstanding and makes smart, grounded decisions. Other times you end up with someone who rose to the top and starts believing that title alone makes them the smartest person in every room. That can be dangerous in homicide work. Investigating murders is not something you master from a textbook or a short training course. It takes time, repetition, and the kind of mentoring that only comes from experienced detectives who know how these scenes really unfold. I still remember the first homicide I ever worked after transferring into that unit. I'd already spent four years working crime scenes, and even then when I arrived, I felt completely out of my depth. The detective with me was calm and kind, and instead of making a show of it, he simply guided me into the process step by step. That's how people actually learn this work. Without that kind of leadership and experience, mistakes become much more likely.

[00:07:12]>> Autopilot. Are you surprised though that with the image and then with the reward over a million dollars that wouldn't you'd think there'd be a tip that would come in? Someone would want that money.

[00:07:21]>> Gosh, I'm right there with you on that.

[00:07:23]You know, a million two. Um, a guy who's going to do something like that, if there's two people involved in it, I can't believe that a million200,000 and change is not going to fracture that loyalty. Um, that's some pretty good cash. Um, drug users that are sourcing a an illegal drug habit are going to turn on somebody for $50. And so when you have this giant reward sitting out there to think that somebody isn't coming forward and I've heard the the stories and they sound a little bit conspiratorial, but they're entertaining nonetheless about well there were two guys and he probably killed his partner and buried him in the desert next day and you know Nancy things like that. I mean you hear these things I don't you know I'm kind of a fact guy. Um but it's fun to kind of think about things like that.

[00:08:03]>> I I'm just right there with you. I think it's a it's a stretch to think that one wouldn't turn on the other for that amount of money.

[00:08:09]>> So do you think there's more than one person involved? I've never thought there were more than one person from the beginning.

[00:08:13]>> You think it's one person?

[00:08:14]>> I just kind of thought it was from the beginning. Yeah, it um I I I haven't seen anything that suggests different to me. Um I um I just there's there's and and it doesn't mean there couldn't be, but because of that reward thing that really sticks with me that there that's some a pretty expensive loyalty to have for somebody else. Um people that have independent wealth are not doing crimes like this. You know, it was kind of like things we talked about with um the burglars from the Peterson case. You know, most most of the Boers that I know don't have are not burglars, and most of the burglars I know don't have boats.

[00:08:50]So, to think that they were going to take, you know, Lacy up in the bay and drop her off a boat is it's kind of a stretch. So, kind of look at it that way.

[00:08:56]>> I'm just thinking, I mean, could one person pull it off?

[00:08:59]>> Yeah, I think they could.

[00:09:00]>> How would that go down?

[00:09:01]>> Well, >> and again, I know we don't know, but just what what's in your mind? You were out there and saw the house.

[00:09:05]>> I I compare it with Carrie Stainer, the serial killer. He he went into the room at the Cedar Lodge and he abducted and and killed three women. Um he separated the two young uh teens in the bathroom.

[00:09:17]He took the mother out to the trunk.

[00:09:18]Then he brought another one of the teens out to the trunk and then the third he brought out all separate, put her in the front seat and then he left. Now this is based on a confession. But his confession was weaved with so many crimespecific facts that really told us that he knew what he was doing because these were things that were not let out of the investigation. And there were even some people that said there's no way he could have done it. But the way he described it by using the gun as an intimidation tool, as a threat to separate them, and people who are not versed in violent crime, people here at Crime Con would probably see through that, but people who live a life that isn't touched by that are just going to go along with the program hoping that they're going to survive it when that's probably not a good way to go.

[00:09:59]>> But I'm just thinking like how you've seen the house. If it's probably a >> gun forced her into a car alone. The holster he was wearing though really stands out to me. It was that unusual sportsmanstyle setup worn in front. And honestly, I don't know any serious gun person who carries a weapon like that in that position. It feels awkward, impractical, and more theatrical than tactical. That's part of why I've wondered whether it was meant to intimidate rather than function efficiently. Whatever happened that night, I don't believe this was random.

[00:10:42]There's just nothing about the scene that suggests someone casually drifted through the neighborhood and chose the house on impulse. To me, it points to someone who knew something about Nancy Guthrie before the abduction. He likely had some kind of plan or pretext to get her to the door. And once contact was made, it may not have taken much to pressure her into cooperating. She lived a normal, low-risk life and wasn't someone accustomed to danger or confrontation. A weapon alone could have been enough to overwhelm her in that moment. That's one reason I think compliance may have come quickly. The reason I fear she may not have survived the abduction really comes down to two major things. First, there was no immediate ransom demand with proof that she was alive and would be released. In a true ransom scenario, that silence is hard to ignore. Second, the blood at the scene is deeply troubling. When people talk casually about blood loss, they often underestimate what it takes to leave visible evidence behind. A shaving nick doesn't do it. A minor kitchen cut doesn't do it. The amount of blood reportedly found near the front of the house suggests an injury that was actively and significantly bleeding.

[00:11:59]Maybe not arterial, but serious enough to raise real alarm. When you factor in her age, her health, the pacemaker, the fear she must have been experiencing, and the pressure of being forced to comply, it becomes very difficult for me to believe she made it through that ordeal unharmed. That's why I remain deeply concerned that she did not survive the initial abduction. It's a painful conclusion, but one the evidence seems to push me toward. As for motive, money is still the first thing that comes to mind. In criminal investigations, people love to throw around the old line that it's always the husband. And sure, that cliche gets attention, but in this case, I'm not seeing anything that strongly points in that direction. What does make sense at least initially as a financial motive?

[00:12:47]Nancy herself was not a high-risk person. No gambling problems, no obvious debts, no chaotic personal history, and no one seems to have anything negative to say about her. That's exactly why the question becomes so haunting. Why her?

[00:13:03]That's where the family's public profile may come into play. It's possible someone knew about Savannah, knew the family had money, and believed there was a path to a payout. Maybe the thinking was that if Nancy were taken, someone close to her would come up with the cash quickly ad in the reward money now attached to the case. And suddenly the whole thing starts to look even more financially driven. Kidnappings for ransom are actually quite rare in the United States, especially compared with other violent crimes. So even law enforcement and the FBI don't get a huge number of chances to build practical experience with these cases. That matters. And if she died during the abduction, people naturally ask the next question. Why not return her body and still try to collect money? The answer is risk. At that point, the chances of getting caught go way up. That's also one reason I think the person or people behind this may not have been especially experienced. If this had been carried out by someone truly methodical and practiced, you'd expect fewer obvious missteps and maybe even a scenario in which the victim remained alive longer.

[00:14:13]Instead, what we see suggest sloppiness, panic, and poor planning. That lack of polish shows up in small but important details. The gun setup is one example.

[00:14:24]Another is the apparent surprise over the camera system. If someone had really planned this operation carefully, they would have anticipated the possibility of a nest or ring camera before ever approaching the home. Instead, it sounds like there was a frantic effort to cover it with foliage from outside, which suggests improvisation, not sophistication. In today's world, doorbell cameras are so common that overlooking one feels like a rookie mistake. At the same time, it's understandable why people are torn.

[00:14:55]Because despite seeming inexperienced, whoever did this has still managed to avoid capture. Detectives used a joke that they only caught the stupid ones.

[00:15:05]And there's some truth in that dark humor. You don't have to be a mastermind to evade arrest for a while. Sometimes you just have to get lucky, especially in a case where law enforcement is holding back key details from the public. That confidentiality is important for preserving the integrity of the case and any future prosecution, but it also means outside observers are left trying to piece together a puzzle with missing parts. I also think it's entirely plausible that this was someone local or at least someone familiar with the area. That neighborhood isn't the kind of place you'd randomly choose if you were roaming the country looking for a wealthy victim. There are richer, flashier targets almost anywhere. But if someone knew that was Savannah Guthri's mother's house, that changes things. And the area itself is not especially intuitive to navigate. The roads are tight, the intersections come quickly, the terrain is uneven, and the layout doesn't follow an easy pattern. Unless you had a reason to be there, targeting that home in the middle of the night feels like a deliberate choice. More than that, choosing that house suggests confidence that she was alone. That's a huge gamble otherwise, especially in an area where people may be armed. You don't make a move like that without believing you know the circumstances inside the home. That's why the theory of a purely random offender just doesn't sit right with me. If I were one of the detectives working this case now, months in, I'd assume they're still pushing hard behind the scenes. There may be obstacles, maybe even internal ones, but I do think the people actively working it are trying to solve it. In cases like this, leadership matters enormously. The best agency heads know when to step back, appoint a strong public information officer, and let the investigators do their jobs without turning the case into a spotlight moment. Results tend to be better that way. From an investigative standpoint, there are several things I would want done, and not necessarily in any order because they all matter. First, I never truly consider anyone cleared until the right suspect is in handcuffs and the evidence is overwhelming. At the beginning, everyone is on the table, including family. That doesn't mean guilt, but it does mean process. I'm a big believer in the value of polygraphs at that stage. Not because of courtroom magic, but because people's reactions to being asked to take one can reveal a lot about cooperation, stress, and posture.

[00:17:38]And in the hands of a skilled examiner, a polygraph session can sometimes open the door to admissions that go far beyond the machine itself. I'd also want to see the will when it was last updated, who was added, who was removed, and whether any changes point toward a money trail that could matter. On top of that, vehicle data would be a major priority. Many newer cars have tracking capabilities that are difficult to fully disable. And with the right technical expertise, it may be possible to identify vehicles that entered the area that night, where they came from, and where they went. That kind of digital footprint can become incredibly valuable. Then there's search history and mapping data. If someone entered her address into a navigation app or online map service before the crime, there may be records showing that. A reverse keyword or location-based record search could uncover anyone who searched for that address without a legitimate reason. Once you identify those names, you start asking questions. Maybe there's an innocent explanation. Maybe there isn't. But that's exactly how cases start to break open. One digital breadcrumb at a