Former Top FBI Official Explains Why He’s ‘Very Skeptical’ of Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Narrative

As the world continues to watch in fascinated horror at the developing missing person case involving Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC News’ “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, not everyone is buying the official story.

And that list of disbelievers includes some who are rather well-informed about these sorts of cases.

Over the weekend, former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker spoke to Fox News about the publicized case — and he wasn’t so quick to buy the kidnapping angle.

“Right, I think [the Guthrie family] is playing this out,” Swecker told “The Big Weekend Show.”

He continued: “This is about all they have right now. And they are, you know, making it very clear that they will pay.”

Since Nancy Guthrie was seemingly abducted from her house on January 31, the prevailing narrative has been that she was kidnapped from her Arizona home.

The family has made clear that they would pay any ransom to get Nancy back.

Swecker, however, is a bit dubious about whether or not there actually is any ransom.

“The question really is — and I’m very skeptical of this — is this really a kidnapping?” Swecker told Fox. “Does somebody really have [Nancy] and is she really alive? I don’t think we have the answers to those questions right now.”

Swecker cited certain factors, such as the lack of proof of life, as why he’s not convinced this is a kidnapping.

Swecker also pointed out that the investigation teams are still searching the house, including the backyard and a “so-called man-hole” in it. To Swecker, this means that something other than a kidnapping is still in play.

“They’re giving some leeway for some possibility that this is not a kidnapping,” he explained. “And as I said, I’m very skeptical that it is one in the first place.”

Fox News then pressed Swecker on what — if not a kidnapping — that this incident could possibly be.

“Well, one, if this was a kidnapping, it would be a very simple matter to authenticate and provide proof of life,” Swecker said. “Asking her a question that only she would know the answer to, or ask her to provide some information that only she would know.

“And the fact that the family hasn’t paid the ransom at this point tells me that they don’t — they’re not to the point where they think this is a credible authentication.”

Swecker also thinks that a “third party” could be trying to exacerbate and/or take advantage of the situation.

“I really think there’s a third party here that’s just playing with them [and are] opportunists, who think they can exploit the situation,” he said.

Swecker added: “To me, you have to allow for the possibility that this was something more — something other than a kidnapping.”

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