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

“Today” co-anchor apparently kidnapped Savannah Guthrie‘s mother challenges assumptions about the tools cybercriminals use and an expert warns that “genius” hackers are replacing keyboards with guns and kidnappers.

“Wrench attacks” are a dangerous trend in which kidnapping victims or their relatives are heckled for cash, said Lisa J. Miller, a retired detective and law enforcement executive with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

He said the term originated in a 2009 webcomic about a frustrated hacker who suggested using a $5 wrench to beat someone until they gave up their password because it was too difficult to try to crack the password.

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“At the beginning of this Nancy Guthrie “In this case, we’re all looking at it and seeing things that don’t fit. What we saw with Nancy Guthrie is not a typical wrench attack,” Miller told Fox News Digital.

Sophisticated criminals are behind traditional wrench attacks computers He said that after identifying potential targets, we need to mobilize local power to carry out the violence. He said the “skills” planned the logistics and paid a cut to the thugs to do the dirty work, which in some European cases included torturing victims until they gave up their passwords, accounts or other targeted information.

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In Guthrie’s case, Miller said, all those tactics were less likely to be employed because the person whose money they were seeking was his daughter, “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.

“The street-level thug theory fits with what we saw in the Guthrie case because FBI released the footage “It’s about the guy on the porch, and I’ve been referring to him all along as the ‘porch monster,’ so the guy seems kind of stupid,” Miller said. “Look at his attire, look at how he carries his firearm… yet there are some very complex elements in this case that are again in line with what we see in a traditional wrench attack.”

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First, it’s been more than 100 days Supposedly ransom notes were sent Miller stated that this statement was made to TMZ and local media and no one has been arrested in connection with them.

A spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is handling the investigation into Guthrie’s suspected kidnapping, said the agency has not previously dealt with any potential “wrench attack” crimes.

“The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not received any reports referring to ‘wrench attacks’ in our community,” he wrote in an email. “The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is active and ongoing. Any significant updates will be made public.”

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Miller said news organizations’ tip boxes are designed to help journalists get information from people like crime witnesses and tipsters without risking their identities, making them useful tools for criminals as well.

Miller said at least some of the initial requests could potentially be legitimate. That’s what Savannah Guthrie said in an interview with her “Today” colleague Hoda Kotb in March.

Savannah Guthrie Believes Two Ransom Notes Her Family Responded to Are Real

“I’m not thinking for a minute, and I’ve said before from the early stages that the FBI would put Savannah Guthrie in jail. [and] Miller stated that he suffered from the trauma of recording these videos if his family did not believe there was something real behind these videos.

At least one man, 42-year-old Derrick Callella CaliforniaHe is accused of making a false ransom demand to benefit from the crime without being involved in Guthrie’s disappearance. He sent the request using less sophisticated attempts to cover his tracks and was identified and arrested within a few days.

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The typical planner of a wrench attack operates from abroad, possibly in a country that does not have an extradition treaty or whose government would be hostile to cooperation with the FBI, Miller said.

“They know where to go,” he told Fox News Digital. “They know how to hide your digital tracksAnd they know where to operate from.”

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In some cases where they were arrested, the planners were linked to more than one kidnapping, he said. They are usually young and computer savvy.

“Working information about computers and digital forensics “It’s off the charts,” he said.

Nest doorbell camera video shows: masked man wearing gloves at the time of his abduction, and three weeks ago he was on his front steps again, crawling towards the house. When police arrived hours later, his back door was also open, raising questions about whether more than one person was involved.

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There is a combined reward More than $1.2 million for solving the case. The family asks anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tipsters can remain anonymous by contacting local Crime Stoppers affiliate 88-Crime.

“I hope someone sees something, says something and allows the family to take Nancy Guthrie home,” Miller said.

Original article source: Retired detective says Nancy Guthrie case points to ‘key attack’ theory in criminal underworld