Nancy Guthrie update: Pima County Sheriff’s Department addresses ‘wrench attack’ theory

A “wrench attack” (also known as a $5 wrench attack or rubber hose cryptanalysis) is a physical attack or kidnapping in which a suspect uses violence or coercion to force a cryptocurrency holder to reveal their private key, password, or mnemonic phrase.

In a statement cited by Fox News, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said, “The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not received any reports of a ‘wrench strike’ in our community. The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie remains active. We will share significant updates publicly as they become available.”

Coffindaffer said: “Did you know that on January 31, 2026, 2 teenagers from California committed a similar crime in Scottdale? They wanted cryptocurrency, did not know each other prior to the crime, and were allegedly directed by “Red” and “8” and provided the seed money. No, these teenagers had nothing to do with Nancy’s crime, but with Wrench Ring? That makes sense. Remember, LE knew this early on. They both said so, and Savannah said the same.”

Learn more | Who is Brian Lariva? Nancy Guthrie case brings back shocking memories of Tucson’s terrifying predator

Lisa J. Miller, a former law enforcement director for the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and a graduate of the FBI National Academy, has advanced a similar theory. She told Fox News Digital that the kidnapping had the hallmarks of a spanner attack.

However, Miller also pointed out that Nancy’s case was not a “classic spanner attack.”

“At the beginning of the Nancy Guthrie case, we were all looking at it and we saw some things that didn’t seem appropriate,” she said. “What we saw with Nancy Guthrie was not a typical wrench attack.”

Learn more | Nancy Guthrie Update: Ex-FBI Agent Shares 4 Chilling Theories During Search, ‘Death at the Hands of Porch Guy…’

Miller went on to say that the man caught on surveillance camera, now widely known as “Porch Man,” exhibited a behavior street action Rather than a complex planner.

“The street thug theory fits with what we saw in the Guthrie case because when the FBI released the photo of this porch guy, I called him the ‘porch monster’ from the beginning, I mean, this guy came across as kind of goofy,” Miller said. “Look at his attire, look at how he was carrying the gun…However, there are some very complex elements in this case that again fit what we see in traditional wrench attacks.”

Miller believes the Porch Man’s apparent clumsiness in the footage is consistent with being a hired local thug. She said it appeared someone who was more technically capable masterminded the crime and may have been carried out in a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.

No suspects have been identified in Nancy’s disappearance.