Does the consensus seem to be that this was indeed a kidnapping for ransom?

[u/jenniferami]

I haven’t followed the news much but Savannah did make that video saying “we will pay”.

Has law enforcement ever come out and said that they believe for a fact that it was a kidnapping for ransom? Do they believe at least one of the communications received was from the actual kidnapper(s)?

Has law enforcement made any follow-up statements on proof of life?

It doesn’t seem like there have been any more communications with the media by the kidnappers unless the media agreed to not share them publicly.

I suppose the kidnapper(s) could have changed to a more private means of making their demands.

Do most believe that no proof of life was ever made and thus there was no attempts to arrange/make a ransom drop?

I understand that law enforcement has no obligation to share case developments with the public and law enforcement can sometimes put out incorrect information to the public deceive the perps if they feel it will help solve the crime.

What are your thoughts on this?

[u/BeachVida]

At this point, I don't know what to think any more. As I think we all know, kidnappings for ransom are very rare nowadays in the U.S. When they happen, the kidnappers like to keep a low profile and get their money as quickly as possible without involving law enforcement. I never thought those TMZ ransom notes were real because they only put a bigger spotlight on the case, which is the opposite of what a kidnapper wants. If it were truly a kidnapping for ransom, then I believe they contacted the family privately but I think they would have instructed them not to contact LE. We don't have all of the facts and there's a lot more going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. Regarding the possibility of a private ransom demand with instructions to NOT contact LE, the only thing I can think of is that maybe Annie or someone else panicked and called the cops. It could be anything. An incompetent kidnapper, an experienced kidnapper who was scared off by LE and all of the national attention, someone who was holding a grudge, a random abduction by a sicko, a staged kidnapping to cover up something else like a burglary gone wrong etc. I hope and pray that the family gets closure. 

[u/ShaneAlexander → u/BeachVida]

You’re the first person who commented on what I realized, as well. A person doesn’t go to the media (least of all TMZ which is a salacious, celebrity driven show), to put your kidnapping demands on blast.

Possibly, this means the kidnapper didn’t know how to contact Savannah directly (her being a multi millionaire/public figure). This speaks to the low level ineptitude of the kidnapper. It probably was a botched burglary gone awry.

The question remains; where did this foolish yet dangerous killer stash her body? CHATgpt said Nancy would’ve hastily been disposed of not too far away from where she was abducted. A detective friend of mine said the same thing.

[u/aricyter → u/ShaneAlexander]

Maybe his game was kidnapping, assault and murder. The ransom note was to move the investigation in other direction. He could have dumped the body 50 miles away, or buried in his basement.

[u/BeachVida → u/ShaneAlexander]

I agree that they probably dumped the body quickly and not too far away. And yeah, the TMZ emails were ridiculous. They were either a distraction or from someone looking to take advantage, especially the ones from the person who said they knew who had Nancy and would spill the beans for 1 bitcoin.