her kidnapper accidentally killed her in the process and has chosen not to pursue ransom.

Your theory is complicated and therefore unlikely.

could have caused a stroke or heart attack or heart failure. I don't know what her diagnoses are.
So it might be a body recovery issue now, and the kidnapper(s) will be afraid theyve left clues, such as DNA.

Drag an 84 year old woman with a heart problem (among other things) out of a sound sleep to kidnap her makes the possibility of her dying from an untreated medical emergency huge. I sincerely hope she's still alive and will be returned to her family, but I don't expect it.

Occam's razor. Bad, weird shit happens a lot. You just don't hear about it if it's not click worthy. Either their rich, famous (recognizable) or young pretty blonde christian girls.

Elderly woman, needs meds, kidnapped weeks ago, and there’s been no news. I’m sure the kidnappers weren’t gonna wait around to let her collect some necessities, like prescriptions, before they took her. Your theory makes sense, maxsolomon, sad to say.

That poor lady. What an awful and terrifying way to go.

Something happened to Mrs. Guthrie. It might never be solved not unlike Jimmy Hoffa.

I, too, suspect she died accidentally and the perpetrator(s) has covered it up. Probably a robbery that went bad somehow. The perpetrator might not have even known her daughter was famous.

Usually, the simplest explanation leads to the truth. Complexity requires too much messiness.

ETA: imagine the perpetrator’s discovery that his victim was related to someone famous! They must have had a cow!

I believe she has been dead since very early on.

From the FBI
It would probably be solved by now

Sheriff is downright bizarre.

on the evening of 2/26, NBC's nightly 'news' led the effin broadcast with this 'story.'

hate it for the family and their colleague, but there are a lot more serious issues with our country right now.....

She's on nationwide Television every day.

Sorry, that's just how things work - sensational crimes that involve famous people make the news.

it sure does not impact mine or your life as, say, a war of choice with Iran at the behest of israel

True Crime is one of the topics people consistently want from the media. If it bleeds it leads, etc.

Its cycle seems rather off the standard fare for these instances and for a story that's heretofore gotten so much traction and attention.

(far be it from me to assert my guess is better than another guess)