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

The apparent abduction of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother is throwing a wrench into assumptions about the tools cybercriminals use, with one expert warning that "mastermind" hackers are swapping keyboards for guns and hired kidnappers.

In a dangerous trend of "wrench attacks," they squeeze kidnapping victims or their relatives for cash, said Lisa J. Miller, a retired detective and law enforcement executive at the Colorado Attorney General's Office.

The term originated in...