Savannah Guthrie begs for mother’s safe return as purported ransom deadline passes: ‘We are at an hour of desperation’
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen on January 31
A purported ransom deadline concerning the kidnapped mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie has passed, and there have been no public indications about Nancy Guthrie’s health and whereabouts or whether a ransom was paid.
A local news outlet in Arizona last week was given a purported ransom note about the 84-year-old, which reportedly demanded $6 million and threatened Nancy Guthrie’s life unless a deadline of 5 p.m. local time was met.
“Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to Nancy Guthrie,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the case, wrote on Monday afternoon on X, adding that it would brief the public if any “significant development” occurred.
As the search for Guthrie continued, theToday show host shared a video earlier Monday and called on the public for help, detailing the ongoing “nightmare” of her mother’s disappearance.
“We believe our mom is still out there,” Guthrie said in the video. “We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her.”
“We are at an hour of desperation and we need your help,” she added.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the evening of January 31 in Tucson, Arizona, where she lives, according to family members.
The FBI is also investigating the case.
The Guthrie family and media outlets have reportedly received multiple ransom requests, purportedly from the kidnappers, demanding millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.
Police have not publicly confirmed the details of the reported ransom notes.
In a video from Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released over the weekend, the broadcaster addressed her mother’s kidnappers, saying the family had “received your message” and “will pay.”
“We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her,” Guthrie said in the clip.
The Guthrie family has publicly asked for proof “without a doubt” that Nancy Guthrie is alive.
The FBI has said it is up to the Guthrie family to decide how to respond to the requests.
"While we advise and recommend from a law enforcement perspective, any action taken on any ransom is ultimately decided by the family," Heith Janke, FBI special agent in charge of the bureau's Phoenix office, told NPR.
Guthrie returned to her Tucson home around 9:50pm on January 31, after eating dinner and playing games with relatives.
She was not present at church the following morning, alerting family members to her disappearance.
Her front doorbell camera was disconnected around 1:47am on Sunday morning, and software detected a person on the camera shortly afterward, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office.
Police found drops of blood on Guthrie’s front porch.
A pacemaker belonging to the 84-year-old, who takes daily medication and has limited mobility, was disconnected from a cell phone app around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to police.
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