Savannah Guthrie’s Mother: New Lead Emerges in Kidnapping Investigation
- The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, continues into a sixth day as investigators assess a newly received message related to...
- The latest communication surfaced three days after a ransom letter was reportedly sent to media outlets, and a day after the Guthrie family renewed their appeal for direct...
- The first deadline stipulated in the ransom letter, according to law enforcement officials, passed Thursday evening.
The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, continues into a sixth day as investigators assess a newly received message related to her presumed abduction. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Friday they are “actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity,” but have released no details regarding its content or origin.
The latest communication surfaced three days after a ransom letter was reportedly sent to media outlets, and a day after the Guthrie family renewed their appeal for direct contact from those holding Nancy Guthrie, seeking any information that might lead to her safe return. The family had stated their willingness to communicate in order to “move things forward.”
The first deadline stipulated in the ransom letter, according to law enforcement officials, passed Thursday evening. A second deadline is scheduled for Monday. Authorities have not disclosed the amount of the ransom demand.
The joint statement from the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department offered no further details about the new message, characterizing it simply as “one new piece of information” in the ongoing investigation.
Local television station KOLD-TV, a CBS News affiliate and one of the media outlets that received the initial ransom letter, reported receiving the latest message Friday morning and immediately forwarding it to authorities, along with the internet protocol (IP) address from which it originated. The station has chosen to withhold specific details of the message out of respect for the Guthrie family, but indicated it contains information intended to corroborate its connection to the previous communication.
A Tearful Plea and Renewed Appeal
Nancy Guthrie was last seen by family members on , when they dropped her off at her home near Tucson after a family dinner. Her disappearance was reported to authorities the following day. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has stated that Nancy Guthrie is frail, has limited mobility, and would have been unable to leave her home without assistance, leading investigators to believe she was abducted.
Savannah Guthrie publicly pleaded for her mother’s safe return on Wednesday, releasing a video statement online in which she tearfully implored those responsible to establish communication with the family. Her brother, Camron Guthrie, followed with a second video message Thursday evening, coinciding with the expiration of the first ransom deadline, reiterating the family’s willingness to engage directly with the abductors and requesting proof that Nancy Guthrie is still alive.
As of Thursday, the fifth day of the search, investigators had not obtained any proof of life, nor had they identified any suspects or “persons of interest,” Sheriff Nanos told reporters. He added that authorities are operating under the assumption that Nancy Guthrie is still alive.
Grim Discoveries at the Scene
Authorities revealed several concerning details Thursday regarding the investigation. Blood belonging to Nancy Guthrie was found on the porch of her home. Investigators also discovered that her doorbell camera had been disconnected and the application monitoring her pacemaker had been remotely disconnected from her phone during the early hours of , coinciding with the presumed time of the abduction.
On Friday, the Sheriff’s Department stated that detectives had returned to the Guthrie residence “to conduct further checks of the home and surrounding neighborhood,” restricting traffic in the area to facilitate the investigation. Three FBI agents were observed entering and exiting the house Friday afternoon.
The apparent abduction of a vulnerable elderly woman, whose daughter is a prominent television personality, has garnered significant media attention across the United States. Both Nancy and Savannah Guthrie have previously appeared together on the “Today” show.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly addressed the case on several occasions this week. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump suggested a resolution may be imminent, stating, “I think we might have answers pretty quickly.”