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Investigators believe the missing mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie is “still out there,” but they have not identified any suspects, officials in Arizona said Thursday.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also said DNA tests on blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s porch came back as a match to her. Authorities think the 84-year-old was taken from her home in Tucson against her will over the weekend.
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference five days after she was reported missing. The sheriff, however, acknowledged that authorities have no proof she is still alive.
On Wednesday, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released an emotional video message to her mother’s presumed kidnapper, but there has been no public sign of a response.
Today show host Savannah Guthrie posted a video to her Instagram page on Wednesday appealing to anyone who may be holding her 84-year-old mother against her will. Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home over the weekend.
Guthrie said her family is ready to talk but wants proof her mom is still alive. In the video posted on social media Wednesday, she acknowledged hearing media reports about a ransom letter sent to multiple news outlets.
“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Guthrie said while reading from a prepared statement.
“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”
Investigators are taking the ransom note seriously, said Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, who noted it included a demand for money with a deadline, along with details about a floodlight at the home and an Apple watch.
“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Janke said.
Authorities say any decision on ransom demands is ultimately up to the family.
Search continues
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night when she was dropped off at her Tucson home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing about 14 hours later after she didn’t show up at church.
She has limited mobility and officials don’t believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Nancy Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
The neighbourhood’s desert terrain can make looking for people difficult, said Jim Mason, longtime commander of a search-and-rescue team in Maricopa County that isn’t involved in the search. He said it can be hard to see into areas dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and desert brush.
“Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,” Mason said. His team was not involved in the search.
Purported ransom notes
At least three media organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they handed over to investigators.
A note emailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN. It also included a dollar amount and a deadline, she said.
“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said in an interview aired Wednesday.
The family posted their video plea after police searched in and around Nancy Guthrie’s home for several hours Wednesday.
Investigators returned for the followup investigation after being at the home earlier in the week for a couple of days, said Kevin Adger, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. He said the department was not commenting on the family’s video message.
Savannah Guthrie was emotional during the recording, with her voice cracking. Flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron, she addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.
“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter,” she said.
Savannah Guthrie described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” and said she was funny, spunky and clever.
“Talk to her and you’ll see,” she said.
Annie Guthrie said: “Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you.”
