There has been no public response to an emotional plea from “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie to her mother’s apparent kidnapper, as authorities say they lack proof Nancy Guthrie is still alive after being taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, over the weekend.
The case is urgent because the 84-year-old grandmother has a pacemaker and heart issues, and could die without her medication, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.
Authorities searched in and around Nancy Guthrie’s home again for several hours on Wednesday. But at a press conference Thursday, law enforcement said there still weren’t any notable suspects. A DNA test of blood found on the home’s front porch showed it came from Nancy Guthrie, the sheriff said.
At least three media organizations have reportedly received ransom notes pertaining to her disappearance — and at least one appears to contain information only the abductor would know, the outlet reported.
Here’s what to know about the case:
Message to kidnappers
In the video shared Wednesday night, Savannah Guthrie’s voice shook as she read a prepared statement, seated between her sister Annie and her brother Camron.
“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” she said, adding. “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.”
Law enforcement said there hasn’t been a credible response to the family’s video.
“The family wants to be contacted. They know time is of the essence,” said Heith Janke, FBI chief in Phoenix. He also announced a $50,000 reward for credible information about the abduction.
Ransom notes taken ‘seriously’
A note emailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.
“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 note included a demand for money with a deadline set for 5 p.m. Thursday evening and a second one for Monday.
Authorities made an arrest after a ransom note turned out to be fake, but the others are being investigated, law enforcement said. Ultimately, the Guthrie family will decide how to respond to the demands.
Crime scene, but no clear motive
A family member dropped Nancy Guthrie off at home Saturday evening, authorities say. Four hours later, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected. But she did not have an active subscription so the company was unable to recover any video footage.
Software data recorded movement at the roughly 15 minutes later, the sheriff said, acknowledging that the motion could have come from an animal. Then at 2:28 a.m. the app on Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone. She was reported missing around noon Sunday when she didn’t show up to church.
Several personal items, including Guthrie’s cellphone, wallet and car, were still at the home when authorities searched the property, according to a person familiar with the investigation.
Quiet neighborhood
When asked by The Associated Press whether law enforcement knew why Nancy Guthrie was targeted, Nanos responded, “My guess work is as good as yours.”
Nancy Guthrie lived alone in the upscale Catalina Foothills neighborhood, where houses are spaced widely apart and separated from traffic by long driveways, gates and dense desert vegetation. That terrain can complicate searches, according to Jim Mason, a longtime commander of a search and rescue posse with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Mason was not involved in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
The area also appears to have little street lighting at night, which makes it less likely that security cameras captured helpful footage of Guthrie’s disappearance.
Strong mother figure
Savannah Guthrie, the youngest of her three siblings, grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at KVOA-TV before joining “Today” in 2011.
In Wednesday’s video, she described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light.”
Savannah’s sister Annie added: “Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you.”
Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writers Mike Balsamo in Washington, D.C.; Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix and Sejal Govindarao in Tucson, Arizona, contributed to this report.
