TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The FBI is not aware of ongoing communication between Savannah Guthrie’s family and any suspected kidnappers more than a week after the “Today” show host’s mom went missing, the agency said Monday.
The FBI has also not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said in a statement. The agency is operating a 24-hour command post equipped with investigative teams and crisis management experts while asking for help from the public.
“Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home,” he said.
In a video released Monday, Savannah Guthrie said the family was “at an hour of desperation” but that they continue to believe her mother is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers.
“She was taken and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Guthrie said in the video posted on Instagram, urging people nationwide to be on the lookout “no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”
By Monday evening, a purported ransom deadline apparently set by her mom’s abductors appeared to have passed.
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Investigation continues a week after Savannah Guthrie mother was reported missing
What to know about Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping and the race to find her
The mysterious disappearance and search has riveted the country — from President Donald Trump, who spoke with Savannah Guthrie last week, to the online sleuths who’ve flooded social media with tips, theories and rumors.
The FBI is asking for the public’s help on digital billboards up in several major cities in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information.
Multiple news outlets received alleged ransom letters during the past week. At least one letter made monetary demands and set deadlines for receiving the money. The first deadline passed last Thursday and a second one was set for Monday evening.
Law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that law enforcement tip lines have received thousands of calls.
Authorities say they have growing concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
In a video Saturday, Savannah Guthrie said the family was prepared to pay for her mother’s return. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home just outside Tucson. She was last seen there Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church. DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and her doorbell camera was disconnected in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.
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AP AUDIO: Purported Nancy Guthrie ransom note deadline approaches as search enters a second week
Speaking to reporters, Tucson resident Chuchi Ruiz, who stopped by Nancy Guthrie’s house to bring flowers and offer support, says news of her disappearance has shaken the community.
Outside the home on Monday, neighbors strolled by on their morning jogs and walks, while a county sheriff’s deputy remained stationed out front.
Law enforcement’s work at Guthrie residences will continue Tuesday “as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Monday.
Detectives and agents carried out follow-up work in the neighborhood and other locations over the weekend as part of the investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday.
Investigators on Saturday were inside daughter Annie Guthrie’s home, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from Nancy Guthrie’s house. On Sunday, an investigator was seen using a pole to search an underground tank behind Nancy Guthrie’s home.
Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie‘s mom, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing after another ransom deadline passed—and a former FBI agent explained what makes the situation “so dangerous” in an exclusive interview with Parade.
On Monday, Feb. 9, the second ransom deadline expired at 5 p.m. following the 84-year-old’s abduction from her Tucson, Ariz., home. So, what happens next?
In his experience working kidnapping cases, Jason Pack, a retired FBI special agent, told Parade that “deadlines are almost always a pressure tool designed to create urgency and force a response.”
“The vast majority of the time when a deadline passes, the kidnapper extends it or shifts demands because they want the money,” he noted. “A deadline only has power if the family believes it’s real. The concern is whether the person behind this is a calculated actor who understands that dynamic or someone unpredictable. That uncertainty is what makes this so dangerous.”
Additionally, Pack addressed “hard realities” at this point in Nancy’s missing person case.
“Nine days is a long time. I don’t say that to alarm anyone, but it would be dishonest not to acknowledge it,” he said. “Nancy Guthrie is 84 years old with a pacemaker and needs daily medication. Every day that passes without her being located makes this case more urgent from a health and survival standpoint alone. That timeline weighs heavily on investigators and on this family.”
Pack also acknowledged that the ransom notes so far could be a “hoax,” as law enforcement did not confirm any of them to be authentic, and no proof of life was made public.
“The notes went to media outlets rather than to the family, which is not how a traditional kidnap for ransom works,” Pack explained. “A real kidnapper wants a private channel and direct leverage over the family. Sending demands to TV stations is either the work of a very unsophisticated actor or potentially someone who doesn’t have Nancy at all and is exploiting a terrible situation for money. Investigators have to work both possibilities simultaneously, and that divides resources and attention during a critical window.”
Related: Savannah Guthrie’s Mom Nancy: “Silver Briefcase” Appears as Police Search Home for Clues
Ultimately, the investigation itself will continue.
“A deadline is the kidnapper’s timeline, not law enforcement’s,” Pack pointed out. “The FBI and Pima County Sheriff will continue working this aggressively, whether the deadline passes or not. Regardless of whether these ransom notes are real or a hoax, Nancy Guthrie is still missing. That fact remains. Someone in the Tucson area or southern Arizona saw something.”
On Feb. 1, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) launched its search for Nancy, who was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31, at her home. The PCSD soon declared her residence a crime scene, determining that Nancy was “taken” from her residence “against her will.” Law enforcement also confirmed that the blood discovered at the home belonged to her.
Investigators have since returned to Savannah’s mom’s home multiple times to search for evidence. A video of a vehicle of interest was submitted to law enforcement, in addition to agents finding a camera on the roof of Nancy’s home. The FBI also made a strategic move across several states.
In the meantime, multiple alleged ransom notes surfaced, and Nancy’s family sent several public video messages to the captors. A Feb. 7 video featured Savannah saying to the camera, “We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace.”
The Today co-anchor concluded, “This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
Related: Savannah Guthrie’s Mom Nancy: Neighbors Leave Prayer Rock Outside Home as 84-Year-Old Remains Missing
On Feb. 9, just hours before the second ransom deadline, Savannah posted a video on Instagram to fans, thanking them for their prayers on behalf of herself and her siblings, Annie Guthrie and Camron Guthrie.
“We believe our mom is still out there,” Savannah said. “We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where.”
She reiterated, “We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.”
