Savannah Guthrie said on Saturday that her family is willing to pay for the safe return of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, as the desperate search for the 84-year-old entered its seventh day, as reported by Associated Press.
“We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” she said in a video posted on social media, flanked by her siblings.
“This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
It was not immediately clear if the longtime host of NBC’s “Today” show was referring to a new message from someone who might have kidnapped Nancy Guthrie, AP reported.
Tucson TV station KOLD said on Friday that it had received an email linked to the Guthrie case but declined to disclose its contents, while the FBI confirmed it was aware of the message and was assessing its authenticity, AP reported.
No suspects identified
Investigators think Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home just outside Tucson last weekend. DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said. Authorities have not identified any suspects or ruled anyone out.
The sheriff said Friday that he was frustrated that a camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home was not able to capture images of anyone the day she went missing.
Investigators have found that the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected early Sunday and that software data recorded movement at the home minutes later. But Nancy Guthrie did not have an active subscription, so none of the images were able to be recovered.
“It is concerning, it’s actually almost disappointing, because you’ve got your hopes up,” Nanos told The Associated Press in an interview.
“OK, they got an image. ‘Well, we do, but we don’t.’”
US President Donald Trump, speaking on Air Force One on Friday, said the investigation was going “very well.”
“We have some clues that I think are very strong,” Trump said, while en route to his Florida estate. “We have some things that may be coming out reasonably soon.”
Investigators return to scene
They were back in Nancy Guthrie’s neighborhood on Friday.
The sheriff’s department posted on social media to say access was restricted to the road in front of the home to give investigators space. Journalists staked out there were directed to move.
The Catalina Foothills Association, a neighborhood group, told residents in a letter that authorities were resuming searches in the area immediately.
“I know we all stand together in our collective disbelief and sadness and greatly appreciate your willingness to speak with law enforcement, share camera images and allow searches of your properties,” the association president said in the letter.
The sheriff said Thursday that investigators have not given up on trying to retrieve camera recordings.
“I wish technology was as easy as we believe it is, that here’s a picture, here’s your bad guy. But it’s not,” Nanos told the AP. “There are pieces of information that come to us from these tech groups that say ‘this is what we have and we can’t get anymore.’”
TV station receives note
The sheriff said there were no updates regarding the note sent to the TV station or other alleged ransom letters mailed to media outlets, adding that the FBI is overseeing that part of the investigation, AP reported.At the same time, worries about Nancy Guthrie’s health have intensified, as officials say she depends on essential daily medication. According to sheriff’s dispatcher audio posted on broadcastify.com, she reportedly has a pacemaker and a history of high blood pressure and heart problems.
We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.
It is concerning, it’s actually almost disappointing, because you’ve got your hopes up.
“Her conditions, I would imagine, are worsening day by day,” Nanos said. “She requires medication. And I have no way of knowing whether they’re getting that medication to her.”
