Savannah Guthrie’s brother, Camron Guthrie, posted a new video appeal Thursday asking his mother’s kidnapper to make contact with the family, after Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators still have no proof Nancy Guthrie is alive. Nanos, speaking earlier Thursday, said investigators believe she is “still out there,” while acknowledging authorities have no evidence she is OK.
The family’s request for contact came “hours after” the sheriff’s remarks, with Camron Guthrie saying he and his siblings have not heard anything directly from the person holding their mother. “Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” he said in the video. He added that the family needs a way to communicate so they can “move forward,” but first want to know the kidnapper has Nancy Guthrie.
Camron Guthrie’s appeal followed a message Savannah Guthrie and her siblings read the day before, in which they said they were ready to talk but wanted proof their mother was still alive. Investigators said the search had entered its fifth day, with no suspects or persons of interest identified and no proof yet that Nancy Guthrie is alive.
Authorities said Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken against her will from her Tucson-area home over the weekend. The sheriff said DNA tests showed blood found on her front porch matched Nancy Guthrie, and he said investigators have not identified any proof the person is alive despite believing she is still out there.
Nanos also described authorities’ understanding of how the abduction may have unfolded after Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night. Investigators said she was at home eating dinner and playing games with family members before one of them dropped her off at her residence in an upscale neighborhood. About four hours later, the sheriff said the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected just before 2 a.m. Sunday, and the doorbell company could not recover footage because Nancy Guthrie did not have an active subscription.
Investigators said software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, while the sheriff acknowledged the movement could have come from an animal. He also said at 2:28 a.m. Sunday, the app on Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone, a detail included in the account investigators gave of the disappearance timeline.
The case has also included ransom communications, with investigators saying they are taking seriously notes seeking money that were sent to some media outlets. The FBI’s Phoenix chief, Heith Janke, said details in the notes included a demand for money with a Thursday evening deadline and a second deadline for Monday if the first one was not met. Janke said at least one note mentioned a floodlight at the home and an Apple watch.
Janke told reporters, “To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” according to the account described by authorities. The sheriff said at least three media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes and handed them to investigators, and he said an arrest was made after one ransom note turned out to be fake.
Authorities also said that they have treated the family’s communications with investigators as they evaluate the authenticity of the messages. The article said a note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom included information that only the abductor would know, according to CNN’s Mary Coleman, who said that after “a couple of sentences” it was “clear” the message “might not be a hoax.”
As investigators pursued the kidnapping case, they also said they were bringing more resources and people into the effort. The FBI announced Thursday it was offering up to $50,000 for information, and President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help. Authorities said the decision on whether to fulfill any ransom demand ultimately rests with the family, and Nanos said he and investigators have no evidence showing whether Nancy Guthrie is alive.
Savannah Guthrie, who hosts NBC’s “Today,” has stayed close to her mother’s home during the search, the report said. She and her siblings joined in an emotional plea on social media Wednesday, saying they were ready to listen if the kidnapper reached out and asked for proof their mother was alive, while also addressing their mother directly and asking her to “come home.” Annie Guthrie said, “Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” as the family continued to wait for a response.