Savannah Guthries’ brother makes direct plea to person holding his mother
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The brother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie renewed the family’s plea Thursday for their mother’s kidnapper to contact them, hours after an Arizona sheriff said investigators have no proof Nancy Guthrie is alive but believe she is “still out there.”
“Whoever is holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said in a video posted to social media.
“We need you to contact you and we need a way to contact you so we can move forward,” but first the family needs to know that the kidnapper has their mother, she said, echoing a statement her famous sister read the day before.
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Five days into the desperate search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
Authorities believe she was taken against her will from her Tucson home over the weekend. DNA testing showed that blood found on Guthrie’s front porch matched hers, the sheriff said.
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference Thursday. He acknowledged, however, that authorities have no evidence that she is fine.
Ransom demands
Investigators said they are taking ransom demand notes that were sent to some media outlets seriously.
It is not clear if all the notes were identical. Heith Janke, head of the FBI in Phoenix, said the details included a demand for money with a deadline of Thursday night and a second deadline of Monday if the first was not met. At least one note mentioned a light bulb in Guthrie’s home and an Apple watch, Janke said.
“To anyone who may be involved, please do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandmother,” Janke said.
At least three media outlets reported receiving alleged ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after a ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.
A memo emailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the kidnapper would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.
“When we looked at some of those details, after a couple of sentences it became clear that this might not be a hoax,” he said.
The sheriff said it’s possible Nancy Guthrie was the target, but if she was, investigators don’t know if it was because her daughter is one of the most visible television hosts.
Authorities say any decision on whether or not to meet ransom demands is ultimately up to the family.
A day earlier, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings sent a message to their mother’s kidnapper, saying they are ready to talk but want proof that their mother is still alive. So far there has been no response to their requests.
New timeline of Guthrie’s disappearance
Investigators gave a more detailed timeline from the hours after Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night. She was having dinner and playing with family members before one of them dropped her off at her home in an exclusive neighborhood nestled in mountainous, desert terrain, the sheriff said.
About four hours later, shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera disconnected, Nanos said. But Guthrie didn’t have an active subscription, so the doorbell company couldn’t recover any recordings.
Software data recorded movement in the house minutes later, the sheriff said, acknowledging that the movement could have come from an animal.
Then, at 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker app disconnected from her phone.
The search enters its fifth day
Guthrie was reported missing shortly before noon Sunday after she failed to show up at a church.
While he can drive and has a sharp mind, the sheriff said he has difficulty walking even short distances. He also needs daily medications that are vital to his health, he said.
A sheriff’s dispatcher said during Sunday’s search that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart problems, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
Investigators again searched in and around Guthrie’s home for several hours Wednesday.
Authorities are pouring more resources and people into the investigation, and the FBI announced Thursday that it would offer up to $50,000 for information. A day earlier, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was ordering federal authorities to help where they could.
The kidnapping has attracted the attention of the American public, like other famous kidnappings in American history.
Savannah Guthrie’s emotional plea
Savannah Guthrie has hosted “Today,” NBC’s flagship morning show, for more than a decade and was scheduled to co-anchor the network’s coverage of Friday’s opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. For now, he stays near his mother’s house.
He joined his two brothers in an emotional plea on social media Wednesday to say they are ready to talk to whoever sent the ransom notes.
“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 contact us,” he said as he fought back tears.
Her voice breaking, she went directly to her mother and told her that the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her. She was flanked by Camron and his sister, Annie.
“Mom, if you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.
Billeaud reported from Phoenix and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. News writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.