The mystery of what happened to ‘Today’ host Savannah Guthrie‘s mom has become even more nefarious as TMZ received an alleged ransom note for her release.
Nancy Guthrie has been missing for three days. According to law enforcement sources, there was blood at the scene. Someone appeared to have forced their way inside the 84-year-old’s home.
Ransom:
After days of investigating, authorities said they couldn’t rule out that Nancy was kidnapped.
Then, TMZ reported they had received an alleged ransom note “demanding millions in cryptocurrency” for Nancy’s release. The outlet did not report on when or how it received the note, nor did it reveal its contents. But, the powers at TMZ turned the ransom note over to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the case’s investigation.
Sheriff Chris Nanos said the department is aware of “reports circulating about possible ransom note(s)” in the Guthrie case, but did not verify the TMZ report. However, he did say, “We do believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will.”
What we know so far:
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at her residence, and local authorities say she may have been forcibly taken in the middle of the night.
Family members went to check on her at her home after they learned she didn’t show up to church Sunday morning. Officials have not theorized about why she may have been snatched.
Nanon encouraged Nancy’s captor to contact authorities. “Just call us. Let her go. Just call us. The family will tell you, there’s no questions asked here,” he told NBC News.
At Tuesday’s news conference, officials continued to plea for any information that might help lead to Nancy Guthrie. “Every lead and tip is important, we are aggressively pursuing and looking into every single one,” said John Edwards. “Again, please help us bring Nancy Guthrie home.”
The scene of the crime:
Since she disappeared, investigators have completed searching and processing Nancy Guthrie’s home for any evidence and opened the property back to her family, officials said. They did not provide any details on what was found inside.
Nanos confirmed that there was an empty frame for a security camera near Guthrie’s front door. He said investigators do not know if it was taken during her disappearance, but said they were looking into it.
When authorities were initially called to Nancy Guthrie’s desert home, they immediately found what officials described as “suspicious” and “concerning circumstances.”
At Tuesday’s news conference, officials continued to plea for any information that might help lead to Nancy Guthrie.
“Every lead and tip is important, we are aggressively pursuing and looking into every single one,” said John Edwards, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Tucson, which is assisting with the ongoing investigation. “Again, please help us bring Nancy Guthrie home.”
Next steps to get Nancy back:
“We have a lot of work in front of us,” Nanos said. “We have someone’s life in jeopardy.”
A tip line was set up Monday evening, and the Sheriff’s Department is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for images, information or videos that lead to the arrest of the person or people involved in her disappearance.
“We don’t need another bad, tragic ending,” Nanos said. “We need some help.” Adding to the urgency of the case, Nanos has warned that Nancy Guthrie’s life was in immediate danger if she did not take medication every day.
While Nanos said the department was not aware of any specific threats to Savannah Guthrie that might be related to her mother’s disappearance, he said they don’t yet know if this was a targeted attack.
“We’re doing all we can to try to locate her,” Nanos said. “Every tool we have, we will use.”
Nanos has said that they do not believe Nancy Guthrie left on her own accord, explaining that because of physical limitations she cannot walk on her own very far. But, he has repeatedly said that she does not have any cognitive issues.
