Someone who has taken Savannah Guthrie’s mother seems to have a clear understanding of their actions, according to experts.
This unsettling viewpoint comes from a former FBI special agent, following the delivery of ransom notes that reportedly laid out two specific deadlines for the family of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, who is currently missing.
Dr. Bryanna Fox, now a criminology professor at the University of South Florida, suggests that the use of distinct deadlines indicates meticulous planning and a strategic effort to steer the investigation.
The police and Guthrie’s family are compelled to treat these ransom notes as genuine, even as authorities work to verify their authenticity.
“They are treating these ransom notes as if they are real. They have to, because the risk associated with not doing so is too great,” explained Fox.
Jason Pack, a former FBI special agent and crisis negotiator, shared with the Daily Mail, “They have to treat this as legitimate, but there are other teams that are working on additional leads.”
Indeed, in a sign of quite how seriously Savannah, 54, and her two siblings, Camron and Annie, are taking these ransom demands, the Today show host shared a new video on Saturday addressing her mother’s captor directly, saying: ‘We will pay… this is very valuable to us.’
In a sign of quite how seriously Savannah and her two siblings, Camron and Annie, are taking these ransom demands. Today show host Savannah shared a new video addressing her mother’s captors directly, saying: ‘We will pay… this is very valuable to us.’
Guthrie with her mother Nancy, who has not been seen since the night of January 31
A first deadline, set in ransom letters sent to various media outlets in recent days, of 5pm (local time in Arizona) on Thursday has now passed. The clock is now ticking furiously toward a second deadline of 5pm on Monday.
This latest video message from Savannah and her siblings is one of three that she has shared in recent days addressing Nancy’s captor. On Wednesday night, she posted a 3 minute 57 second video asking that proof of life be provided, and said that her family are ‘ready to talk… we want to listen… please reach out.’
This new message was more cryptic and much shorter, just 22 seconds, but seemed to suggest that a line of communication has now been opened.
‘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 simply said.
Former special agent Fox said: ‘Clearly they are taking these ransom notes seriously. The fact they are now negotiating and willing to engage means they believe there is some validity behind [the notes].
‘They aren’t asking for proof of life anymore, they’re only speaking to the ransomer. That shows there was something in the most recent ransom note [received Friday night] that changed the way they’re responding, at least for now.’
Investigators say they believe Nancy is still alive, but time is of the essence. She is frail, fitted with a pacemaker, and needs daily medications to survive.
Former special agent Pack, who worked for the FBI for 25 years, told the Daily Mail: ‘What the Guthrie family demonstrated today is extraordinary discipline under unimaginable grief and pressure.
‘In four days, they have moved from an emotional plea, to a proof-of-life demand, to a public offer to pay. Every step was designed to keep the line of communication open and lower every possible barrier to Nancy’s safe return.’
He added: ‘When a family says publicly, “we will pay”, that is a deliberate strategic concession. It tells whoever is on the other end of this communication that the family is serious, that they’re not stalling, and that there is a path forward.
‘In my experience in crisis negotiations, the most dangerous moments come when communication breaks down. The Guthries are doing everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen.
‘The word “celebrate” stood out to me immediately. Savannah didn’t say “surrender her” or “give her back”. She said return her so we can “celebrate”. That’s the language of resolution, not confrontation. In any negotiation, you want to offer the other party a way to see this ending positively and peacefully for them too.
As to the urgency of Savannah’s ‘beg’ to have Nancy returned, Pack said: ‘We are now in the most critical window of this investigation. Nancy Guthrie is 84, she is without her daily medication. time is not on anyone’s side here. What encourages me is that communication is happening. Even though it’s coming through unconventional channels, local and national media outlets rather than direct contact, the fact that someone is engaging means there is a thread to follow.’
The ransom notes and the Guthries’ various video responses represent perhaps the most dramatic escalations in a case that has gripped the nation since Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her $1million Tucson home last Sunday.
Law enforcement agencies have launched an urgent search that has included door-to-door inquiries, the review of surveillance footage and appeals to the public for information.
Family members say they last saw Nancy on Saturday night after she had enjoyed a family dinner at her daughter Annie Guthrie’s home nearby. Nancy was driven home and last seen around 9.45pm.
When she failed to attend church the next morning, relatives were alerted and rushed to her property. They called 911 at around noon and authorities and officers were dispatched. A doorbell camera had been disconnected and blood drops, now confirmed as Nancy’s, marked the front porch.
The arrival of ransom demands has added a dangerous new dimension to the subsequent search.
Indeed, according to former special agent Fox, one of the biggest risks authorities and families like the Guthries face is acting too quickly and paying up without confirming whether ransom demands are genuine.
‘The major downside is, if it they are not real, you just deplete resources,’ she said. ‘Second, if this is a new avenue of extortion, you are not deterring it. In fact, you are rewarding that behavior.’
Fox also pointed to another potential red flag: The fact that there are two deadlines, rather than one firm cutoff, may suggest inexperience on the part of Nancy’s captor.
‘This probably is not someone who has done this before,’ she said. ‘There is a lack of confidence, a lack of sternness about the deadline. Anyone who has ever negotiated would know, once you revise your offer, the situation shifts from being a demand to a negotiation.’
Fox added: ‘It is all heartbreaking to watch. We are all hoping for Nancy Guthrie’s safe return.’
