Savannah Guthrie, a well-known journalist, has made a heartfelt plea for the safe return of her mother, who has reportedly been abducted. In an emotional appeal, Guthrie expressed her family’s willingness to pay a ransom as the search for her 84-year-old mother extends into its seventh day.
Guthrie, originally from Melbourne and currently a co-anchor on NBC’s Today show, took to Instagram alongside her siblings. “We have received your communication and understand your demands,” she stated. “We implore you to bring our mother back so that we can be reunited and celebrate with her.”
She continued, “This is the only way we can find peace. It is immensely important to us, and we are prepared to meet your financial requirements.”
Her plea references a message allegedly sent to KOLD, a television station based in Tucson. The FBI’s Phoenix office, represented by spokesperson Kevin Smith, confirmed the station had received such a message last Friday afternoon.
On the same day, KOLD reported receiving an email connected to the case involving Nancy Guthrie. However, the station withheld specific details of the communication as the FBI investigates the situation further.
Throughout the week, multiple media outlets, including KOLD, have reportedly received ransom letters. At least one of these letters demanded money and set deadlines for Thursday evening and the following Monday evening.
In a news conference on Thursday, law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously. They also said one letter referenced Nancy Guthrie’s Apple watch and a specific feature of her property.
The video released on Saturday was the third this week that pleaded with potential kidnappers.
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 on 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 on 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.”
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.”
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 Associated Press.
“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.’”
The sheriff also said he had no new information about the note to the TV station or other purported ransom letters sent to some media outlets, saying the FBI is handling that side of the investigation.
Meanwhile, concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health condition has grown, because because she has a pacemaker and has high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
“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.”
The kidnapping has captured the attention of Americans, including Trump, who said he was directing federal authorities to help investigate.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, is one of the US’ most well-known news personalities. She was born in Melbourne and moved to Arizona as a young child.
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