The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie reached a critical juncture on Tuesday, as the latest ransom deadline elapsed without any resolution. Consequently, the sheriff’s department transferred negotiation responsibilities to the FBI.

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her million-dollar residence in Tucson’s Catalina Hills neighborhood during the early hours of February 1.

Over a week into the investigation, authorities acknowledged that they have yet to identify any suspects or persons of interest connected to the case.

Negotiations have hit a roadblock, as the digital wallet mentioned in the initial ransom note remains untouched, despite Savannah’s weekend agreement to pay the ransom for her mother’s release.

The Guthrie family was instructed to deliver $6 million in Bitcoin by 5 p.m. local time on Monday. The alleged kidnappers had assured that upon payment, Nancy would be safely returned to Tucson within 12 hours, according to TMZ.

However, after the deadline passed without any development, the FBI issued a somber statement indicating they are “not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and the suspected kidnappers.”

The bureau is now leading the investigation into the ransom notes the local news outlets and TMZ received in connection with Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office saying feds are also handling ‘communications involving the Guthrie family.’

That announcement came as Savannah released her own video message, desperately pleading with the American public to help find her mother.

Savannah Guthrie issued an emotional plea to the American public on Monday for help finding her 84-year-old mother 

The Today Show host’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, was taken from her $1 million home in the Catalina Hills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona in the early morning hours of February 1

‘I just wanted to come on and share a few thoughts as we enter into another week of this nightmare,’ the 55-year-old Today show host began the emotional plea.

She then thanked the public for all their support amid her mother’s disappearance. 

‘Because we believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers, and that God is lifting her in this moment and in this darkest place,’ Guthrie said, adding that she and her siblings, Annie and Camron, ‘believe our mom is still out there.’

‘Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken and we don’t know where,’ Nancy’s heartbroken daughter continued, telling the American public: ‘We need your help.

‘No matter where you are, even if you are far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report it to law enforcement,’ Savannah asked.

‘We are at an hour of desperation and we need your help,’ she concluded.

The message marked the first time Savannah spoke to the American people directly – and not to her mother’s captors, criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter pointed out on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle.

‘In fact, she didn’t even reference them in that statement,’ he said. 

Savannah and her siblings, brother Camron and sister Annie, said over the weekend they would pay the ransom money for their mother’s safe return – but the digital wallet set up to receive the Bitcoin payment was still empty as a Monday deadline passed

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office has handed over the investigation into ransom notes received amid Nancy’s disappearance and all ‘communications involving the Guthrie family.’ Sheriff Chris Nanos is seen giving an update in the investigation

He also said that Savannah’s choice of words was ‘not as carefully curated as we saw in previous statements.

‘In fact in previous statements, she was holding a piece of paper in front of her and almost reading directly from it because it was scripted, we believe, probably by federal agents,’ Ritter noted.

‘Here, she is speaking extemporaneously from the heart, and it seems the subtext of all of that is she’s not really concerned about how her mother’s captors are going to be receiving this – that this message is to the public and that they are desperate to just get any answers.’

CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe also suggested Savannah’s message meant that the Guthrie family had not yet received a response to their previous videos directly addressing the possible captors. 

‘This message does not sound like the message that you would expect to hear from a family that is currently negotiating the return of their loved one,’ he told the outlet, as authorities work to determine the veracity of the ransom demands.

Nancy’s pacemaker – an implanted device that regulates someone’s heartbeat – disconnected from her iPhone and Apple watch app around 2.30am on Sunday 

She was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona. Investigators do not have any suspects 

Nancy was last seen at her home on January 31 after going to her eldest daughter Annie’s house for dinner and a game night. 

Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, was the last person to see Nancy after he dropped her off at her home around 9.48pm on January 31. 

She was reported missing the following morning after she failed to show up to a friend’s house to watch a church service – something out of the ordinary for Guthrie’s elderly mother.

As the investigation into her kidnapping continues, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office released a timeline they believe coincides with Nancy’s final movements before she was abducted. 

Around 1.47am on Sunday, her doorbell camera disconnected from her front door. A person was seen in the camera, but video evidence was not available, Sheriff Chris Nanos said.  

An analysis team found that the clip was not viewable and ‘kind of loops and right and covers up’, Nanos stated. 

Her pacemaker – an implanted device that regulates someone’s heartbeat – disconnected from her iPhone and Apple Watch app around 2.30am. 

Pima County Sheriff’s deputies returned to Nancy’s home on Monday as the investigation continued

Authorities said Monday night that the investigation has expanded and deputies are ‘looking into ‘new leads’

Chris Castorena, a private detective based in Phoenix volunteering his time to search for Nancy Guthrie, scans her street for clues

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation has since expanded, with deputies looking into ‘new leads,’ officials said Monday, without releasing any further details.

‘Many of you observed an active law enforcement presence at the Guthrie residences over the weekend,’ the department said in a statement, after investigators were seen searching Annie’s home, which is about four miles away from her missing mother’s property. 

They were seen taking photographs inside the property for several hours though it is unclear what, if any, new evidence had been collected. 

Drone footage was also released showing investigators removing a floodlight from Nancy’s home amid revelations that a ransom note specifically referenced the fixture.

A security camera was also removed from the exterior of the property on Monday.

Such activity is now expected to continue through Tuesday, the sheriff’s department said, ‘as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads. 

‘This is all part of the investigative process, as the search for Nancy expands and new leads come in,’ the department insisted. 

‘To preserve the integrity of this criminal investigation, details of that process are not being released at this time.’

Sheriff’s deputies were seen searching Nancy’s property

Authorities said they will continue to search the Guthries’ family homes through Tuesday

Supporters left a rock outside Nancy’s home, asking for prayers

The bureau also said that even more agents from across the country are being deployed to Tucson to aid in the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance.

‘We are currently operating a 24-hour command post that includes crisis management experts, analytic support and investigative teams,’ a spokesperson for the FBI said.

‘But we still need the public’s help.

‘Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home. We need that person to share what they know.

‘Please call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI.’

The agency is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest of anyone involved in her disappearance.

To that end, the bureau is planning to put up billboards featuring Nancy’s photo, identifying information and a phone number to call with any tips.

They will be posted in El Paso, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; Houston, Texas and Dallas, Texas; as well as in Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Diego, California and Los Angeles, California.