We previously reported that the 84 year-old mother of the TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie has gone missing from her home in Tucson, Arizona over the weekend. On Thursday, police made an announcement about one of the ransom notes for Nancy Guthrie that is nothing short of horrifying.
Ransom Note Deadline Revealed
Police told the media on Thursday that one of the notes sent to the press named the deadline for Nancy’s ransom to be paid as 5pm today, February 5. At the time of this writing, that is just over one hour from now in Tucson.
Investigators went on to say that the ransom note did not include any proof of life for Nancy. They also added that it listed Monday, February 9 as a secondary deadline for millions in Bitcoin to be paid for the mother and grandmother’s return.
“If a transfer wasn’t made, the second demand was for next Monday,” FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said at the press conference, which was attended by People Magazine. “I’m not going to go beyond that.”
“We believe Nancy is still out there… We want her home,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said as he opened this press conference.
Nanos then revealed that a sweep of Guthrie’s home found that a doorbell camera was disconnected in the middle of the night. This reportedly occurred at 1:47am. Later, at 2:12am, a person was detected by the camera’s sensors. Officials then discovered that at 2:28am, Nancy’s pacemaker app, which is a device tracking her heartbeat, cut off from her iPhone’s Bluetooth.
Nanos also confirmed that the blood found outside the front door of Nancy’s home was her own. Despite this, police are still hopeful that she is alive.
“We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here,” Sheriff Nanos said. “She’s present. She’s alive, and we want to save her.”
Anchor Who Read Ransom Note Speaks Out
This comes one day after Arizona TV news anchor Mary Coleman revealed new details of the possible ransom note. It was sent to her KOLD newsroom, and according to her, “it might not be a hoax.”
Coleman told CNN that “a lot of it is information that only someone who was holding her for ransom would know.”
“Some very sensitive information and things that people who weren’t there when she was taken captive wouldn’t know,” she explained. “It also included a dollar amount, a deadline, and, again, other specifics that only Guthrie’s abductor might know, so that definitely raised some red flags.”
Watch Coleman talk more about this in the video below.
On Wednesday night, Savannah and her two older siblings Camron and Annie issued an emotional video pleading for Nancy’s safe return. They used it to appeal directly to whoever has taken their beloved mother.
“We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” said Savannah, 54. “As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. 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, reach out to us.”
Check out the full video for yourself below.
Nancy Disappears
Nancy was last seen when she was dropped off at her $1 million home by her son-in-law at around 9:45pm on Saturday, January 31. In the early hours of Sunday morning, Nancy’s pacemaker lost contact with her iPhone, which had been left at her house along with her wallet and other belongings.
Nancy was reported missing hours later when she didn’t show up for church services. She’s known as a devout Christian, so a fellow worshipper immediately raised the alarm. Nancy’s family rushed to her home to try and find her, but there was no trace of the 84 year-old. They immediately reported her missing, and a desperate search began.
Though police say that Nancy is “sharp as a tack,” she is physically frail and has limited mobility. She also has medication that she relies on for survival every day. This medication was left behind at her home.
According to a 911 call about Nancy’s disappearance that was obtained by Page Six, she “has high blood pressure, [a] pacemaker and cardiac issues.”
“If she doesn’t have [her meds] in 24 hours, it could be fatal,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously stated.
This has turned into a literal race against time. Please join us in saying a prayer for the safe return of Nancy Guthrie.