Stony-faced FBI agents and other law enforcement were seen arriving at the home of Savannah Guthrie’s sister on Tuesday afternoon, as the search for her mother Nancy continues into its third day.
Exclusive Daily Mail photos show the moment agents descended on the $650,000 Arizona property, where Guthrie herself is also staying, just after 2.30pm local time.
Savannah’s older sister Annie, 56, was the last person to see missing Nancy, 84, before she vanished on Saturday night.
The pair had spent the evening enjoying a dinner together and playing Mahjong – a Chinese four-player rummy style game.
Nancy has not been seen since 9.30pm on January 31 with the alarm raised by Annie after her mother failed to show up at church.
Earlier today, cops twice refused to rule out kidnap for ransom and said they were following up multiple leads, including an alleged ransom note emailed to TMZ.
The FBI are also helping to investigate the case with John Edwards of the bureau’s Tucson office telling a press conference that they are offering analytical and tech support – among them downloads of cellphone information and analysis of pings picked up by local towers.
Meanwhile, Nancy’s home – the same property in which Guthrie grew up – was surrounded by media on Tuesday afternoon.
Exclusive Daily Mail photos show the moment agents descended on the $650,000 property, where Guthrie herself is also staying, just after 2.30pm local time. The person who greeted them is part Savannah’s security team who having been guarding the home
Two investigators are seen arriving at the home on Tuesday afternoon in Arizona
The search for the mother of the journalist continues into its third day
Savannah Guthrie is pictured with her mother Nancy in happier times
FBI agents, in suit and tie and in more relaxed attire, walked up to the home and were greeted by members of Savannah’s security team, who have been guarding the property.
The officers were seen holding files and notebooks as they arrived at the property.
Police said they had turned the sprawling property back over to the family on Monday – despite what appeared to be a small quantity of blood still visible on the front doorstep.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said on Tuesday that they believe the octogenarian has been abducted and said investigators are in a race against time because she was taken without essential medication.
Tucson TV station KOLD said on Tuesday afternoon that it had also received a ransom note. It is unclear if the notes from TMZ and KOLD are the same.
TMZ reported that the note, which it said it could not verify as being sent by the abductors, demanded millions in Bitcoin for the release of the 84-year-old.
The outlet said that the note demanded the Bitcoin be sent to a specific cryptocurrency address, which it has verified as a real Bitcoin address.
The note concluded with a deadline for the ransom to be paid ‘or else’.
TMZ said it included details unknown to the public including damage caused to Nancy’s home and what she was wearing at the time of her abduction.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos did not verify the contents of either note in his statement.
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Pictured: An aerial view of Nancy Guthrie’s house, where she was allegedly abducted from
Files are seen in one investigator’s hands. The search for Nancy Guthrie continues
A female investigator follows two males into the home as the multi-agency search for Nancy Guthrie rolls into its third day
Nanos said repeatedly that investigators do not know where Nancy is, and he was unable to offer insight into a possible suspect or suspects.
The sheriff also addressed reports that a doorbell camera had been removed from Nancy’s home, saying that it was unclear if it had been removed before Nancy’s abduction.
Nanos added that no strange cars had been seen in the area around the time of Nancy’s kidnapping and that no tire tracks were found.
Tuesday’s press conference offered few new details over Nancy’s disappearance, and FBI agent Jon Edwards only spoke briefly to urge the public to come forward with any information that could help investigators.
Edwards said the FBI was doing ‘everything in its power’ to ‘bring Nancy home’, including downloading cellphone tower data, conducting interviews and analyzing data from the surrounding area.
‘Every lead or tip is important,’ Edwards added.
