Savannah Guthrie says she has agreed to pay a ransom in exchange for her mother Nancy’s return in a new video message to the 84-year-old’s captors on Saturday night
The Today Show host shared a video holding hands with her sister Annie and brother Camron, saying that they had received communications from her mother’s abductors.
‘We received your message, and we understand,’ Savannah said. ‘We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.
‘This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.’
Savannah did not offer details over the communication her family received nor the demands that she agreed to pay.
It follows a series of reported ‘ransom notes’ being sent to TMZ and KOLD newsrooms in the week since Nancy, 84, was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of February 1.
Authorities have not verified the legitimacy of those notes, however Savannah’s latest video appears to indicate her family had been contacted directly by those claiming to be holding Nancy for ransom.
The ‘ransom letters’ demanded millions in Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy’s return, and set a final deadline of Monday for payment to be made ‘or else’, TMZ said.
Savannah Guthrie has released a new video message to her missing mom Nancy’s captors, telling them her family has ‘received your message’
Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of Today Show star Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her home in Tucson, Arizona seven days ago
Savannah and her siblings previously shared a video this week demanding ‘proof of life’ of their mother after news broke that ransom demands had been made to TMZ and KOLD.
It is unclear if any proof of life has been made, but Savannah’s latest video appears to indicate her family believe they have been contacted by her legitimate abductors.
The release of the video comes as the search for Nancy escalated on Friday night, with forensics teams returning to her home for a third time to seize new evidence – including a car from her garage and a camera from her roof.
Hours before the search, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office said it was aware of a third ransom note sent to KOLD, claiming to be sent by those holding Nancy.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos declared soon after in an interview with NBC News that he believes the 84-year-old is ‘still alive’.
While Nanos offered an optimistic view of the search, he previously admitted investigators are in a race against time, with the 84-year-old suffering health problems and is believed to be without daily medications.
Forensics team unload gear at Guthrie home as search goes on
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Investigators were seen scouring the roof of Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona on Friday evening, and reportedly found a camera that had been missed in previous searches
Investigators seen at Nancy Guthrie’s home on Friday evening
A dark SUV was towed from the property on Friday
In another twist to the investigation on Friday, authorities said a ‘vehicle of interest’ was identified, and was believed to have been seen at a Circle K convenience store in the Tucson-area.
A Circle K spokesperson told the Daily Mail that a ‘tip’ led law enforcement to the vehicle, and said the company was assisting investigators by providing access to its surveillance video.
It is unclear why the vehicle appeared to be connected to the disappearance, nor if any suspects have been identified as a result.
The evidence seized on Friday marks the biggest development in the search since blood was discovered outside Nancy’s front door soon after she was reported missing.
Images from the scene show blood droplets leading from the door to the driveway, and the doorbell camera had been removed – which officials later said was disconnected at 1:47am on the night she vanished.
Six days into the search for Today Show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy, investigators returned to her Arizona home to seize new evidence amid hopes she is still alive
Blood was spotted on the walkway of Nancy’s Tucson, Arizona home
Nancy’s Ring doorbell camera was also missing
Savannah Guthrie addresses missing mom’s captors
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Confusion surrounding the legitimacy of the ‘ransom letters’ follows the arrest of California resident Derrick Callella on Thursday, after he was allegedly found to have texted Nancy’s daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni in a hoax ransom plot.
Callella allegedly admitted to sending the messages to capitalize on the turmoil surrounding Nancy’s abduction and potential ransom demands, and told investigators he was ‘just trying to see if the family would respond.’
The messages Callella sent to the Guthrie family are believed to be separate to those sent to TMZ and KOLD this week – one of which reportedly set a 5pm deadline on Thursday for millions in Bitcoin to be paid ‘or else.’
TMZ reported that a secondary, ‘more serious’ deadline was also set for Monday.
Following the passage of the first deadline, Camron Guthrie shared another video to social media pleading for his mother’s abductors to contact the family.
‘Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you,’ he said. ‘We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.
‘But first we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.’
Savannah Guthrie’s brother Camron pleas for their mother
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Officials previously said they have no reason to believe Nancy may have been targeted because of her daughter, but have also not ruled out any inquiries. Savannah Guthrie earns a reported $8 million salary at NBC, and has a net worth estimated at around $40 million
With no suspects or persons of interest publicly named, President Donald Trump suggested the investigation had progressed promisingly on Friday evening.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the investigation was going ‘very well’, and said he understands investigators ‘have some clues that I think are very strong.’
‘We could have some answers coming up fairly soon,’ Trump teased, saying that ‘a lot has taken place in the last couple hours’ in the search.
Officials previously said they have no reason to suspect the abduction is tied to Nancy’s daughter Savannah’s celebrity, but said they have not ruled out any inquiries.
