Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor makes chilling claim she was ‘exposed’ as FBI searches woods around Arizona home: Live updates

Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor made a chilling claim that she was ‘always exposed’ in her home because of her daughter Savannah’s wealth and fame.

‘I always felt like she was exposed,’ the anonymous woman told The US Sun, referring to Guthrie. ‘Like, how many people knew she lived here because her daughter’s very wealthy. That’s the thing.’

The Daily Mail revealed how Nancy, 84, was abducted from her $1 million home late on January 31, early into February 1, according to police.

FBI Director Kash Patel personally travelled to Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday to assist federal investigators in the search for the Today Show host’s mother.

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that he has directed ‘all federal law enforcement’ to help with the investigation ‘IMMEDIATELY,’ and a source within the bureau told Axios that meant that the director himself was getting involved.

Authorities have said they believe the mother of three is still alive despite not having identified any suspects.

‘We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here,’ Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a new interview with NBC’s Liz Kreutz. ‘She’s present. She’s alive, and we want to save her.’

Still, Savannah and her siblings pleaded with their mother’s captors to provide proof of life as they fear she may not survive without vital medication she needs to take daily.

Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor claims she was ‘always exposed’

The disappearance of Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, has rocked the sun-soaked Arizona town she called home, as neighbors say they were always concerned the 84-year-old was at risk.

‘I always felt like she was exposed,’ a concerned neighbor who asked not to be named told The US Sun.

‘Like, how many people knew she lived here because her daughter’s very wealthy. That’s the thing.’

Nancy vanished after having dinner with her daughter, Annie, on Saturday night, and was reported missing when she failed to show up for church the next morning.

There were signs of forced entry at her $1 million residence in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, and police say her doorbell camera was removed before they arrived.

Crime scene tape went back up at the house on Wednesday as the FBI searched the woods and hilly terrain surrounding the home.

15:55

No public response to Savannah Guthrie’s video plea to kidnappers

As of Thursday morning, there does not appear to be a public response to Savannah Guthrie’s desperate plea to her mother’s abductors.

Savannah and her siblings posted a video on social media Wednesday night addressing their mother’s kidnappers and asking for proof of life.

Neither the Guthrie children nor the police have said whether the video yielded any contact.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is set to give its next media update later today at 11am MST/1pm ET.

15:48

Former FBI agent says Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is ‘odd’

Former FBI agent Lance Leising broke down Nancy Guthrie’s ‘odd’ disappearance and explained how it may have been a targeted attack.

‘Hollywood makes these feel like stranger abductions are common. They’re not,’ Leising told Fox 10.

‘In most cases, a ransom note going to a media outlet is for an ideological purpose. You want to get your message out. This victim doesn’t scream that. This is an 80-year-old grandmother.’

Leising explained that ‘nine times out of 10,’ such cases are solved through these public tips or electronic data.

He also believes that the remote location of Nancy’s home indicates that her abduction was a targeted attack that may have been planned for weeks.

15:45

Jake Tapper joins call for Nancy’s safe return

CNN’s Jake Tapper joined fellow news anchors calling for the safe return of Savannah Guthrie’s mother.

‘Savannah Guthrie is exactly who you think she is: kind, considerate, smart, dedicated, loving, a woman of faith,’ he wrote on X.

‘Her mother is one of the only people I’ve ever met even kinder than Savannah. Whoever has Nancy Guthrie please bring her back to her family.’

15:30

Desert terrain surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s home poses added challenge for rescuers, expert claims

Jim Mason, a longtime commander of a search-and-rescue posse in Maricopa County, isn’t involved in the search for Guthrie but said desert terrain can make finding missing people difficult.

He told the Associated Press it can be hard to peer into areas that are dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and other desert brush.

‘Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,’ Mason said.

15:15

Expert offers chilling step-by-step play of how he thinks Nancy Guthrie was taken

A leading crime expert offered a vivid insight into how Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, may have been snatched from her home and possible outcomes as her abductors seek to ‘close the circle.’

‘The kidnappers took a lot of risk to do this, they’re going to have to take an additional step, to communicate, to reach their goal,’ retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives special agent Jim Cavanaugh told Guthrie’s co-host Craig Melvin on NBC’s Today.

‘They went to a lot of effort to break in, to assault Nancy, take her away, hide her out… And now they have to close their circle for their goal and that is they have to communicate.’

How Nancy was taken and what kidnappers will now do to ‘close circle’
Former ATF special agent Jim Cavanaugh said Nancy Guthrie’s family’s desperate plea for her return could force her abductors to ‘close their circle’ if they are holding the 84-year-old for ransom

15:00

Hundreds gathered for Nancy Guthrie prayer vigil

St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church hosted a candlelight vigil for Nancy Guthrie on Wednesday night.

Hundreds of people gathered for the service where they heard prayers for her safe return and placed lit candles on an altar.

14:48

Anchor reveals new details about Nancy Guthrie ransom note

Local news station KOLD anchor Mary Coleman described the Nancy Guthrie ransom note sent to her newsroom.

‘A lot of it is information that only someone who was holding her for ransom would know,’ Coleman told CNN on Wednesday.

‘Some very sensitive information and things that people who weren’t there when she was taken captive wouldn’t know.

She added, ‘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.’

Coleman also revealed it was sent to the station via email, and that her team immediately sent it to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

‘We immediately sent that information over to the sheriff’s department, and they’re, of course, looking into the legitimacy of it,’ she said.

‘One of the detectives did get back to us and asked us for some more information so that they can start searching for an IP address and things of that nature to try and figure out who or what people are responsible here.’

14:45

Today show co-host Craig Melvin PULLS OUT of Winter Olympics coverage

Craig Melvin has pulled out of presenting duties ahead of the Winter Olympics in Milan as the hunt for co-star Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother Nancy continues.

The Today show host, 46, was scheduled to helm Olympic Late Night from Italy between February 7 and February 9, but it has since been announced that he will instead remain stateside.

Craig Melvin PULLS OUT of Olympics coverage amid Nancy Guthrie search
The Today show host, 46, was scheduled to helm Olympic Late Night from Italybetween February 7 and February 9.

14:38

Trump ‘deploying all resources’ in search for Nancy Guthrie

As the search for Nancy neared day five, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday night that he had spoken with Nancy’s daughter and TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie.

‘I spoke with Savannah Guthrie, and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY,’ Trump wrote on Wednesday evening.

‘We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely. The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family. GOD BLESS AND PROTECT NANCY! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.’

14:30

FBI hostage negotiator reveals hidden message in Savannah Guthrie’s video appeal

A retired FBI hostage negotiator has analyzed the heartbreaking video filmed by Savannah Guthrie amid the desperate search for her abducted mother.

Jason Pack, a certified crisis negotiator, described the Today show star’s direct appeal to her mother Nancy’s potential captors as a ‘modern-age proof of life request’, and a calculated emotional appeal designed to reduce the risk of harm to the elderly woman.

Horrifying hidden message in Savannah Guthrie’s video appeal
Jason Pack, a certified crisis negotiator, said the ‘goal of this message is twofold’ after Savannah Guthrie pleaded with the captors while emphasizing her mother’s ‘fragile’ health condition.

14:20

Investigators analyzing surveillance footage and cell tower data

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ office said detectives were still speaking with anyone who had contact with Nancy Guthrie last weekend, but no suspect or person of interest had been identified.

Nanos suggested there was video from some cameras, though he didn´t elaborate, adding:

‘That’s all been submitted, and we’re doing our best with the companies that own those cameras or built those cameras,’ he said.

A police source familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press that authorities are reviewing surveillance video from nearby homes and analyzing data from cellphone towers.

Police are also reviewing information from license plate cameras in the area, according to the source.