COPS have swarmed Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home, seizing a car and camera wired to the roof just hours after receiving a ransom letter.
The large-scale search for the 84-year-old is ramping up as investigators are “actively inspecting” the new message for authenticity.
Cops descended on the home of missing 84-year-old Nancy GuthrieCredit: Reuters
Guthrie is believed to have been kidnapped sometime last weekendCredit: Courtesy NBC Universal
Police were seen towing a blue SUV from her homeCredit: NBC LA
FBI agents confiscated an SUV from the property where Guthrie is believed to have been kidnapped sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
A tow truck removed the blue Subaru SUV from her home before cops escorted it to an impound lot near Pima County Sheriff’s Office, according to Fox News.
Investigators did not share why the vehicle had been seized from the property on their third visit to the crime scene.
Forensic teams were also seen scouring the roof of the Tucson property to retrieve the camera that had been missed in several previous searches.
Retired NYPD Inspector Paul Mauro told Fox that the device could have been overlooked in the first days of the investigation.
He said: “Apparently on that roof, the agents recovered a new camera, a camera that apparently they hadn’t been aware of and they took it into their custody.
“I don’t know anymore than that as to why it hadn’t been recovered, what it might see.”
Guthrie’s neighbour, Laura Gargano, tipped off cops to investigate the roof after noticing how clean it looked to others in the area.
“I did notice on an aerial shot that it looked like her roof had been recoated recently,” Gargano told CNN on Friday.
“When you recoat your roof it gets dirty pretty quickly and we’ve had lot of rains the previous three weeks, so it would be normal for a roof to be a little dirty.”
Nancy’s daughter, NBC Today show host Savannah Guthrie, alongside her siblings, emotionally pleaded for the safe return of their elderly mother.
Savannah had been set to host the network’s coverage of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, but pulled out after the news of her mother’s kidnapping.
Donald Trump revealed earlier that the FBI have some “very strong clues” in the search for the missing Bible teacher.
The president told reporters on Air Force One that new evidence could provide “definitive” answers on what happened to the 84-year-old.
He said: “I think we are doing very well.
Nancy is the daughter of NBC’s ‘Today’ co-anchor Savannah GuthrieCredit: Getty
President Donald Trump speaks told reporters that new evidence is being probedCredit: AP
The Guthrie siblings gave an emotional plea for the return of their motherCredit: Instagram/savannahguthrie
“Very well meaning we have some clues that I think are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon.”
Trump said the new evidence would come from the Department of Justice or the feds.
He added: “I’m not talking about a search. I’m talking about a solution.
“We have some things I think that will maybe come out reasonably soon from DOJ or FBI or whoever that could be.”
When asked if he meant that a suspect had been found, the president replied: “Yeah. Could be definitive.”
Trump revealed: “A lot has taken place in the last couple of hours.”
Blood drops were found on Nancy’s front step, but detectives have not confirmed who the blood belongs to and are still analysing DNA evidence from the home.
Trump’s cryptic comments on Air Force One came after after a man behind fake ransom note texts to the missing woman’s desperate family has revealed his chilling motive.
Derrick Callella from California was arrested and charged for sending fake text messages demanding Bitcoin payments and making phone calls to Nancy’s family.
The first deadline from what is thought to be a legitimate ransom note has already passed.
A reward of $50,00 is being offered for any information leading to a breakthrough in the case.
A disturbing timeline has been released, tracking Nancy’s last known movements.
