As a possible deadline was set for Monday for Nancy Guthrie’s family — including her daughter, “Today” host Savannah Guthrie — to pay a ransom to get her back, experts said law enforcement appears to still be trying to determine if the real kidnappers are behind the demands.
In two unverified notes sent to media outlets, the person who claims to have kidnapped the 84-year-old Guthrie from her Arizona home set a 5 p.m. PT deadline for the family to pay a ransom in bitcoin.
U.S. journalist and television host Savannah Guthrie, accompanied by her siblings Annie and Camron, speaks in a video message, addressing that they are willing to pay for the release of their elderly mother, Nancy Guthrie, who went missing from her Arizona home several days ago, in this screen grab obtained from social media video taken at an unspecified location and released February 7, 2026. Savannah Guthr…
Savannah Guthrie Via Instagram/via Reuters
Law enforcement officials have said they are taking the notes seriously, but have not confirmed their authenticity.
“There hasn’t been a lot of evidence. You may have an abductor communicating, but we’re not even sure of that yet because there was no proof of life on either emails or text, whatever they got,” said retired FBI special agent Rich Frankel, a former hostage negotiator for the bureau.
Over the weekend, Savannah Guthrie and her brother and sister released their third video to the possible abductor since their mother disappeared from her Tucson area home sometime between the night of Jan. 31 and the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said in a video on Instagram on Saturday. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
In this image provided by NBCUniversal, Savannah Guthrie, right, her mom Nancy speak, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, in New York.
Nathan Congleton/AP
On Monday, Savannah Guthrie made a direct appeal for the public’s assistance in solving the case, saying in an Instagram post, “We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.”
“We believe our mom is still out there,” she said. “We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock, trying to bring her home.”
Still more questions than answers
Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Investigators were seen back at Nancy Guthrie’s home over the weekend, apparently checking a rooftop camera and a septic tank on the property.
Investigators were also spotted taking items from the home of Guthrie’s daughter, Annie, where Nancy Guthrie had dinner in the hours before she vanished.
Among the evidence, investigators have confirmed are blood drops on the front porch matching Nancy Guthrie’s DNA, a propped-open door and a doorbell camera that had been disconnected.
