An FBI official in Arizona has said the agency is announcing a $50,000 reward for information in the recovery of “Today” cohost Savannah Guthrie’s mother or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
“The FBI is now working this case jointly with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and we’re going to start today by announcing a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance,” said Heith Janke, FBI Phoenix special agent in charge, at a news conference.
The federal law enforcement bureau, he said, is also taking seriously an alleged ransom letter that was sent to media outlets. However, he warned that there have been impostors who have sent false ransom letters in connection with the case and that at least one individual has been arrested.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at the news conference: “I know there’s been a lot out there about suspects, and I want to be very clear at this time, we have not identified a suspect or a person of interest. In this case, we are working our best to do that.”
Nanos also said officials believe that Nancy Guthrie “is still out there” and alive.
“We just want her home [and] … want to get to the bottom of this,” he said.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the night of Jan. 31, when she was dropped off at her home in Tucson, Arizona, by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing about 14 hours later on Feb. 1 after she did not show up at church.
Officials have said the 84-year-old woman suffers from health issues and mobility problems and needs medication to live. However, they have stressed that Nancy Guthrie is of sound mind and suggested that she was abducted from her home.
Elaborating on the investigation, Nanos said that in the early morning hours on Feb. 1, a “doorbell camera” disconnected at Nancy Guthrie’s home.
“Software [detected] a person on a camera, but there’s no video available,” he said.
“They had no subscription, and therefore it would rewrite itself, cut up,” he said, noting that there is also no evidence that cameras were destroyed or smashed around Nancy Guthrie’s home. “It just kind of loops right and covers up. That’s what our analysis teams have told us.”
He also said it is not clear whether there was an animal and appeared to downplay reports about a “forced entry” at the home. DNA tests sourced from blood found at the home in Tucson, Arizona, identified the blood as belonging to her, according to Nanos.
The sheriff’s remarks come as Savannah Guthrie, who has not appeared on NBC’s “Today” program since her mother was reported missing, released a video addressing the situation a day earlier.
“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman,” she said. “You are God’s precious daughter.”
The “Today” cohost also made reference to the alleged ransom notes, saying to whoever may have abducted her mother that the family is “ready to talk.”
“However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” she said, reading from a prepared statement. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”
President Donald Trump posted on social media that he has directed federal authorities to help where they can and that he has spoken with the “Today” host.
“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 in a post on Truth Social on Feb. 4. “We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely.”
Earlier in the week, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released a statement on social media calling on members of the public to refrain from sharing unverified information about a potential suspect or person of interest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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