Savannah Guthrie shares saddest video plea yet in search for missing mom Nancy as ransom deadline looms: ‘We’re at an hour of desperation’
Savannah Guthrie released her most somber video yet begging for information about her abducted mother Nancy.
The 55-year-old Today Show host posted the clip to her Instagram profile on Monday afternoon, as a final 5pm MT ransom deadline approaches.
Speaking from her home city of Tucson in Arizona, Savannah said: ‘She was taken and we don’t know where…
‘We need your help.
‘No matter where you are, even if you are from Tucson… We are at an hour of desperation.’
Nancy was taken from her $1 million home in the Catalina Hills neighborhood in the early hours of Sunday, February 1.
There has been no trace of her since and investigators say they do not have any suspects or persons of interest.
Local news outlets say the Guthrie family has been ordered to pay $6 million in Bitcoin by 5pm MT (7pm ET) on Monday.
Savannah Guthrie is seen in her latest video pleading for information to help find her abducted mother Nancy
Nancy, 84, was first reported missing on Sunday, February 1 after she didn’t show up for church. The search for her entered its ninth day on Monday
Savannah has indicated she is happy to pay it, even though the sender has not offered any proof Nancy is still alive, with experts cautioning that the demand may be a scam.
The journalist went on to thank the public for all their support amid her mother’s disappearance.
‘Because we believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers, and that God is lifting her in this moment and in this darkest place,’ Savannah said, adding that she and her siblings, Annie and Camron, ‘believe our mom is still out there.’
‘Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken and we don’t know where,’ Nancy’s heartbroken daughter continued.
Nancy was last seen at her home on January 31 after going to her eldest daughter Annie’s house for dinner and a game night.
She was reported missing the following morning after her friend told her family she did not show up to church – something out of the ordinary for Savannah’s elderly mother.
As the investigation into her kidnapping continues, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office released a timeline they believe coincides with Nancy’s last movements before she was abducted.
Around 1.47am on Sunday, her doorbell camera disconnected from her front door. A person was seen in the camera, but video evidence was not available, Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
There has been no trace of her since and investigators say they do not have any suspects or persons of interest. (Pictured: Nancy’s Tucson home)
Her pacemaker, an implanted device that regulates someone’s heartbeat, disconnected from her iPhone and Apple watch app around 2.30am on Sunday
An analysis team found that the clip was not viewable and ‘kind of loops and right and covers up’, Nanos stated.
Her pacemaker, an implanted device that regulates someone’s heartbeat, disconnected from her iPhone and Apple watch app around 2.30am.
Savannah’s latest video comes after she and her siblings sat down in prior clips pleading for their mother’s safe return.
A series of reported ransom notes have been sent into media outlets amid Nancy’s disappearance.
On Monday, one day after Nancy was first reported missing, KOLD, a local Tucson outlet, said they were sent a ransom note in regard to the missing woman.
The outlets News Director Jessica Boubula confirmed they received the note around 5pm local time. It stated that the first deadline was for Thursday, February 5, at the same time.
On Tuesday, TMZ reporters revealed their outlet was also sent a ransom note from people believed to know of Nancy’s whereabouts.
That letter demanded payment millions in Bitcoin, a popular digital currency that can be difficult to trace.
Another ransom note was sent to KOLD around 11.45am on Friday, but it did not contain any further demands than what was already asked. It also did not provide proof of life.
KGUN 9, another local station, also said that the station was sent a letter demanding $6 million in Bitcoin by 5pm MT on Monday.
Other local outlets, along with KGUN 9 and KOLD, also reportedly got this letter. The note stated that if the hefty demand was not met, then Nancy’s life would be in danger.
Earlier on Monday, TMZ reported that a Bitcoin account set up to receive the ransom appeared to be empty.
It is unclear how long it takes for a Bitcoin accounts to update, but the account viewed by the outlet had a $0 balance and no transactions recorded.
Developing story, check back for updates…
