Sheriff investigating Nancy Guthrie's disappearance: ‘We're gonna find her'
What to Know
- The search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, continued on Friday as local and federal authorities investigate her possible abduction.
- Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a press conference Thursday that there are still no suspects in the case.
- Guthrie, 84, was reported missing Sunday afternoon from her home outside Tucson, Arizona, after she did not show up at church. She was last seen around 9:45 p.m. the previous day, when family members dropped her off at home.
- Nancy Guthrie’s son, Camron, again took to social media Thursday to speak to “whoever is out there holding our mother,” saying the family wants to talk and is “waiting for contact.”
- The post came one day after a tearful video from the family Wednesday in which Savannah Guthrie pleaded for more information from her mother’s possible kidnapper, saying her family is “ready to talk” and asking for proof that Guthrie is alive.
- Reports indicate that ransom notes referring to Guthrie have been sent to three news outlets. NBC News has seen a copy of one, and the contents are consistent with the descriptions provided by the FBI and those news outlets.
A day after authorities in Arizona released a timeline leading up to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that “we’re gonna find her.”
“You have to have hope,” Nanos said.
Officials are investigating the legitimacy of a number of ransom notes sent to news outlets, with crisis negotiators on the ground ready to assist the family of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie in the case that one is real.
Arizona law enforcement officials earlier provided a timeline of the night Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother disappeared. It was among the most precise information provided by authorities since Guthrie was reported missing around noon Sunday, setting off a desperate search that now includes both state and federal agencies.
Nanos, speaking to reporters at a news conference in the Tucson area, said Guthrie traveled to her daughter’s home for dinner at approximately 5:32 p.m. Saturday.
Authorities located and spoke with the Uber driver who took Guthrie to her daughter’s house, Nanos said. He did not elaborate on what investigators learned.
Guthrie’s family dropped her back at her house at 9:48 p.m., when the garage door opened. The garage door closed two minutes later, Nanos said.
In the early hours of Sunday, at approximately 1:47 a.m., Guthrie’s home’s doorbell camera disconnected, according to the sheriff’s department sequence of events. Then, at 2:12 a.m., software detected a person on camera, but there is no video available, Nanos said.
Sixteen minutes later, at 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker app showed it had disconnected from her phone.
The Guthrie family checked on her at 11:56 a.m. after she did not show up at Sunday morning church services. The family placed a 911 call to the sheriff’s department at 12:03 p.m. and reported her missing, and the sheriff’s patrol arrived shortly after, at 12:15 p.m.
Reports indicate that ransom notes referencing Guthrie have been sent to at least three news outlets. NBC News has not seen copies of the notes, and no law enforcement agency has substantiated news reports about them.
Heith Janke, FBI Phoenix’s special agent in charge, told reporters that one of the reported ransom notes had a deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday. He said there was a second deadline on Monday, Feb. 9.
Nanos reiterated that authorities have not identified a suspect or a person of interest in the case, which has drawn national attention. “We’re not there yet,” the sheriff told reporters. He also confirmed that blood found on the porch outside Guthrie’s house tested positive for her DNA.
Investigators believe Guthrie is “still out there” and remain committed to bringing her home safely.
Hoda Kotb joins ‘TODAY’: ‘This whole thing is breaking my heart’
Hoda Kotb joined the show Friday to detail the outpouring of support the Guthrie family has received amid the ongoing search for their mother and to describe her personal heartbreak over her friend.
“This whole thing is breaking my heart, and I’m happy to be sitting here with you,” Kotb told her colleagues. “Everybody’s hoping and praying for Nancy’s safe return. There’s been a massive show of support, from vigils to people offering positive thoughts online and just a lot of hope.”
The ongoing search for Guthrie has spurred support from across the country, Hollywood, and the NBC family, Kotb said. She added that Savannah Guthrie was always the first to help a colleague in need, and there is a “helpless feeling” of being unable to help.
“We’ll be patient and put prayers up, and that’s all we can do,” Kotb added.
Camron Guthrie pleads with potential kidnapper to communicate with the family directly
Camron Guthrie released a message Thursday from the family in which they asked whoever may be holding their 84-year-old mother to provide a way the family can communicate directly to them.
“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said in a video on Instagram.
“We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we move forward,” he said.
“But first, we have to know that you have our mom,” Camron Guthrie said. “We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact.”
Man accused of sending ransom-related texts to the family is arrested
A man who is accused of sending texts to the Guthrie family asking about bitcoin that was demanded in a reported ransom letter has been arrested in Los Angeles, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court of Arizona.
Derrick Callella allegedly admitted to authorities that he sent the messages using a voice over internet protocol (VoiP) application after seeing television coverage of Guthrie’s disappearance. He allegedly told authorities that he’d been following Guthrie’s disappearance on TV and tracked down the family’s information online. The complaint said that he told officials he was just “trying to see if the family would respond.”
A ransom demand listing a Bitcoin wallet address was sent to an Arizona news station two days before, according to the complaint. Callella’s alleged messages have not been linked to that earlier demand, the complaint states.
Callella is expected to make an initial appearance tomorrow in federal court in Los Angeles. He is facing a charge of intent to transmit a demand for ransom and a charge of utilizing a telecommunications device to anonymously abuse, threaten or harass a person.
It was not immediately clear whether Callella has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Reports of ransom letters
The FBI on Thursday detailed ransom letters that were reportedly sent to local media and national outlets.
“As with every lead, we are taking it seriously. We are in communication with the family. While we advise and recommend, from a law enforcement perspective, any action taken on any ransom is ultimately decided by the family,” Janke said.
There was no proof of life or other demands included in the letters, he told reporters.
Janke added that one of the reported ransom notes “had facts associated with a deadline with a monetary value they were asking for.” He added that one also “talked about an Apple watch, and one talked about a floodlight.”
“We’re not going to go into specifics,” he added. “It’s very important that we keep this investigation moving forward, and we don’t want to put more facts out there that others can use to try to profit from this.”
Reports indicate that ransom notes have been sent to three news outlets referencing Guthrie. NBC News has reviewed a copy of one and the contents are consistent with the descriptions provided by the FBI and those news outlets.
Jon Edwards, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Tucson office, said at a press conference Feb. 3 that the bureau is assisting on the case by downloading and analyzing cell phone data and cell phone tower information, conducting interviews and providing investigative support. Anyone with tips can contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Reward offered
The FBI is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to either the recovery of Guthrie or the arrest of anyone involved in her disappearance.
What Savannah Guthrie has shared
Savannah, whom the sheriff said is in Arizona, shared a video late Feb. 4 on Instagram alongside her siblings with a plea for the safe return of their mother.
“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman, you are God’s precious daughter,” Savannah said. “We believe and know that even in this valley, He is with you. Everyone is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere. We will not rest, your children will not rest, until we are together again.”
Savannah’s first statement came the morning of Feb. 2.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” she said. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900.”
She also shared an Instagram post late Feb. 2 in which she asked for people to pray for her mother’s return.
What officials have said about Nancy Guthrie’s health
Nancy Guthrie does not have cognitive issues, Nanos said at a Feb. 2 press briefing, but has physical challenges and is in need of medication that can be fatal if not received within 24 hours.
“She is very limited in her mobility. We know she didn’t just walk out of there,” Nanos said. “There were other things at the scene that indicate that she did not leave on her own.”
Nanos added that Guthrie “could not walk 50 yards by herself.”
Other details police have released
Nancy Guthrie’s family told police they were alerted to her disappearance when they received a call from someone at their local church saying she was not there. The family then went to her house and searched for her before calling police.
Authorities are in possession of Nancy Guthrie’s cell phone, according to Nanos. She lives alone and had house staff, some of whom have been in touch with law enforcement, according to the sheriff.
Nancy Guthrie is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.
Officials had been searching using drones, a helicopter, an airplane, search-and-rescue dogs and volunteers before the search was called off on Feb. 2 due to police viewing her disappearance as a crime investigation.
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