“Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie directly addressed her mother’s apparent kidnapper in a recorded video message, asking for proof of the 84-year-old’s well-being and expressing a willingness to speak.
Her disappearance has prompted a sprawling investigation by local law enforcement and federal agents. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said he believes Nancy was abducted, but investigators have yet to identify a person of interest or suspect.
In an emotional video message Wednesday, Guthrie said she and her siblings, Annie and Camron, had heard reports about a ransom letter through the media, but did not offer any information about its authenticity. On Tuesday, some outlets reported receiving unverified ransom notes relating to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. Investigators have said they are aware of the reports but haven’t publicly verified their authenticity.
“We are ready to talk,” Guthrie said, directly addressing her mother’s apparent abductor, while adding that her family needed an assurance of Nancy’s well-being. “We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her.”
Guthrie said her mother was in fragile health, living in constant pain and requiring medicine — that she currently is without — to survive.
She then addressed her mother: “Everyone is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere,” Guthrie said. “We will not rest, your children will not rest, until we are together again.”
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said about one hundred detectives are working on the case, with help from the FBI.
“Detectives believe Mrs. Guthrie was taken against her will, possibly during the overnight hours,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Wednesday, without providing any information about possible injuries. It added that investigators have collected and sent any DNA evidence found at the scene for testing. While some of the results have been received, nothing so far points to a person of interest or suspect, the update said.
“At this point, there is no credible information indicating this was a targeted incident,” the office said in a statement.
Investigators have scheduled a media briefing for Thursday morning.
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