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Authorities have launched an investigation following the receipt of a ransom note by several media outlets concerning the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie.
The ransom note, as reported by CBS News, was delivered to an unidentified news organization on February 2. The note purportedly included specific details about the 84-year-old’s attire the night she vanished, along with other particulars related to the crime scene.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed to CBS News that such a note had been received but refrained from commenting on the accuracy of the details it contained.
“Just like with any piece of evidence,” he stated, “once it is provided to us, we will thoroughly investigate every angle of the information it presents.”
The news outlet opted not to publish information about the note and instead surrendered it to law enforcement. However, the following day, both CBS affiliate KOLD-TV and TMZ reportedly received similar ransom notes.
Although the Pima County Sheriff’s Office had reportedly hoped to keep the note’s existence quiet, TMZ reported on it about an hour after a Feb. 3 press conference in which Nanos told the public that authorities “don’t know” whether the abduction is connected to a ransom.
The sheriff’s office later responded to the reports in a Feb. 3 statement on X.
“We are aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie,” they wrote on X. “We are taking all tips and leads very seriously. Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI.”
According to comments Nanos made in the Feb. 3 press conference, authorities have “no clue” whether more than one person may have been involved in the kidnapping.
Nancy was last seen the night of Jan. 31 after she was dropped off at her Arizona home in the Catalina Foothills by a family member sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. When she failed to show up at church the next morning, according to Nanos, a churchgoer reached out to her family, who called police around noon.
According to Nanos, investigators believe Nancy was kidnapped from the home in the middle of the night after they noticed some “very concerning” circumstances at the property, which is being treated as a “crime scene,” per a Feb. 2 press conference,
“We believe she was taken out of the home against her will,” Nanos told NBC News, “and that’s how this investigation is moving.”
Though Nancy—who lives alone—is mobile, she has some physical limitations that make it difficult for her to walk 50 feet on her own, authorities said.
As Nanos said, “We know she didn’t just walk out of there.”
She also takes life-saving medication which could be fatal if she doesn’t have access to it, Nanos shared.
According to Nanos’ comments at the Feb. 3 press conference, investigators have collected some DNA samples from the home, but so far there was “nothing to indicate any suspects.”
Anyone with information on the case is being asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900.