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Renowned journalist Savannah Guthrie has made an emotional plea for the safe return of her mother, who may have been abducted. Guthrie, along with her family, is willing to pay a ransom as the urgent search for the 84-year-old stretches into its seventh day.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, the Melbourne-born co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show, joined by her siblings, addressed potential kidnappers directly: “We received your message and we understand. We implore you to return our mother so we can celebrate with her,” she expressed.
Guthrie emphasized the family’s desperation, stating, “This is the only way we will find peace. It is of immense value to us, and we are prepared to pay.”
The reference was to a communication sent to the Tucson-based TV station KOLD last Friday, as confirmed by FBI spokesperson Kevin Smith from the Phoenix office.
KOLD acknowledged receiving an email concerning the Nancy Guthrie case through social media. However, they have withheld specific details while the FBI continues its investigation.
The station was one of multiple press outlets that received alleged ransom letters during the week. At least one letter made monetary demands and established Thursday evening and the following Monday evening as deadlines.
In a news conference on Thursday, law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously. They also said one letter referenced Nancy Guthrie’s Apple watch and a specific feature of her property.
The video released on Saturday was the third this week that pleaded with potential kidnappers.
Investigators think Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home just outside Tucson last weekend. DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said. Authorities have not identified any suspects or ruled anyone out.
The sheriff said on Friday that he was frustrated that a camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home was not able to capture images of anyone the day she went missing.
Investigators have found that the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected early on Sunday and that software data recorded movement at the home minutes later. But Nancy Guthrie did not have an active subscription, so none of the images were able to be recovered.
“It is concerning, it’s actually almost disappointing, because you’ve got your hopes up,” Nanos told The Associated Press in an interview.
“OK, they got an image. ‘Well, we do, but we don’t.”
President Donald Trump, speaking on Air Force One on Friday, said the investigation was going “very well”.
“We have some clues that I think are very strong,” Trump said, while en route to his Florida estate. “We have some things that may be coming out reasonably soon.”
The sheriff said Thursday that investigators have not given up on trying to retrieve camera recordings.
“I wish technology was as easy as we believe it is, that here’s a picture, here’s your bad guy. But it’s not,” Nanos told the Associated Press.
“There are pieces of information that come to us from these tech groups that say ‘this is what we have and we can’t get anymore.’”
The sheriff also said he had no new information about the note to the TV station or other purported ransom letters sent to some media outlets, saying the FBI is handling that side of the investigation.
Meanwhile, concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health condition has grown, because because she has a pacemaker and has high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
“Her conditions, I would imagine, are worsening day by day,” Nanos said.
“She requires medication. And I have no way of knowing whether they’re getting that medication to her.”
The kidnapping has captured the attention of Americans, including Trump, who said he was directing federal authorities to help investigate.
Savannah Guthrie, 54, is one of the US’ most well-known news personalities. She was born in Melbourne and moved to Arizona as a young child.
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