The president of the United States, , has given instructions for all federal and local law enforcement forces to immediately make themselves available to the family of presenter Savannah Guthrie, whose mother, Nancy Guthrie, has remained missing since last Saturday, a case that shakes the entire country due to the journalist’s popularity and the strange circumstances in which it occurred.
The Republican president has stated on his Truth Social account that his priority is for the woman to return “safe and sound” to her home and sent a message of support to the informant’s loved ones.
The disappearance of the morning show co-host’s mother on the NBC network is breaking news in the country and has focused attention on a housing development on the outskirts of Tucson, in the state of Arizona, where the 84-year-old woman resides. The live connections happen, but not the news, keeping the souls of Americans in suspense.
“Every lead and every piece of information is important. We are investigating everything vigorously,” asks an anguished Jon Edwards, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Tucson. “Please help us bring Nancy Guthrie home.” They have even offered a reward of $50,000 to anyone who can provide reliable information. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has not indicated whether there are any leads pointing to a suspect in the disappearance. “We believe that Nancy was kidnapped from her home against her will, and that is what we are doing,” he says in all the media in which he tries to spread his messages, such as .
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at her home in the Catalina Foothills, near Tucson, six days ago. After the report of his disappearance, made on Sunday, the authorities found a “very worrying” scene in his home, which gave rise to a criminal investigation, according to Nanos.
Savannah Guthrie, who traveled to Tucson after learning of her mother’s disappearance, is asking for prayers for her family. He remains in the area with his two brothers to collaborate in the investigation as much as possible.
What is known
Authorities have, for now, declined to share specific details about the investigators’ findings and have repeatedly and candidly admitted to not having answers. When Nanos was asked if more than one person could be involved, the sheriff responded, “No idea.”
In an interview with , he stated that investigators “in no way” rule out that an alleged ransom note has appeared, although authorities have not confirmed its authenticity. When asked what authorities considered credible in the note, Nanos responded: “The whole note.” “When the note reaches us, it is like any test. They give it to us. They give us a clue. We are going to analyze every aspect of that clue and we will use it as such,” he said.
The sheriff said investigators reviewed the note and decided to share it with Savannah Guthrie, CBS reports. CNN has contacted the FBI and Savannah Guthrie’s representatives.
CBS interviewed Nanos after TMZ reported that he received what appeared to be a ransom note. TMZ claims to have forwarded the possible ransom note to the sheriff’s office. Another newsroom, a Tucson television station, claimed to have also received what appears to be a ransom note and shared it with authorities.
The sheriff’s department stated Tuesday that it was “aware” of reports of possible ransom notes in connection with the disappearance. He has not provided further details about the alleged ransom notes.
When asked by CNN whether a note with Savannah Guthrie and its details had been shared, the sheriff’s department referred CNN to a previous statement: “All tips and tips are being taken seriously and are being forwarded directly to our detectives, who are coordinating with the FBI.”
DNA samples from Guthrie’s home have been sent to laboratories for analysis, Nanos said. “We have received some results, but nothing that indicates suspicions,” he said.
Investigators have processed the scene inside and outside the residence and have turned the home over to the Guthrie family, authorities reported Tuesday.
Reporters pressed the sheriff to share details about whether there were signs of forced entry at the home, missing items, blood at the scene or if there is a specific time period the public should focus on. “I don’t really want to limit time, because by doing so we might lose some clues,” Nanos said.
Recognizing the sensitive nature of the situation, the Guthrie family has sought to keep some details related to the investigation away from the media.
When was she last seen?
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Saturday when her family took her home after dinner around 9:30 or 9:45 p.m. local time. They put her in the house and she went to sleep, he added.
When Guthrie didn’t show up for church Sunday morning, a parishioner called her family, who came to her home around 11 a.m. to look for her, the sheriff said at a news conference Monday. A family member called 911 around noon Sunday to report her missing, Nanos said, and homicide detectives were sent to the home.
“Something I was told about that scene made me believe there is more than one missing person,” Nanos said of the decision to launch a criminal investigation.
The case “is not related to dementia,” Nanos declared Monday, and Guthrie is “of sound mind” and “very lucid.” But she also has limited mobility and “couldn’t walk even 50 yards,” the sheriff said, leading investigators to believe she was abducted from the home. “This is not someone who left home,” Nanos said Monday.
“It is not related to dementia. It is not about someone who has left home”
Authorities do not know the time she was kidnapped, Nanos said. Right now, “time is of the essence” in finding her, the sheriff said Monday. Losing his daily medication “could be fatal” for Guthrie, he said.
Jeff Lamie, Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor, described her as a “normal person” whom he saw daily while walking her dogs, adding that she had lived alone since her own dog died. The disappearance is, for all of the above, “shocking” and the people of the neighborhood are “restless.”
He said authorities have been canvassing the area, asking residents to check the brush around their homes and look at doorbell camera footage to see if they notice anything out of the ordinary. “Unfortunately, so far we cannot provide any help in that regard,” he said.
Journalist Savannah Guthrie arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party during the 94th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills on March 27, 2022. 
What did they find in the house?
Authorities are treating Guthrie’s home as a crime scene and have described the circumstances of his disappearance as suspicious, according to Nanos.
Authorities found blood inside Guthrie’s home, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday, citing law enforcement sources who are not authorized to speak publicly about the case. The report did not detail whose blood was found or where in the house it was found. Nanos declined Tuesday to elaborate on whether or not blood was found inside the home.
“We also have some elements at the scene that indicate to us that she was taken from there against her will. I cannot go into all those details” to protect the integrity of the case, Nanos stated Monday. He also declined Monday to say whether Guthrie appeared to have been injured during the incident.
The police have the elderly woman’s mobile phone and are also checking it, Nanos added.
When asked by the press whether Guthrie could be the victim of a kidnapping for ransom, given his daughter’s high notoriety, Nanos responded Monday that that is not the direction investigators are taking, but “we will never rule it out.”
Investigators also do not believe it was a home invasion or a robbery gone wrong, Nanos said, although he added that they are not ruling out that possibility either.
Who is involved in the investigation?
Local authorities are leading the investigation – assisted by nearly 100 sheriff’s detectives – and agents from across Arizona are fully engaged and offering technical resources, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN on Monday. This includes assistance with data analysis from cell towers near the Guthrie home.
A priority for investigators right now is to download security footage from the home, he said. Private companies such as Google and Apple have also offered help, the sheriff added.
Investigators are also looking into any available data on a pacemaker, although authorities have not released specific timelines related to the device, sheriff’s deputies said in an update Tuesday.
The sheriff’s department has set up a tip line for people to submit videos or images that may be helpful to the investigation, and a reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Authorities are also reviewing digital evidence, including the use of a license plate reader and the manipulation of surveillance videos. Nanos said it’s unclear if a vehicle was involved.
The US Border Patrol brought in its dog team to help in the search.
“In this community, we take a very strong regional approach to law enforcement,” Nanos said. “The Tucson Police Department, the sheriff’s department and 10 other local agencies in this valley… I’ve heard from all of them.”
The sheriff was optimistic about his team, saying at the end: “I really believe we will find her.” Savannah Guthrie is in Arizona, Nanos said. The “Today” show opened Monday with a statement from him: “On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and messages of support. Right now, we are focused on the safe return of our beloved mom.”
