New details have emerged about exactly how Savannah Guthrie and her siblings learned that their mother, Nancy, had disappeared—more than a week after the 84-year-old was reported missing and hours after a second alleged deadline included in an unverified ransom note lapsed.
It was initially stated by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department that friends of Nancy had raised the alarm when she failed to turn up to her usual church service near her Arizona home on Feb. 1.
However, sources close to the family have now told NBC News, a sister company of the “Today” show, that Nancy had in fact been due to watch the church service on a livestream at the home of a friend—who called her daughter, Annie, when she did not turn up at the property.
During an appearance on the “Today” show on Tuesday morning, the Guthrie family pastor, Michael Rudenza, of Good Shepherd New York, spoke to Hoda Kotb, who is standing in for Savannah, described the missing mother of three as a “strong woman” who is “fiercely loving.”
He confirmed that Nancy had started attending his New York-based church—of which Savannah is a member—online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anyone with any information about Nancy Guthrie’s case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home.
Despite attending church services online, Rudenza said that he and his congregation have gotten to known Nancy very well over the years, explaining: “We’ve gotten to know what makes her tick.”
The pastor urged all “Today” viewers to keep hope alive, noting “we don’t know what we don’t know,” and asked them to offer their prayers to the Guthrie family.
“Prayer opens up possibilities in our own hearts,” he said. “Leaving a door open for hope is a way to fight against that fatality.”
Meanwhile, the FBI launched an extensive billboard campaign across multiple states on Monday, posting enormous “missing person” posters at sites in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Texas.
Speaking to Fox News, an FBI spokesperson said that the campaign is targeted at raising “as much public awareness as possible for this case.”
“Our billboard footprint includes multiple states surrounding Arizona, and we hope this campaign will lead to the crucial piece of information that helps us bring Nancy home,” they added, noting that the FBI had partnered with billboard provider Clear Channel on the campaign.
The billboard features an image of Nancy, along with her age, height, weight, and name, as well as the FBI tip line: 1-800-CALL-FBI.
As yet, no suspects or persons of interest have been identified by authorities—who have yet to reveal whether a series of ransom notes sent to multiple news outlets last week have been verified.
Still, Savannah, 54, appeared to confirm suspicions that demands have been made by someone while posting multiple social media videos in which she and her siblings said they “will pay” for Nancy’s safe return.
In a clip shared to her Instagram account on Monday, Savannah thanked her fans and followers for all of their thoughts and prayers, before asking for more help in tracking down her missing mother.
“We are at an hour of desperation,” she said. “We believe our mom is still out there. She was taken and we don’t know where.”
She continued: “Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where, and we need your help.
“I’m coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.”
Hours before that clip was shared, Savannah and her siblings told their missing mother Nancy’s alleged kidnappers that they “will pay” a reported $6 million ransom for her safe return.
Savannah appeared in the heartbreaking social media video on Saturday night in which she and her siblings, Annie and Cameron, issued a plea to anyone involved in Nancy’s disappearance, begging them to get in touch and return their mother to them.
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah says in an apparent reference to a ransom note that was sent to multiple news outlets last week, in which Nancy’s alleged kidnappers demanded a reported $6 million be sent to them in Bitcoin.
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
The message came hours before the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to media on Sunday that it has “not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case,” while confirming that the Guthrie family has requested that officers continue to guard Nancy’s home moving forward.
What is the full timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos noted during a media briefing on Feb. 5 that, while times are approximate, his team has pieced together several pieces of evidence that indicate Nancy’s movements—and the timeline of her apparent abduction.
Nancy, 84, was reported missing at around 12 p.m. local time on Feb. 1, around 14 hours after she was dropped off at the property following a family dinner. When she failed to turn up at her usual church gathering on Sunday, her friends alerted her family, who found her home was empty.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31
5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to Annie’s house in an Uber for “dinner and playing games with the family.”
9:48 p.m. A garage door at Nancy’s house opens when she was dropped off at the property by her daughter.
9:50 p.m. The garage door closes, indicating that Nancy was inside the home.
SUNDAY, FEB. 1
1:47 a.m. Nancy’s doorbell security camera is disconnected.
2:12 a.m. Movement is detected on a security camera at the home. No footage of this is currently available.
2:28 a.m. Nancy’s pacemaker app indicates that the device has been disconnected from her phone.
11:00 a.m. Nancy fails to arrive at the home of a friend, where she had been due to watch a church service livestream.
11:56 a.m. Nancy’s family travels to her home to check on her and finds the property empty.
12:03 p.m. The family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.
12:14 p.m. Police officers arrive at Nancy’s home.
While no footage is available from the cameras, Nanos noted that the security camera alerts lead them to believe that a person or persons may have been inside Nancy’s home between 2:12 a.m., when movement was detected, and 2:28 a.m., when her pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple devices.
Have the authorities identified any suspects or persons of interest in Nancy Guthrie’s case?
On Sunday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that it has not yet identified any suspects, prime suspects, or persons of interest relating to Nancy’s disappearance.
Days earlier, Nanos had cautioned the public and the media against making any accusations or claims about potential suspects until the authorities have officially named someone.
“Nobody is eliminated” from the investigation, he revealed. “We just don’t have enough to say.”
During Thursday’s media briefing, FBI special agent Heith Janke, revealed that his agency is offering a reward of up to $50,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of Nancy and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
He urged anyone who might have been involved to “do the right thing” and bring Nancy back to her family.
“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing,” he said. “This is an 84-year-old grandma that needs vital medication for her well-being. You still have the time to do the right thing before this becomes a much worse scenario.
“Please return Nancy home.”
Nanos confirmed that his department is aware of the medication that Nancy takes, adding that his detectives have contacted, and will continue to contact, local pharmacies and hospitals that might be able to help provide updates relating to her physical ailments.
