‘We believe Nancy is still out there’: Fresh details about kidnapping of Savannah Guthrie’s mom revealed by sheriff

Authorities say none of the alleged ransom letters contained proof of life with first deadline coming at 5pm pn Thursdy

Investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, believe she is “still out there” five days after she vanished from her Arizona home, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, as authorities revealed new details in the case.

“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there,” Nanos told reporters during a press conference on Thursday.

The 84-year-old was last seen Saturday night after a family member drove her back to her Catalina Foothills home after dinner.

Investigators believe Guthrie was taken “against her will” from her home between late Saturday night and early Sunday. Blood found splattered on her front porch was confirmed to be hers, Nanos said Thursday.

The case took a new turn this week after multiple media outlets reported receiving ransom notes demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin for Guthrie’s return.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night after a family member drove her back to her Catalina Foothills home after dinner (Pima County Sheriff's Department)

In a video posted Wednesday evening, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings – Annie and Camron Guthrie – acknowledged the reports and made a direct plea for proof their mother is alive. They said they were “ready to talk” and asked whoever has their mother to provide evidence of life.

FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said Thursday there has been “no contact” since the ransom notes were sent to media outlets.

“The family wants to be contacted,” Janke said. “They know time is of the essence. And if those that may have Nancy are watching this, the family is ready to talk, get proof of life, because there has been no contact after that ransom note went to the media.”

However, none of the letters contained proof of life, he said.

Janke said the notes contained references to a deadline and a monetary demand, as well as mentions of “an Apple Watch” and “a floodlight,” but declined to provide further details.

Cars were seen parked outside Nancy Guthrie's home on Wednesday. FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said there has been “no contact” since the ransom notes were reportedly sent to media outlets (Reuters)

“We’re not going to go into specifics,” Janke said. “It’s very important that we keep this investigation moving forward, and we don’t want to put more facts out there that others can use to try to profit from this.”

Janke said one of the reported ransom notes had a deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday. He also confirmed the second deadline was on Monday, but details of the exact timing were not released.

"So we are continuing in a normal kidnapping case; there would be contact by now, trying to discuss that," Janke said. "But those are the time frames we're looking at as we move forward."

During the press conference, the sheriff also outlined a detailed timeline of Guthrie’s final known movements.

Today show host Savannah Guthrie and her siblings plead for their mother's safe return after she disappeared from her home in Arizona (instagram/savannahguthrie)

Guthrie ordered an Uber and left her home at 5:32 p.m. Saturday to go to a family dinner and returned at 9:48 p.m., police said.

“We did speak to a driver, because Nancy, we learned, had been taken the Uber to the family residence, the daughter for dinner,” Nanos said. “And we located that driver and spoke with them.”

Her garage door opened at approximately 9:48 p.m. and closed two minutes later, which investigators believe marks the time she arrived home. Her doorbell camera was disconnected at 1:47 a.m. Sunday. Software detected motion at 2:12 a.m., but no video could be recovered. At 2:28 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker disconnected from its personal monitoring device.

Family members went to check on Guthrie at 11:56 a.m. Sunday. A 911 call was made at 12:03 p.m., and deputies arrived about 10 minutes later.

The search for Guthrie has expanded across Arizona and beyond.

“We’re looking for her everywhere,” Nanos said.

Blood splattered on Nancy’s front porch was revealed to be hers, the sheriff said (NewsNation)

Before beginning the latest press briefing, Nanos expressed sympathy for the family

“The family, you know, they just hurt,” he said. “Understandably so, and so I really want you to know this entire team here – those behind me and our community – are hurting with you. We really just want mom back.”

Authorities urged anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance to contact law enforcement immediately.