Nancy Guthrie disappeared five months ago. Where is she?
Five months after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, she still has not been found.
Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother was last seen entering her Tucson, Arizona, home at 9:48 p.m. Jan. 31, following an evening of dinner and games with family nearby. The next day, she was reported missing, prompting the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI to launch a massive investigation into what they believe to be "a kidnapping for ransom case."
For the past five months, the Guthrie family has pleaded for their mother's return. Yet, despite ransom notes containing alleged details about the suspected abduction being sent out and uncovered footage of an unidentified masked, armed individual at Nancy Guthrie's front door the morning of her disappearance, she remains a missing person.
Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie is the victim of a crime
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos announced at a Feb. 2 news conference that Nancy Guthrie's home was processed as a "crime scene," and had indications that she did not leave her home on her own. Officials later confirmed dried blood droplets on the Spanish tile entrance to the house matched Guthrie's DNA.
That same day, local news outlet KOLD News 13 received a ransom note that "contained specific details about the home and what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night." On Feb. 3, TMZ reported it also received an alleged letter demanding money in exchange for Guthrie's release.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings spoke directly to their mother's potential abductor and addressed the notes in a Feb. 4 Instagram post captioned, "Bring her home."
"We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media," the "Today" host said at the time. "As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated."
"We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us," Savannah Guthrie added, noting Nancy Guthrie "is 84 years old. Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer."
Another ransom note was sent out on Feb. 6, which Savannah Guthrie once again addressed in a video shared to social media on Feb. 7. "We received your message and we understand," she said. "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."
NBC News, ABC News and CBS News later reported on June 22 that the note stated Nancy Guthrie was dead. Authorities have not publicly confirmed that claim.
The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward
Later that month, the FBI later released images "recovered from residual data located in backend systems," showing an armed individual appearing to tamper with the camera on Guthrie's front door around the time she went missing. The Guthrie family also offered a $1 million reward in addition to the FBI's $100,000 reward for any information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery.
After taking time away from the "Today" show, Savannah Guthrie decided to return to the position in April. During an emotional interview with longtime colleague Hoda Kotb on March 26, Savannah Guthrie explained that she and her family "are in agony" and opened up about the alleged ransom notes.
"There are a lot of different notes, I think that came. And I think most of them, it's my understanding, are not real," she said. "But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those were real."
She again pleaded with the public for "people to come forward" with information after an NBC News segment about the latest developments in the case, saying, "Somebody knows something, and this is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day, and we are in agony. We cannot be at peace."
On June 26, TMZ reported that it had received a new letter from an individual previously in contact with the outlet, claiming there are allegedly two people responsible for Guthrie's kidnapping and that there is video of the "main guy" and Guthrie on a phone in a "secure location." The letter offered the password to the phone in exchange for payment in Bitcoin.
Nanos expressed his skepticism about the legitimacy of all ransom notes during an appearance on Arizona radio station KVOI AM 1030's "Buckmaster Show" hours after TMZ broke the news.
"I think the FBI has done a number of arrests for false or fake ransom notes," Nanos said. "It's a shame that that happens, but I think we're looking at another one of those today with what's been reported. But we'll let the FBI do their work."
Reuters then reported on June 30 that an FBI official disclosed "none of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine." The outlet added a second law enforcement source familiar with the matter confirmed that assertion.
However, the FBI's office in Phoenix shared an update on July 1, stating they have not fully dismissed the validity of all the notes.
"Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such," the post read. "This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case."
The FBI will continue to offer assistance with the investigation, though the Pima County Sheriff's Department continues to lead the case, according to the post.
Contributing: Melina Khan, Brendan Morrow and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY