Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Savannah Guthrie, the co-anchor of the “Today Show.” She was last seen eating dinner with her family on January 31. According to CNN, Guthrie was dropped off at her home around 9:48 PM.
“It is that time we assume that Nancy’s home and probably going to bed,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference days after Guthrie was reported missing.
At 1:47 a.m Guthrie’s doorbell camera seemed to disconnect for about 25 minutes. This was also around the time the surveillance camera detected movement. At 2:28 a.m, the pacemaker app on Guthrie’s phone disconnected from her wi-fi. It was not until 12 p.m that Guthrie’s family realised she was missing, and they called 911 to report her missing.
When investigators arrived at the scene, they discovered blood on her front porch.
On February 3, TMZ, CNN affiliates, and KOLD received ransom letters that demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin. One note gave a deadline of February 5, another gave a deadline of February 9.
Within the next day, Savannah Guthrie posted a video with her siblings, pleading for her mother to come home.
“We need to know without a doubt that she’s alive and that you have her,” Guthrie said in response.
Her brother, Camron, issued another plea video on February 5. This was also the day the FBI was brought in on the case and offered a $50,000 reward.
February 7 marked the day Guthrie was missing for a week. Her three children posted a new video declaring that they would pay. “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.”
Three days later, the FBI released new images and videos that were taken from the camera of the house. The footage showed an armed person wearing a mask who appeared to be tampering the camera.
On February 11, TMZ reported that they received a letter from someone who said they knew who Guthrie’s kidnapper was Harvey Lein, the outlet’s founder, told Fox News that the person who sent an email demanded a single bitcoin in exchange for information.
“They are not saying they are the kidnappers. They are saying they know who the kidnapper is and will give that information up for one Bitcoin,” Levin said.
This email was handed to the FBI, who said, “Outside of our previously issued statements, we have no updates to share at this time.”
On February 12, neighbours were asked to review their security footage from the day before Guthrie went missing to create a new timeline in the case. It was later that afternoon that the FBI released footage captured by Guthrie’s doorbell, and the reward for information went up to $100,000.
The suspect is described as a male who is between 5’9-5’10 with an average build. The backpack he was wearing in the video was an Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.
On February 13, CNN reported that neighbours tied yellow ribbons around the trees in Gunthrie’s neighbourhood in the hope of her safe return. Gunthrie’s family posted on social media that they hope she is soon back and is safe.
As of February 25, it has been three weeks since Guthrie was declared missing and her family is offering $1 million for their mother´s return.
