Where things stand
• Family says “we will pay”: In a new video on social media pleading for their mother’s return, the Guthrie family said “we will pay.” Purported ransom notes had demanded millions in Bitcoin for her return and a second deadline is approaching on Monday.
• No suspects: There are still no suspects named as the search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, enters its seventh day. The house was still this morning after a flurry of search activity Friday evening. Drone footage showed deputies and agents on the roof and searching the property with flashlights, and a car was towed away near the home. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information.
• New message: Officials are probing the authenticity of a new message sent to KOLD yesterday about Nancy Guthrie. The note included sensitive information and no deadline, according to an anchor at the outlet.
“We will pay,” Nancy Guthrie’s children say to possible captors in new video begging for mother’s return
The children of Nancy Guthrie are pleading for their mother’s safe return in a new video today posted by her daughter Savannah Guthrie, host of the “Today” show, saying to the possible captor: “We will pay.”
The new video, which comes days after the siblings posted a first video with an emotional plea, shows Savannah Guthrie again sandwiched between her older sister Annie Guthrie and older brother Camron Guthrie.
After a first ransom note was sent to several media outlets earlier this week – including TMZ and CNN affiliate KOLD-TV – demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie’s return, KOLD said it received a second, shorter, message on Friday.
The initial note had two deadlines — one that has already passed and one for Monday, an official said. The second note included sensitive information but no deadline, according to KOLD anchor Mary Coleman.
What we know about the apparent ransom notes tied to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance
As authorities continue investigating the authenticity of purported ransom notes related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie distributed to media outlets this week, a second deadline mentioned in the first message is approaching on Monday.
With an amended warrant in hand, authorities conducted another search at Guthrie’s home and the surrounding area near Tucson, Arizona, on Friday, just hours after a second message was sent to local news outlet KOLD. Today marks the seventh day since the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie was last seen.
Here’s what we know so far about the apparent ransom notes:
First message: A ransom letter sent to several media outlets earlier this week, including TMZ and CNN affiliate KOLD-TV, demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie’s return. The note included two deadlines, including a first deadline for Thursday and a second deadline for Monday, FBI Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said. No specifics were provided on what time zone the deadline was set for.
Second message: An alleged ransom note sent Friday to KOLD included sensitive information, no deadline, and did not appear to be for a ransom, according to anchor Mary Coleman. Without providing more details about the letter’s contents, Coleman said she thinks the sender made an effort to include details they think will prove to investigators it is the same person or people who sent the first. The second letter is “just as coherent as the first,” but a little shorter, she said.
Same type of secure server: The second note did not have the same IP address as the first letter the station received but “it appears the sender used the same type of secure server” to hide the information, according to Coleman, citing information provided to KOLD by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
No proof of life: Guthrie’s children made a tearful plea for their mother’s safe return in a video posted to social media this week, pleading with potential captors for proof of life. Janke with the FBI said there had been no proof of life and no follow-up communication connected to the first note, along with no confirmation Guthrie is being held. Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI, said no proof of life “undermines the credibility” of the notes, adding, “Every kidnapper knows that you cannot get the money, the ransom, unless you’ve provided proof of life.”
Potential captors talking to media is a good thing: The possible open line of communication is a welcomed development in the case, according to former senior FBI crisis negotiator Richard Kolko. “It says that that’s the path that they’ve chosen,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, saying the goal of a negotiator is to make it “as easy as possible” for hostage takers to be able to communicate with them, even if they do it through media outlets. Kolko said experience dictates deadlines can shift and could be extended, adding, “…If they’re in it for the business deal, they’re going to do everything they can to keep her alive so that they can complete their part of the deal.”
7 days since Nancy Guthrie vanished, no suspects or vehicles identified, authorities say
Video credit: KOAT
Seven days since she disappeared from her home, a digital billboard featuring Nancy Guthrie and an FBI phone number has been put up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to CNN affiliate KOAT, and authorities say others are being posted in nearby states to help in the search for the 84-year-old mother.
The use of an FBI digital billboard program comes as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday they have not identified any suspects, people of interest or vehicles connected to the case.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, involving a review of “multiple pieces of evidence,” after Guthrie was abducted from her home near Tucson, Arizona, last weekend, according to the sheriff’s office. The agency would not confirm or release any further details about what evidence is being analyzed, it said.
Officials said they are seeking any video available from nearby businesses or residences, as is standard practice for an ongoing investigation. A spokesperson from the Circle K convenience and gas station chain told CNN law enforcement asked to review surveillance video from one of its stores in Tucson as part of their probe.
No additional news briefings are scheduled for Saturday unless there is a “significant development in this case,” the sheriff said.
Investigators and agents continue to “conduct follow-up” at Guthrie’s residence and in surrounding areas, the sheriff said, adding roadways may be restricted as needed.
“Any questions regarding ransom communications or messages directed to the Guthrie family should be referred to the FBI’s Public Affairs Office,” the agency said.
Secluded neighborhood makes it “easy in and easy out for a bad guy,” former police commander says
As the investigation continues, law enforcement officials are actively reviewing and gathering information from the neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie disappeared seven days ago.
Located in north Tucson, the area is decorated with flowering deserts and rolling hills — providing ample space between neighbors in the community.
The rural area has few street lights and security cameras throughout the terrain, according to Jeff Hynes, a retired Phoenix Police commander.
“It is an unincorporated area with about 50,000 people… very secluded, so it’s easy in and easy out for a bad guy. Hate to say that, but it absolutely is,” Hynes told CNN.
The FBI and local law enforcement are speaking to the residents in the neighborhood and collecting any available video evidence that may help in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
“I can assure you that if there’s a camera out there, they’re looking for it, probably got it already, and they’re investigating what they’re finding through license plate readers, through facial recognition.”
There are currently no suspects named in Guthrie’s disappearance, according to Pima County Sheriff.
No sign of law enforcement activity at Guthrie's home this morning
After a flurry of activity at Nancy Guthrie’s home near Tucson, Arizona on Friday night, the home was still by Saturday morning.
On Friday — six days after the 84-year-old was last seen — authorities conducted another search of her home in the Catalina Foothills. Drone footage showed deputies and agents on the roof and searching the property with flashlights. CNN saw both the sheriff and FBI agents on site last night.
A car was also removed from the area. Before the search started, the press was pushed back and the road was closed.
But by Saturday morning there was no indication of law enforcement activity at the home. A security guard who has been present for a few days watched over the residence.
Neighbors walked their dogs, a group of bikers passed the press assembled outside, and some asked the media if there was any new information about Guthrie.
Digital billboards to go up in nearby states to aid in the search for Nancy Guthrie
Billboards featuring Nancy Guthrie and an FBI phone number are planned to appear in nearby states to aid in the search for the 84-year-old grandmother, the Pima County sheriff said Thursday — utilizing a program that has been successful in previous cases.
The billboards will be posted in the Texas cities of El Paso, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, as well as in Albuquerque, San Diego and Los Angeles, said FBI Phoenix Public Affairs Officer Brooke A. Brennan.
The digital billboard program was created by the FBI in 2007 after someone in their citizen academy volunteered their outdoor advertising as a means of public service, the FBI page on the program says.
The program has grown to include 7,300 billboards in 46 states and has “directly led to 57 fugitive captures” and assisted with “numerous other investigations,” according to a 2017 program update from the FBI. CNN has reached out to the FBI for more recent statistics.
“Because digital billboards can be quickly changed and updated, information about a kidnapped child, a bank robbery, or a matter of public safety can immediately be displayed,” the FBI says on their website. “And messages can be targeted to specific geographic locations, which is important when time is of the essence.”
A car was towed away from near Nancy Guthrie's home last night
Last night, almost a week after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing, a car was towed away from near her home outside of Tucson, Arizona.
CNN captured footage of a tow truck transporting the blue car Friday evening.
Frustration grows with no answers in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, neighbor says
As the hours pass since Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home outside of Tucson, “Everybody’s frustrated that there is no answers,” Shirley Harvey, one of Guthrie’s neighbors, told CNN’s Ed Lavandera yesterday.
“People are in shock because we still don’t know where she is,” Harvey said, as helicopters flew low overhead and police scoured the secluded Catalina Foothills community.
She never would have imagined a crime like Guthrie’s possible abduction taking place in the neighborhood, Harvey said.
Harvey said she finds herself ruminating often on the circumstances around 84-year-old Guthrie’s disappearance. “It’s just a very unnerving thing to happen to somebody, especially an elderly woman,” she said.
Surveillance cameras at people’s homes seemingly have not captured any footage of the abduction, which she said is frustrating.
But she pointed out many cameras are “really designed to see who’s coming into your house,” and many homes in the area do not face the street.
“It doesn’t surprise me that there hasn’t been good video surveillance,” she said.
President Trump suggests "some things" could be coming from DOJ or FBI on Guthrie case
President Donald Trump seemed to suggest on Friday that “some things” could be coming from the Justice Department or the FBI in the case of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
“We have some things, I think that will maybe come out reasonably soon, from DOJ or FBI, or whoever, that could be, could be definitive. A lot has taken place in the last couple of hours. A lot of things have happened with regard to that horrible situation in the last couple of hours,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The president posted on Truth Social earlier this week that he is “deploying all resources” to find “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother.
Asked about the federal support, Trump said, “I think we’re doing very well on that regard,” adding, “Very well meaning we have some clues, I think that are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up.”
Trump did not elaborate further as to what exactly those developments could be.
Savannah Guthrie leans on her faith amid her mother’s disappearance
The day after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home under the cover of night, her daughter, Savannah, made a heartbreaking appeal to pray for her mother.
Two days later, in a heartbreaking video Guthrie, host of NBC’s flagship morning program “Today,” sat sandwiched between her older sister and brother.
Speaking through tears, Guthrie described her mother as a strong, faithful woman and “God’s precious daughter.”
Guthrie’s faith – and insistence on the power of prayer – has been central throughout the almost weeklong saga of her mother’s disappearance.
In her 2024 bestseller “Mostly What God Does,” Guthrie credits her parents for her religious upbringing and describes how her faith has helped her navigate some of the most difficult times in her life.
One of Savannah Guthrie’s earliest memories is of her mother, father and brother being baptized in their church.
“There were five of us Guthries,” she writes, “But my sister used to say that God was the sixth member of our family.”
No further briefings planned unless news warrants, sheriff says
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that he does not plan to hold additional news conferences unless investigators discover new and substantive evidence.
CNN has reached out to the sheriff’s office for details.
Neighbor told detectives to look into roof of Guthrie's home
A neighbor of Nancy Guthrie said she asked investigators to look into the roof of the missing woman’s home, as it appeared to have been recently recoated.
Citing aerial footage of Guthrie’s home, Laura Gargano told CNN on Friday: “You see in that image, you see how white her roof is…The previous three weeks we had a lot of rain, so it would be normal for a roof to be a little dirty after it rains.”
“I had just mentioned to a detective just check out whoever was there… if she had recoated her roof recently,” she added.
Investigators were seen climbing onto the roof of Guthrie’s home, scouring the ground and speaking to residents in the neighborhood on Friday.
Investigators resume search around Guthrie’s home and probe new note. This is what we know
Investigators said they are aware of a “new message,” which is being examined for its authenticity in an investigation led by the FBI. Earlier this week, several media outlets, including TMZ and KOLD, received messages demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie’s return.
Authorities continue to urge anyone with tips to contact them, with the FBI offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery “and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.”
Here are the latest developments in the case, as Guthrie’s disappearance stretches into its seventh day with still no suspects named:
New message: A second message sent to local news outlet KOLD on Friday included sensitive information, no deadline, and did not appear to be for a ransom, according to anchor Mary Coleman. Without providing more details about the letter’s contents, Coleman said she thinks the sender made an effort to include details they think will prove to investigators it is the same person or people who sent the first.
Fake ransom note: A man who was charged for making an illegitimate ransom threat to Guthrie’s family was released on a $20,000 bond. Derrick Callella, 42, did not enter a plea and is not allowed to contact any victims or witnesses related to the case.
DNA evidence at home: DNA submitted as part of the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance came back “quickly,” revealing blood found on the porch of her home belonged to her, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Thursday. A security camera from the front‑door area of the home is missing and it is unclear which of the cameras at the home detected motion at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, around the time her pacemaker last pinged her phone.
What we know about the second note tied to Guthrie's disappearance
Days after several media outlets received an alleged ransom letter demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin for Guthrie’s return, local news station KOLD said it received a second note Friday.
Here’s what we know about the latest message:
- What’s in the note: KOLD anchor Mary Coleman said it included sensitive information and no deadline, unlike the first letter. Coleman said she believes the sender made an effort to include details they think will prove to investigators that they are the same person or people who sent the first one.
- “Just as coherent”: The second letter is “just as coherent as the first,” but a little shorter, she said. “I would say that this second one… the way that it was put together was very similar.”
- Possible response to the Guthries: With no deadlines included in the new note, Coleman said she didn’t think law enforcement would “classify this second one as a ransom note. That’s the best way I can characterize that.” She also thinks the recent letter appears to be in response to the videos the Guthrie family posted on social media, asking for proof that their mother was alive.
- Same type of secure server: The Pima County Sheriff’s Department told KOLD the new note did not have the same IP address as the first letter the station received, but “it appears the sender used the same type of secure server” to hide that information, according to Coleman.
The anchor did not share further details on the note’s content and said the station sent the message immediately to law enforcement.
Earlier, several media outlets received purported ransom notes that included two deadlines –– one at 5 p.m. Thursday, which has passed. Another is set for Monday.
