Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for three days.
Guthrie was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona, near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue, around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, when her family dropped her off. They reported her missing around midday on Sunday after people at Guthrie’s church said she had not attended that morning.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said he believes Guthrie was abducted. “She didn’t walk from there,” he said. “She didn’t go willingly.”
He also stressed at a news conference on Monday that Guthrie takes daily medication, so she would have missed at least two doses by now.
While there have been media reports about a ransom letter, they are unverified. Nanos said when asked about such a letter, “We’re following all leads.”
Many questions remain about Guthrie’s disappearance, and Newsweek has listed four below.
What Was the Motive?
Nanos said investigators had not identified a motive and were examining all credible leads. He said they were treating the case as an abduction based on indicators at the scene and Guthrie’s limited mobility and medical needs.
“We believe she was taken out of the home against her will, and that’s how this investigation is moving,” Nanos told NBC Nightly News.
“I can’t think of the last time where in the middle of the night in someone’s bed, an 84-year-old woman disappeared on us,” he added.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Nanos told reporters: “We believe now, after we’ve processed that crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime. And we’re asking the community’s help.”
“She did not leave on her own,” he said, adding that Guthrie had limited mobility but did not suffer from cognitive issues.
At a news conference on Tuesday, when a reporter asked whether there was any indication that Guthrie’s disappearance was “a random abduction or targeted,” Nanos said: “We don’t know. We’re going to assume both sides of that. We’ll look at both sides.”
Is There a Ransom Note?
TMZ reported that it received what appeared to be a ransom note demanding a substantial amount in bitcoin for Guthrie’s release.
“There’s a dollar demand or else in there,” TMZ founder Harvey Levin said in a broadcast. The letter was emailed to the outlet and included details about what Guthrie was wearing and damage to the house.
Levin and co-executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere said the note was unverified, adding, “We don’t know if this is legit.” TMZ sent the letter to law enforcement.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media that they were aware of reports of a ransom note or notes. The office said it was taking “all tips and leads very seriously” and that any information it received went directly to detectives coordinating with the FBI.
When a reporter asked at Tuesday’s briefing whether a ransom note had come in, Nanos replied: “We’re following all leads. That’s all I can tell you. We’ve got hundreds of leads. … But, yeah, I’m not going to get into all that.”
What Was Found at Scene?
Nanos said officials processed Guthrie’s home as a crime scene and then returned it to the family on Monday after completing their work at the residence.
“We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us,” Nanos said at the news conference on Tuesday. “We believe now, after we’ve processed that crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime.”
The Los Angeles Times, citing law enforcement sources not authorized to speak publicly, reported blood at the home. CBS News, citing a law enforcement source familiar with the case, reported that a “small amount of dried blood was seen next to a doormat outside the front door.”
When asked about the reports of blood at Tuesday’s news conference, Nanos said: “I’m not saying there’s blood inside that house or outside that house. What I’m saying is, our team processed a scene like you would—think of any crime scene. We go in and we process it. We look for things like that: blood, DNA, any kind of physical evidence, fingerprints, anything.”
He added: “All of that is gathered and submitted to a lab. That lab will report back to us what they find. So far, what we found from that lab is nothing that would tell us who did this.”
Where Is the Missing Security Camera?
There have been multiple media reports, including from the Los Angeles Times, about a security camera seemingly missing from the front of Guthrie’s house.
On Tuesday, a reporter asked Nanos, “Do you believe the perpetrator purposefully took the camera?” The sheriff replied, “Don’t know that. We’re looking into that as well.”
The police have asked neighbors to review their doorbell and security camera footage and report anything unusual.
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