Savannah Guthrie's mom 'taken,' sheriff says, as blood drops found, ransom questions raised

When authorities were initially called to Nancy Guthrie’s desert home a few miles north of Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, they immediately found what officials described as suspicious and concerning circumstances.

There was no sign of the 84-year-old mom of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, but essentials she would travel with remained: her cell phone, wallet, car and medication. While she was of sound mind, she had physical ailments that kept her from walking very far — suggesting she didn’t leave on her own.

According to law enforcement sources not authorized to speak about the case publicly, there was blood at the scene and someone appeared to have forced their way inside. A security camera frame at her front door was empty, though it was unclear for how long.

Now, three days into the search for her and her possible abductors, the mystery has only deepened.

Authorities on Tuesday said they couldn’t rule out that she was kidnapped in order to get a ransom about an hour before TMZ reported it had received an alleged ransom note demanding millions in cryptocurrency for Guthrie’s release. The outlet did not report on when or how it received the note, nor did it reveal of its contents, but did say it was turned over to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the case’s investigation.

Sheriff Chris Nanos said the department is aware of “reports circulating about possible ransom note(s)” in the Guthrie case, but did not verify the TMZ report.

“We do believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will,” Nanos said at the news conference Tuesday.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at her residence, and local authorities say she may have been forcibly taken in the middle of the night.

Family members went to check on her at her home after they were alerted that she didn’t show up to church Sunday morning, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Officials have not theorized about why she may have been snatched, but Nanos appealed directly to any potential abductor while speaking with the media the day after she was reported missing.

“Just call us. Let her go. Just call us. The family will tell you, there’s no questions asked here,” he told NBC News.

At Tuesday’s news conference, officials continued to plea for any information that might help lead to Nancy Guthrie.

“Every lead and tip is important, we are aggressively pursuing and looking into every single one,” said John Edwards, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Tucson, which is assisting with the ongoing investigation. “Again, please help us bring Nancy Guthrie home.”

Since she disappeared, investigators have completed searching and processing Nancy Guthrie’s home for any evidence and opened the property back to her family, officials said. They did not provide any details on what was found inside.

Nanos declined to answer many questions about the case, but did confirm that there was an empty frame for a security camera near Guthrie’s front door. He said investigators do not know if it was taken during her disappearance, but said they were looking into it.

The sheriff said investigators did not know what Guthrie was wearing when she disappeared and did not speculate on how many people could have been involved in taking her.

“We have a lot of work in front of us,” Nanos said. “We have someone’s life in jeopardy.”

According to sources who spoke with The Times who were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, there were signs of forced entry at her home and blood at the scene. It’s not immediately clear whose blood it was.

A tip line was set up Monday evening, and the Sheriff’s Department is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for images, information or videos that lead to the arrest of the person or people involved in her disappearance.

“We don’t need another bad, tragic ending,” Nanos said. “We need some help.”

Adding to the urgency of the case, Nanos has warned that Nancy Guthrie’s life was in immediate danger if she did not take medication every day.

While Nanos said the department was not aware of any specific threats to Savannah Guthrie that might be related to her mother’s disappearance, he said they don’t yet know if this was a targeted attack.

“We’re doing all we can to try to locate her,” Nanos said. “Every tool we have, we will use.”

Nanos has said that they do not believe Nancy Guthrie left on her own accord, explaining that because of physical limitations she cannot walk on her own very far. But, he has repeatedly said that she does not have any cognitive issues.

On Monday evening, Savannah Guthrie shared a statement on Instagram asking people to pray for her mother’s safe return home.

“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant,” she wrote. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”

Earlier in the day, “Today” hosts shared a statement from Savannah Guthrie that thanked viewers for their “thoughts, prayers and messages of support.”

“Right now our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom,” the longtime “Today” personality and journalist wrote on behalf of her family. She encouraged anyone with information on her mother’s location to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

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