New Details Emerge About How Savannah Guthrie’s Family Learned About Mom Nancy’s Disappearance
New details have emerged about how Savannah Guthrie and his siblings learned that his mother, Nancyhad disappeared—more than a week after the 84-year-old man was reported missing and hours after the second deadline for an unconfirmed ransom note expired.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department initially said that Nancy’s friends raised the alarm when she failed to show up for her regular church service near her home in Arizona on Feb. 1.
However, sources close to the family have now told NBC News, a sister company of the “Today” show, that Nancy was actually going to watch the church service at a friend’s house – who called her daughter, Anniewhen he did not arrive at the place.
During an appearance on “Today” Tuesday morning, the Guthrie family pastor, Michael Rudenzafrom Good Shepherd New York, spoke to him Hoda Kotbrepresenting Savannah, described the missing mother of three as a “strong woman” with a “deep love.”
He confirmed that Nancy has started attending her New York-based church – of which Savannah is a member – online during the COVID-19 crisis.
Anyone with information about the Nancy Guthrie case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home.
Despite attending church services online, Rudenza said he and his congregation have gotten to know Nancy a lot over the years, explaining: “We’ve learned what makes her tick.”
The pastor urged all viewers of “Namuhla” to keep hope alive, saying “we don’t know what we don’t know,” and asked them to pray for the Guthrie family.
“Prayer opens opportunities in our hearts,” he said. “Leaving the door open to hope is the way to fight that death.”
Meanwhile, the FBI launched an extensive multi-state billboard campaign on Monday, posting large “missing persons” posters to locations in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Texas.
Speaking to Fox News, an FBI spokesperson said the campaign is aimed at raising public awareness as much as possible about the case.
“Our billboard scenes cover many counties around Arizona, and we hope this campaign will lead to important information that helps us bring Nancy home,” they added, noting that the FBI is partnering with billboard providers Clear Channel in the campaign.
The billboard has Nancy’s picture, along with her age, height, weight, and name, and the FBI’s tip line: 1-800-CALL-FBI.
So far, no suspects or persons of interest have been identified by authorities — who have not yet disclosed whether a series of ransom notes sent to multiple news outlets last week has been verified.
Nevertheless, Savannah, 54, appeared to confirm the allegations that the demands were made by someone when she posted several videos on social media where she and her siblings said they would “pay” for Nancy’s safe return.
In a clip shared on her Instagram account on Monday, Savannah thanked her fans and followers for all their thoughts and prayers, before asking for more help to track down her missing mother.
“We are in an hour of despair,” he said. “We believe that our mother is still out. She was taken, we don’t know where.”
He continued: “Law enforcement is working hard day and night, trying to bring him home, trying to find him. He was taken, we don’t know where, and we need your help.
“I’m just coming to ask you, not just for your prayers, but wherever you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, hear anything, if anything at all seems strange to you, to report it to law enforcement.”
Hours before that clip was shared, Savannah and her siblings told their mother Nancy’s alleged kidnappers that they would “pay” a reported $6 million ransom for her safe return.
Savannah appeared in a heartbreaking social media video on Saturday night where she and her sibling, Annie and Cameron, issued a plea to anyone involved in Nancy’s disappearance, urging them to get in touch and return her mother to them.
“We received your message and we understand it,” said Savannah referring to a ransom note that was sent to several news outlets last week, in which Nancy’s alleged kidnappers demanded a reported $6 million to be sent to them in Bitcoin.
“We are asking you now to bring my mother back to us so that we can be happy with her. That is the only way we will have peace. This is precious to us and we will pay.”
The message came hours before the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to the media on Sunday that it “has not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case,” while confirming that the Guthrie family has requested that police continue to monitor Nancy’s home going forward.
What is the full timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?
Pima County SheriffChris Nanoshe noted during a press conference on February 5 that, although the timing is close, his team has gathered a lot of evidence that points to Nancy’s movements—and the timeline of her apparent abduction.
Nancy, 84, was reported missing around 12:00 pm on February 1, about 14 hours after being dropped off at a family dinner. When he failed to attend his regular Sunday church gathering, his friends alerted his family, who found his house empty.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31
5:32 p.mNancy goes to Annie’s house in an Uber “to eat dinner and play games with the family.”
9:48 p.mThe garage door opened at Nancy’s house when she was left by her daughter.
9:50 p.mThe garage door closes, indicating that Nancy is inside the home.
SUNDAY, FEB. 1
1:47 a.mThe security camera on Nancy’s doorbell is disconnected.
2:12 a.mMotion is detected on a home security camera. No recordings of this are available yet.
2:28 a.mNancy’s pacemaker app shows that the device has been disconnected from her phone.
11:00 a.m Nancy fails to arrive at her friend’s house, where she has been going to watch the live church service.
11:56 a.mNancy’s family goes to her house to check on her and finds the place empty.
12:03 p.mThe family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.
12:14 p.mThe police arrived at Nancy’s house.
Although no footage was available from the cameras, Nanos noted that security camera alerts lead them to believe that a person or people may have been inside Nancy’s home between 2:12 a.m., when movement was detected, and 2:28 a.m., when the pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple devices.
Have authorities identified any suspects or persons of interest in the Nancy Guthrie case?
On Sunday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that it had not identified any suspects, prime suspects, or persons of interest in connection with Nancy’s disappearance.
In the past days, Nanos had warned the public and the media not to make any allegations or claims about potential suspects until the authorities officially name the person.
“No one has been excluded” from the investigation, he revealed. “We don’t have enough to say.”
During a press conference on Thursday, a special agent of the FBIHeath Jankehe revealed that his agency is offering a reward of up to $50,000 to anyone who provides information leading to Nancy’s recovery and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
He urged anyone who may have been involved to “do the right thing” and return Nancy to her family.
“For anyone who may be affected, do the right thing,” he said. “This is an 84-year-old grandmother who needs important medication for her health. She still has time to do the right thing before this situation gets worse.
“Please come home Nancy.”
Nanos confirmed that his Department is aware of the medications Nancy is taking, adding that his investigators have contacted, and will continue to contact, local pharmacies and hospitals that can help provide updates on her physical illness.
