Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday renewed pleas for information about her missing mother following multiple reports that a ransom note sent early in the case alleged Nancy Guthrie died shortly after her abduction.
The Today host offered no comment on recent reports while sitting with her co-anchors, but made an emotional public appeal for information about her missing mother, saying her family remains desperate for answers nearly five months after her disappearance.
“Somebody knows something,” Savannah Guthrie said. “We are in agony. We cannot be at peace.”
The renewed plea came after reports that one of the several ransom notes sent in the days following Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance claimed she had died shortly after being abducted. According to multiple reports, a note received in February said the kidnappers did not intend to kill the 84-year-old but that she died shortly after being taken and was “buried with nature now.”
The note was reportedly delivered via email and was from the same IP address as a previous ransom note sent after Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance was reported and included details from the night that she was abducted.
Nancy Guthrie disappeared Feb. 1 from her home near Tucson, Arizona. Investigators quickly said she had been taken against her will after discovering blood outside the residence and evidence inconsistent with a voluntary disappearance. The FBI later released surveillance footage showing a masked individual on the property during the early morning hours before her disappearance.
The case generated national attention because of Savannah Guthrie’s prominence as a television host, and investigators have described the case as highly unusual.
Authorities have spent months pursuing leads, conducting searches, and analyzing multiple ransom communications. Investigators have said that at least some of the messages may have come from the person or people responsible, as they contained details about Nancy Guthrie’s home and personal belongings that were not publicly known.
Several ransom notes claiming to be from Guthrie’s abductors were sent to law enforcement and different media outlets, but were deemed to be illegitimate.
RANSOM NOTE ABOUT NANCY GUTHRIE’S DISAPPEARANCE CLAIMED SHE DIED
Two ransom notes were believed to be legitimate, with the first demanding a ransom in cryptocurrency from the family for her release. The second note informed about Guthrie’s accidental death, according to ABC News. Both notes were sent shortly after her disappearance on Feb. 1.
Nancy Guthrie has been missing for over 20 weeks. Despite the presence of the note claiming she had died, the search for her is reportedly still active. There has been no word from law enforcement officials or the Guthrie family about the ransom note claiming she is deceased.