Nancy Guthrie was expected at friend’s home, not church, when she vanished: sources
A source close to the Guthrie family says key details about how Nancy Guthrie was discovered missing on Sunday, Feb. 1 have been reported incorrectly.
According to the source, Nancy was not scheduled to attend an in-person church service in Tucson that morning, as some reports have suggested.
Instead, every Sunday since the COVID pandemic, Nancy regularly gathered with a small group of friends to watch a New York–based church service via livestream. The group would meet at one of the friends’ homes and watch the service live from Savannah Guthrie’s church in New York.
On Feb. 1, Nancy did not arrive at her friend’s house as expected to watch the livestream. Concerned, the friend contacted Annie — Nancy’s daughter and Savannah Guthrie’s sister — to report that Nancy had not shown up and could not be reached.
The source emphasized that Nancy was expected to be at her friend’s home that morning, not at a Tucson church, and said the circumstances surrounding her absence have been inaccurately described in some coverage.
Locals delayed cooperation with feds in Nancy Guthrie probe: sources
Federal agents arrived in Tucson last week to an icy welcome amid a harrowing search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “TODAY” co-host Savannah Guthrie.
She was abducted by force from her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood in northern Tucson around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
Law enforcement sources described a delay in local cooperation with federal investigators — with days going by before they let them into the fold.
More than eight days later, Guthrie’s whereabouts remain unknown. Two deadlines for millions of dollars in unverified ransom demands have also expired.
Officially, authorities say they have not identified any suspects, persons of interest or vehicles in the case.
Savannah Guthrie’s latest video plea reveals dwindling chances of finding Nancy: former FBI agent
A former FBI official told Fox News Digital that Monday evening’s Instagram plea by Savannah Guthrie reveals that authorities might believe the chances of finding her mother Nancy alive are dwindling.
“That jumped out at me that she greeted, ‘Hi there everyone,’ instead of talking to the supposed kidnappers,” said Jonny Grusing, who was a special agent with the Denver FBI for 25 years.
“The plea was more toward, ‘did you see anything, did you hear anything? Please come forward. Don’t be afraid to come forward.'”
He noted that a barrier faced by investigators is that tipsters often feel like reporting something they saw or heard is not important enough, or would waste investigators’ time.
Guthrie also said she believes her mother is still alive, and is still feeling the prayers of the public. The tactic of having Savannah speaking directly to the public to solicit tips is likely the result of having no suspects, and a fear that Nancy might be running out of time.
“And it is a very personal plea,” he said. “They’re trying as best as they can to find that bystander who knows something or someone, and get that direct plea that will pull on your heartstrings, and say, ‘you know what, screw feeling stupid or whatever else, I need to help this family even if it means I might not have right information.'”
“I think it sounds like they have been briefing [Savannah] about chances and likelihood that her mom’s doing okay, because she did say [Nancy] somehow feels the thoughts and prayers” Grusing continued. “The wording of that I think is intentional as well. The numbers don’t look good at this point for [Nancy] doing okay, so I think that’s another plea to the public, where we have an individual who might still be around with us, and just not in a good state right now, and we need your information right away.”
Anyone with information on Guthrie’s whereabouts should contact 1-800-CALL-FBI.
FBI not aware of ‘any continued communication’ between Guthrie family, suspected kidnappers
The FBI says it has not identified a suspect or person of interest in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie after an alleged ransom deadline passed.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, an FBI spokesperson said agents have worked around the clock for more than a week and are not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers.
“For more than a week, FBI agents, analysts, and professional staff have worked around the clock to reunite Nancy Guthrie with her family,” the spokesperson said.
“Additional personnel from FBI field offices nationwide remain deployed to Tucson, where the bureau is operating a 24-hour command post with crisis management experts, analysts, and investigative teams,” the statement continued.
The FBI is urging the public to come forward with information.
“Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home,” the spokesperson said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
No funds deposited in alleged ransom Bitcoin account after deadline in Nancy Guthrie case: report
The alleged Bitcoin account tied to the ransom note in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance remains empty immediately after the Monday night deadline, TMZ’s Harvey Levin told CNN.
The account mentioned in the first ransom note demanding $6 million did not reflect any deposits as the 5 p.m. deadline passed, Levin said. He also added any additional notes sent to local news stations throughout Tucson, Arizona may have not had the same Bitcoin account address.
The first alleged ransom note received by TMZ allegedly said, “It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible,” according to Levin, who called the tone of the note “braggadocious.”
Final alleged Nancy Guthrie ransom deadline passes as sheriff’s department chases ‘new leads’
The final deadline outlined in an alleged ransom note connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie passed Monday night without any proof of life or resolution.
At the same time, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it was pursuing “new leads” in the case, but said they had not identified suspects, persons of interest or vehicles in the case.
“The investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance remains active and ongoing,” a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Monday evening.
“We understand the significant public interest in this case; however, investigators need time and space to do their work. If and when relevant information becomes available, it will be shared,” they added.
The department confirmed there are no press briefings scheduled at this time, but said that if a significant development occurs, a press conference will be called.
The sheriff’s office also confirmed an “active law enforcement presence” at the Guthrie residences will continue tonight and into tomorrow as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads.
As the search for Nancy Guthrie expands and new leads come in, investigators said that in order “to preserve the integrity of this criminal investigation, details of that process are not being released at this time.”
Authorities emphasized the scale of the public response so far.
“Thousands of calls have been received across multiple tip lines, and investigators continue to review them,” the spokesperson said.
“Anyone who believes they have information that may assist investigators is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI, the PCSD non-emergency line at 520-351-4900 or 88-CRIME.”
Earlier, Savannah Guthrie pleaded publicly for help, calling it an “hour of desperation.
Retired FBI agent suggests Nancy Guthrie abduction was ‘crime-gone-wrong,’ not planned kidnapping
A law enforcement expert is suggesting the facts surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s abduction indicate those involved did not initially plan for the case to gain such widespread attention and was most likely a home invasion that did not go according to plan.
“The facts of what I see available to use right now are more in-line with a potential crime-gone-wrong,” Rob Chadwick, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, told the “Will Cain Show” on Monday. “It could’ve been targeted, could have been random – we don’t know. But we don’t see a traditional kidnapping or designed kidnapping for ransom.”
Chadwick went on to point to the increased media attention surrounding Guthrie’s disappearance and how abductors typically do not want to create a high-interest, while adding the individuals involved in the ransom demands may have not been those who carried out the crime inside Nancy’s house.
“If someone were truly invested in trying to recover money for this case, they’re going about it in a very, very different way.”
