Television news presenter Savannah Guthrie on Saturday made a public appeal for the return of her mother, saying her family is willing to offer payment to secure the 84-year-old woman's return. The appeal came in a video posted on Instagram in which Guthrie was joined by her brother and sister.
Authorities have determined that Nancy Guthrie is presumed to have been abducted, but the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Saturday that it has not identified any suspects or people of interest in the investigation.
In the Instagram message, Guthrie, who has been co-anchor of the Today show since 2012, made a direct plea. She said,
"This is the only way we will have peace,"
and added,
"This is very valuable to us and we will pay."
Law enforcement agencies said on Friday that investigators are reviewing a newly surfaced message related to the case. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department provided that update as part of their ongoing inquiries.
According to authorities, Nancy Guthrie was last seen near Tucson on January 31. Family members had taken her out to dinner and then dropped her off at her residence that night. Relatives reported her missing around noon the following day, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has described the missing woman as frail with extremely limited mobility, and he has said she could not have left her home without assistance.
On Thursday, the FBI announced a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie or to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the case, saying, "I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon." Authorities have not confirmed suspects as of Saturday.
The investigation remains active, with officials continuing to seek information from the public while the family maintains a public-facing effort to secure the safe return of Nancy Guthrie.