In a video shared Monday, the “TODAY” show co-anchor said the family believes Nancy Guthrie is “still out there” and is “at an hour of desperation.”
Billboards seeking tips go up in Texas, Arizona, California
Billboards seeking tips in the possible abduction of Nancy Guthrie have been seen in El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix and outside Dallas.
An FBI official said last week that the agency planned to put up billboards in major cities and states near Tucson, Arizona, where Guthrie lives and was last seen.
An FBI official said Clear Channel had “partnered with the FBI and donated these billboards in an effort to bring Nancy home.”
Clear Channel is a company specializing in advertising across more than 65 U.S. markets.
The Guthrie billboards are being shown in markets including Los Angeles; Phoenix; Dallas-Fort Worth; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Guthrie family has repeatedly turned to social media to communicate with possible kidnappers
Before Savannah Guthrie released a video today pleading for the public’s help in her family’s “hour of desperation,” the “TODAY” co-anchor and her siblings had taken to social media three times since Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1.
In the family’s first video, posted five days ago on Instagram, the siblings — Savannah, Camron and Annie — spoke directly to their 84-year-old mother, telling her she is strong and God’s precious daughter.
Savannah Guthrie referred to a reported ransom letter mentioned in media reports and said the family was ready to talk to those who may have kidnapped Nancy Guthrie.
In the second video, posted Wednesday, Camron Guthrie asked for the possible kidnappers to communicate with the family.
“We haven’t heard anything directly,” he said. “We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward, but first we have to know that you have our mom.”
In a third video, posted yesterday, Savannah Guthrie said the family had received “your message” and was ready to pay for Nancy Guthrie’s return.
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” she said. “This is the only way we will have peace.”
FBI says it isn’t aware of ‘any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers’
In a statement this evening, the FBI said that its agents, analyst and staff continue to work around the clock — as they have done for more than a week — “to reunite Nancy Guthrie with her family.”
Officials said they are “not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest in this case at this time.”
The FBI continues to send additional personnel from field offices across the country to Tucson, it said.
“We are currently operating a 24-hour command post that includes crisis management experts, analytic support, and investigative teams. But we still need the public’s help.
“Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home. We need that person to share what they know. Please call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
What we know about Nancy Guthrie’s health
Nanos, the sheriff, has said Guthrie does not have cognitive issues, characterizing her as “sharp as a tack.” However, he said, she has limited mobility and needs to take medication daily or “it could be fatal.” Nanos said he does not know whether Guthrie’s medication was still at her home.
“She is mobile. It’s a challenge for her to get, as the family says, she couldn’t walk 50 yards by herself,” he said.
She has a pacemaker — a device typically implanted under the skin to regulate heartbeat — which disconnected from its monitoring app on her phone early Feb. 1.
In an emotional video posted to her Instagram page last week, Savannah Guthrie pleaded for her mother’s return, noting her health is fragile.
“She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, and she needs it not to suffer,” Savannah Guthrie said in the video, flanked by her sister, Annie, and brother, Camron.
Active law enforcement presence at Guthrie homes to continue into tomorrow, sheriff’s department says
An active law enforcement presence is expected to continue at Guthrie family homes tonight and into tomorrow, a spokeswoman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.
The spokeswoman described the activity as part of an ongoing investigative process that includes an expansion of investigators’ search and follow-up on new leads.
The spokeswoman declined to provide additional details about the investigation to preserve the integrity of the probe.
