Nancy Guthrie was last seen alive on Jan. 31. Authorities believe she was abducted in the early morning hours of Feb. 1
PEOPLE previously spoke with one of Nancy’s neighbors, Laura Gargano, who explained that the display of yellow flowers and ribbons dates back to a movement in 1979, when the same was done in honor of the 52 U.S. diplomats who were held hostage in Iran.
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“Some of us put flowers at the front of Nancy’s house, while others who may not have wanted to go down to Nancy’s house, put ribbons on their mailboxes,” Gargano shared. “The yellow ribbon is a sentiment of hope and support after someone goes missing. I believe the use of the yellow ribbons goes back to hostage-taking in the 1970s.”
On one of the ribbons at the tribute at the site is a note featuring the Bible verse from Isaiah 43:2: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.”
PEOPLE previously spoke with one of Nancy’s neighbors, Laura Gargano, who explained that the display of yellow flowers and ribbons dates back to a movement in 1979, when the same was done in honor of the 52 U.S. diplomats who were held hostage in Iran.
“Some of us put flowers at the front of Nancy’s house, while others who may not have wanted to go down to Nancy’s house, put ribbons on their mailboxes,” Gargano shared. “The yellow ribbon is a sentiment of hope and support after someone goes missing. I believe the use of the yellow ribbons goes back to hostage-taking in the 1970s.”
On one of the ribbons at the tribute at the site is a note featuring the Bible verse from Isaiah 43:2: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.”
Nancy was last seen alive going into her garage at 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31. She was reported missing by her family at 12:03 p.m. local time on Feb. 1 when she failed to join friends to watch a virtual church service.
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office later released surveillance footage and images from Nancy’s Nest doorbell camera, which show a masked intruder walking up to the front door of her home the night of her abduction.
The camera was disconnected at 1:47 a.m., local time. At 2:12 a.m., a person was detected by the camera, and 16 minutes later, at 2:28 a.m., Nancy’s pacemaker was disconnected from the pacemaker app on her cellphone, authorities previously revealed.
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In the weeks following the matriarch’s disappearance, no suspect has been identified. On Feb. 20, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that the investigation is “still growing.”
“In terms of leads and working and getting out there, I think that’s still growing, yeah,” Nanos said. “It’s never fast enough for the sheriff. I want it like you: ‘Come on, guys, let’s go, let’s go, let’s find her.’ But the reality is that I also know that sometimes things take time.”
In an update on Friday, Feb. 27, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department stated, “This remains an active investigation and will continue until Nancy Guthrie is located or all leads have been exhausted.” It also claimed the department “is refocusing resources to detectives specifically assigned to this case. As leads are developed and resolved, resource allocation may fluctuate. PCSD will maintain a patrol presence in the Guthrie neighborhood.”
Savannah, 54, has been in Arizona with her siblings, Annie and their brother Camron Guthrie, since the investigation began. They have continued to publicly advocate for their mother’s safe return through social media videos.
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Savannah announced that the family had increased the reward for any information leading to Nancy’s recovery or an arrest in the case to $1 million. The FBI’s reward of $100,000 also remains active.
In the emotional video, posted to Instagram, Savannah said that the time since Nancy since was “taken in the dark of night from her bed” had been “agony,” adding that the family was “fearing for her and aching for her and most of all just missing her.”
The NBC co-anchor also noted that they understand that Nancy may be dead: “We also know that she may be lost, she may already be gone. She may already have gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in Heaven… and if this is what is to be, then we will accept it. But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.”
“Please, if you hear this message; if you’ve been waiting and you haven’t been sure, let this be your sign to please come forward, tell what you know and help us bring our beloved mom home so that we can either celebrate a glorious, miraculous homecoming or we can celebrate the beautiful, brave and courageous and noble life that she has lived,” the journalist begged. “Please be the light in the dark.”
Savannah revealed that the family also donated $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“We also know that we are not alone in our loss,” she explained. “We know there are millions of families that have suffered from this uncertainty. We hope that the attention that has been given to our mom and our family will extend to all the families like ours who are in need.”
In previous posts, Savannah addressed mother’s kidnappers directly, stating in a Feb. 15 video, “I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it’s never too late. And you’re not lost or alone. And it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here. And we believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being.”
On Friday, Feb. 27, Savannah once again took to social media to amplify the FBI’s tip line, sharing a portion of a clip from Today where her fellow anchors explained how the tip line works.
“Please – be the one that brings her home,” Savannah wrote in a caption. “Tips can be anonymous, reward can be paid in cash, as explained here.”
She continued, “Call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) NOTE: Family reward of up to $1 million will be paid only for recovery of Nancy Guthrie, consistent with FBI criteria for payment of its reward in this case.”
Anyone with information about Nancy’s disappearance is asked to please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department 520-351-4900.
