Message is aimed at the people behind ransom notes that have been sent to media outlets

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Police poster for a missing woman with her details
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday night. Her family, including daughter Savannah Guthrie, the co-host of NBC’s Today show, has issued an emotional plea for her return. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department/The Associated Press )

NBC’s Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie and her siblings posted an emotional plea on social media Wednesday with a message to anyone who might be holding her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, for ransom.

Multiple media organizations reported receiving what appeared to be ransom notes Tuesday that they handed over to investigators.

“We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” Savannah Guthrie said in the video. “However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”

WATCH | Family issues plea for their mother’s safe return:

Today host Savannah Guthrie issues plea about missing mother on social media

8 hours ago|

Duration3:57

Today show host Savannah Guthrie posted a video to her Instagram page on Wednesday appealing to anyone who may be holding her 84-year-old mother against her will. Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home over the weekend.

The Pima County sheriff’s department in Arizona has said it’s taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.

Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday around 9:45 p.m. local time when she was dropped off at Tucson-area home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said.

She was reported missing midday Sunday after she didn’t appear at church.

Sheriff Chris Nanos’s office said Wednesday that detectives still were speaking with anyone who had contact with Nancy Guthrie last weekend but that no suspect or person of interest had been identified.

The home where she lived alone has been turned back over to family.

There were signs of forced entry at the home in the Catalina Foothills neighbourhood. Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left the home on her own.

A sheriff’s dispatcher talking to deputies during a search Sunday indicated that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.