Six months after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona home, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos explained on Saturday why authorities recently released two purported ransom notes.
Sheriff explains why notes were released
“There are a number of pieces of information in these notes that just might jar someone to say, 'You know, I've heard that,' or the wording, the style of the writing,” Nanos said in an interview-style video. It remains unclear if the notes were written by the same sender.
Nanos said investigators are still actively going through tens of thousands of tips, videos and forensic leads while searching for the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie.
"It's very active," Nanos said. “We've got a lot of work ahead of us.”
He also had a message for the Guthrie family: "We are still here, we are not going away," and added, “if you could just see the team working, you would see the energy, the concern, they are fired up and we continue to work this case, hard.”
And his message to the community was, “we think someone knows something”
{{/usCountry}}And his message to the community was, “we think someone knows something”
{{/usCountry}}“We hope by releasing this information.." someone will come out, he also added that “someone knows who this person was” and “we need that phone call.”
Savannah Guthrie's emotional plea
Marking the six-month anniversary of her mother's disappearance, Savannah Guthrie posted on Instagram, "This is our beautiful Mom," alongside a picture of Nancy Guthrie on Saturday morning.
"Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night. We have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since," she said.
She added, "Every day, we wake up and try to be strong and go on - because that's what our joyful and resilient Mom taught us to do. But make no mistake - our hearts are in ruins," and continued, “Cam and Kristine, Annie and Tommy, Mike and me - we spend every waking moment thinking of her, longing for her, looking for her.”
Guthrie appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
She ended her message with, “We will always be hoping and praying and believing in the best of our world - in spite of circumstance. This is what our faith makes possible. Please. Bring her home.”
What did ransom notes revealed
The first note was sent to the tip line of CBS affiliate KOLD-TV in Tucson on February 2, addressed to Savannah Guthrie. It said Nancy Guthrie was safe but scared and demanded $4 million in cryptocurrency for her release, with the amount rising if deadlines were missed.
And the second sent to the station on February 6 and addressed to the Guthrie family, claimed Nancy Guthrie had died shortly after being taken, according to CBS News. It read, "Guthrie Family, We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now... We are truly sorry."
Authorities have not confirmed whether Nancy Guthrie is alive and investigation is still underway.