FBI, Sheriff’s Department Probing New Message in Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Case

By Aldgra Fredly

The FBI in Arizona and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 6 said they are investigating the authenticity of a new message related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

“Investigators are actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement, noting that it represents “one new piece of information” in the case.

The FBI shared a similar statement on social media but did not specify the nature or content of the message. Authorities also called on anyone with information to contact them.

In a separate post, the sheriff’s department said it has restricted the roadway in front of Guthrie’s home to allow investigators carry out follow-up work at the residence and in the surrounding areas.

The new message came just a day after Guthrie’s son, Camron, posted a video on Feb. 5 pleading with those responsible for his mother’s disappearance to communicate with the family.

“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron said in an Instagram video. “But first, we have to know that you have our mom.”

Earlier in the week, two local Arizona stations and entertainment news website TMZ reported receiving ransom notes related to Guthrie’s disappearance, which they handed over to the authorities.

The FBI said on Feb. 5 that the alleged notes included two deadlines, the first on Feb. 5 and the second on Feb. 9, but added that they contained no other demands or proof of life.

Guthrie, 84, was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 at her home near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, a Tucson suburb, and investigators believe she may have been abducted.

Her three children, in a video released Feb. 4, acknowledged reports of a ransom letter connected to their mother’s disappearance and said they are ready for communication with possible captors.

“As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Savannah Guthrie, co-host of the “Today” show, said in the video.

“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,” she continued.

She also cautioned that her mother is in need of medication to survive.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said on Feb. 6 that authorities believe Guthrie is still alive.

“She’s out there, we’re gonna find her, we have to,” Nanos said in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Feb. 6, without providing more details.

Nanos told reporters on Feb. 2 that “a crime scene” was found at Guthrie’s home and that she is very limited in her mobility due to some physical ailments.

Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information about Guthrie’s whereabouts or information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect involved in her disappearance.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.