Arizona official searching for missing Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy calls lack of video a frustrating setback
The officer investigating the apparent kidnapping of the “Today” host Savannah Guthrie’s mother said Friday she was frustrated that a camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home was unable to capture images of anyone the day she went missing.
Investigators discovered that the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected early Sunday morning and that software data recorded movement in the home minutes later.
But Nancy Guthrie didn’t have a valid registry, so none of the photos could be recovered.
“It’s troubling, almost disappointing because you’ve got hope,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told The Associated Press in an interview at the department’s headquarters. “Okay, they got the picture. ‘Yes, we have it, but we don’t have it.’
The search for Nancy Guthrie, 84, has entered its sixth day. Authorities have not yet identified the suspects or issued a verdict, Nanos said at a press conference on Thursday.
Authorities believe she was taken against her will from her home outside Tucson over the weekend. A DNA test showed the blood on Guthrie’s front porch matched him, Nanos said.
President Donald Trump, speaking on Air Force One, said the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance is “going very well.”
“We have leads that I think are very strong,” Trump said, while en route to his Florida home. “We have some things that may come out soon.”
Detectives returned to the scene
Investigators were back at Nancy Guthrie’s property Friday.
The county sheriff’s department posted on social media that they were blocking access to the road in front of the home to give investigators space. They ordered media organizations involved there to move.
The Catalina Foothills Association, a neighborhood group, told residents in a letter that authorities are resuming searches in the area immediately.
“I know we all stand together in our disbelief and grief and we greatly appreciate your willingness to speak with law enforcement, share camera footage and allow a search of your property,” the organization’s president said in the letter.
The police officer said on Thursday that the investigators have never given up in trying to recover the photos taken from the home.
“I wish technology was as simple as we believe it is, that here’s a picture, here’s your bad guy. But it’s not,” Nanos told the AP. “There are pieces of information coming to us from these technology groups that say ‘this is what we have and we can’t get it anymore.’
The TV station gets a new note
The sheriff said he had no new information about the alleged ransom letters sent to other media outlets, saying the FBI was handling that part of the investigation.
Tucson television station KOLD said Friday it received a new message, via email, connected to Guthrie’s case. The station said it could not disclose its content. The FBI said it is aware of the new message and is reviewing its authenticity.
KOLD was one of the media outlets that received the ransom message earlier in the week.
Timeline of Savannah Guthrie’s mother’s disappearance:
Health concerns are increasing
Concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s condition are growing because authorities say she needs a daily medication that is vital to her health. He reportedly had a pacemaker and was dealing with high blood pressure and heart problems, according to a sheriff’s dispatcher’s audio on broadcastify.com.
“His condition, I would imagine, is getting worse every day,” Nanos said. “He needs medication, and I have no way of knowing if they are giving him that medication.”
The police officer admitted that the investigators are not sharing everything they know about what happened.
“That’s not the way we do police investigations. You have to have control over your case,” said Nanos, noting that the authorities shared more as the case progressed.
Requests from family
Savannah Guthrie, the longtime host of NBC’s morning show “Today,” and her two siblings released an emotional video message Wednesday to her mother’s captor, saying they were ready to talk but wanted proof their mother was alive. Camron Guthrie reiterated the family’s plea in a video posted Thursday.
“Whoever arrested our mother, we want to hear from you, we haven’t heard anything directly,” he said.
It is not clear if all the ransom notes were the same. Heith Janke, FBI director in Phoenix, said the details include a demand for money with a deadline of Thursday evening and a second deadline of Monday if the first one is not met. At least one note mentioned a light on in Guthrie’s house and an Apple watch, Janke said.
The kidnapping drew the attention of the American people, including Trump, who said he was directing authorities to assist in the investigation.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that authorities were assisting Arizona officials, but declined to provide details.
“It breaks my heart for Savannah and her family,” Bondi said. ___ Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Moriah Balingit in Washington, Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, Julie Walker in New York and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
