FBI ‘unaware of Savannah Guthrie talking with her mother’s suspected kidnappers’

The FBI said on Monday it is unaware of any continued communication between Savannah Guthrie’s family and suspected kidnappers more than a week after the Today show host’s mother went missing.

The FBI has still not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the mysterious disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, said Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI.

Savannah Guthrie said the family was “at an hour of desperation” in a video released on Monday, just hours before a purported ransom deadline apparently set by her mum’s abductors.

She did not mention the deadline in the video, saying her family in Arizona continues to believe her mother is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers.

“She was taken and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Guthrie said in the video posted on Instagram, urging people nationwide to be on the lookout.

“No matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”

Today show host Savannah Guthrie. PA Media

The mysterious disappearance and search has riveted the country — from President Donald Trump, who spoke with Savannah Guthrie last week, to the online sleuths who have flooded social media with tips, theories and rumours.

The FBI is now asking for the public’s help on digital billboards up in several major cities in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The FBI has offered a 50,000-dollar (£36,500) reward for information.

Multiple news outlets received alleged ransom letters during the past week. At least one letter made monetary demands and set deadlines for receiving the money. The first deadline passed last Thursday but a second one was set for Monday evening.

Law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Monday that law enforcement tip lines have received thousands of calls.

Authorities say they have growing concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

Savannah Guthrie expressed hope on Monday that her mum was still alive.

“We believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers,” she said, “and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place”.

In a video on Saturday, she said the family was prepared to pay for her mother’s return: “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home just outside Tucson. She was last seen there on January 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church.

DNA tests showed blood on Mrs Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and her doorbell camera was disconnected in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos has said.

Outside the home on Monday, neighbours strolled by on their morning jogs and walks, while a county sheriff’s deputy remained stationed out front.

Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona. PA Media

Law enforcement’s work at Guthrie residences will continue on Tuesday “as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement on Monday.

Detectives and agents carried out follow-up work in the neighbourhood and other locations over the weekend as part of the investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Sunday.

“Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case,” the department said.

Investigators on Saturday were inside daughter Annie Guthrie’s home, about four miles from Nancy Guthrie’s house. On Sunday, an investigator was seen using a pole to search an underground tank behind Nancy Guthrie’s home.