The authorities on Friday said they were reviewing a new message in the kidnapping case of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of the “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who was abducted from her home nearly a week ago.
The Tucson, Ariz., television station KOLD received the message one day after Ms. Guthrie’s son, Camron, reiterated the family’s plea for the safe return of their 84-year-old mother. KOLD forwarded the message to law enforcement and did not reveal its contents publicly. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the F.B.I. released statements acknowledging the new message, but gave no further details.
It was not clear whether the message was related to a purported ransom note sent to news outlets earlier this week.
As the search for Ms. Guthrie slogged through its sixth day on Friday, the authorities acknowledged they had expanded the scope of their investigation, from her quiet desert neighborhood north of Tucson to adjacent states. But officers nevertheless spent part of the day conducting a follow-up sweep of Ms. Guthrie’s home and the surrounding area, closing the street in front of her house to traffic.
On Friday night, President Trump struck an optimistic tone about progress in the case, telling reporters that the authorities “have some clues I think that are very strong.” He added, “I think we could have some answers coming up very soon,” though he offered no details. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump said that he had spoken with Savannah Guthrie and wrote on social media that he had directed all federal law enforcement to be available to assist the Guthrie family and the local police.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have warned that their mother’s health and heart are fragile and that it could be fatal for her to be without her medication.
“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you,” Camron Guthrie said in a video on social media addressed to any potential kidnappers. “We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.”
He said that the family still had not heard from a kidnapper or kidnappers directly. Earlier Thursday, the F.B.I. offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery or the arrest and conviction of those involved in her kidnapping.
Since she was reported missing on Sunday, officers have worked to recover video evidence, verify that bloodstains on her doorstep were hers and authenticate a supposed ransom note. Her doorbell camera was disconnected the night she disappeared, the police said on Thursday, depriving investigators of crucial evidence. Officials said they were scrutinizing anyone who had contact with her, including her relatives.
“Everybody’s still a suspect in our eyes,” Chris Nanos, the Pima County sheriff, said at a news conference on Thursday.
At the news conference, Sheriff Nanos provided an approximate timeline of her disappearance.
Ms. Guthrie was last seen by her family on Saturday night. She took an Uber to the home of her older daughter, Annie, and son-in-law, Tommasco Cioni, arriving around 5:32 p.m. Sheriff Nanos said that the driver had been interviewed by detectives.
After dinner and games, Mr. Cioni drove Ms. Guthrie home, and the garage door at her home opened at around 9:48 p.m., Sheriff Nanos said. That door closed at 9:50 p.m.
A few hours later, at 1:47 a.m. on Sunday, the doorbell camera disconnected.
At 2:12 a.m., software detected a person on a camera. But Sheriff Nanos said that no video was available because the Guthries were not subscribed to the camera service and the footage was rewritten.
At 2:28 a.m., Ms. Guthrie’s pacemaker app showed that it was disconnected from her phone, indicating she was no longer near the phone, which was left inside her house.
That morning, Ms. Guthrie did not attend her regular Sunday church service. A friend notified a family member, who went to check on her at 11:56 a.m., discovered that she was missing, and dialed 911.
In the chaotic days that followed, several news organizations reported receiving a ransom note. The F.B.I. said agents were still working to analyze the message, which demanded payment by Thursday evening.
Adding to the confusion surrounding the search, the authorities have arrested and charged a California man who they said sent a separate fraudulent ransom demand via text to Annie Guthrie and Mr. Cioni in an attempt to profit from the disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie has been absent from the “Today” show this week. NBC Sports had announced that she would not travel to Italy, where Mary Carillo took her place as a host of the network’s coverage of the opening ceremony at the Winter Olympics on Friday.
Hoda Kotb, who was Savannah Guthrie’s co-anchor on “Today” from 2018 until 2024, returned to the show on Friday to offer support.
“This whole thing is breaking my heart, and I’m happy to be sitting here with you,” Ms. Kotb told her former colleagues. “Everybody’s hoping and praying for Nancy’s safe return.”
Savannah Guthrie said in a video on Wednesday that she and her siblings were ready to listen to ransom offers from whoever might have abducted their mother, but that the family would first need proof that she was still alive.
“Everyone is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere,” she said. “We will not rest.”
Shawn McCreesh contributed reporting.
Reis Thebault is a Phoenix-based reporter for The Times, covering the American Southwest.
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