NBC’s “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie made a tearful, emotional plea Tuesday after revelations that a second ransom note sent following her mother’s abduction revealed she died sometime after the abduction.
The note described Nancy Guthrie, according to two sources, as being with nature after her death and made no demand for money. The with nature comment seems to suggest the abductors had buried the grandmother. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, working with the FBI, is investigating the kidnapping.
NBC News first reported the second kidnapping note and The Times confirmed it.
Savannah Guthrie, flanked by her fellow “Today” anchors at the desk, said she does not have a comment on the new information and that she is not involved in network’s coverage of her mother’s abduction.
“But I can’t pretend I’m not here,” she said. “And so since I am, I wanted to just take the opportunity to ask people, really to beg people, to come forward. Somebody knows something.
“This is a new story that today is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day. And we are in agony and we cannot be at peace,” she said, referencing her sister, Annie, and brother, Camron.
Guthrie said she tries to come out and smile and have joy on the show every day, but her family is not at peace. “This is the moment to tell you we need your help; we are begging you for help.”
She reminded viewers there is a reward and “you can tell us, it can be anonymous.”
The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for the return of Nancy Guthrie. The FBI is also offering a $100,000 reward. Anchor Craig Melvin encouraged anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Savannah Guthrie returned to the Today show in early April after taking an extended leave of absence amid the investigationthat became a national news story.
Investigators have received thousands of tips. Experts say investigators’ best bet to solving the case quickly would be if someone recognizes the suspect in Nest video footage, a masked man seen on Guthrie’s porch the morning she was abducted.
At 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1, an individual appeared at the door of Guthrie’s home. The man was wearing a balaclava, gloves and a backpack. A gun was holstered by the man’s waist, positioned at the front of his body and easily visible.
At one point, the man, whom authorities describe as approximately 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 10 with an average build, noticed the camera on the front porch and tried to cover the lens with his hand. The man scouted around the patio and yard area, apparently for something to obstruct the camera before settling on some greenery found in the yard.
In the video, the man was wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack, according to the FBI.
Nancy Guthrie had a pacemaker and investigators feared for her health as none of her heart medications were taken during the abduction.
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