Nancy Guthrie search enters its second week as a purported deadline looms

The search for Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother is now in its second week. Over the weekend, the Guthrie family said they have received a message from the people who say they took Nancy Guthrie from her home in Arizona.

Local police and the FBI say they’re following leads and sifting through evidence for any hint that might lead them to the 84-year-old Guthrie. But so far, they say, they have no suspects. And the FBI acknowledges that a ransom note sent to local media includes demands with a deadline of Monday evening.

Here are the latest events in the case, and a recap of what we know so far:

Family posted a video on Saturday

Savannah Guthrie posted a video message on Instagram Saturday afternoon in which she spoke directly to the people who took her mother.

“We received your message and we understand,” she said. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.”

Sitting with her older siblings, brother Camron and her sister Annie, Guthrie went on to say that getting Nancy Guthrie back is the only way her family will have peace.

“This is very valuable to us, and we will pay,” she added.

Annie and Camron did not speak in the roughly 20-second video. The dire message emerged one week after Nancy Guthrie’s family last saw her.

Reports of ransom notes, with a Monday deadline

Multiple reports have emerged of ransom notes being sent to local media.

One station, KGUN, said they received a ransom note that demanded $6 million by Monday evening. The station says they shared the message with law enforcement.

Police have not publicly confirmed details about any ransom demands, saying that they are pursuing all potential leads in the case.

The FBI, which is working with the local sheriff’s department on the case, says the question of whether to pay a ransom is up to the Guthries.

“While we advise and recommend from a law enforcement perspective, any action taken on any ransom is ultimately decided by the family,” said Heith Janke, FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Phoenix office.

A ransom note often includes proof that the sender is responsible for an abduction — and that the person taken remains alive. But in this case, both the Guthrie family and the FBI have discussed how AI’s ability to generate convincing but bogus videos complicates the idea of a proof of life message.

“We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” Savannah Guthrie said via Instagram last week. She added, “We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated.

“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive, and that you have her.”

Nancy Guthrie disappeared last weekend

On Saturday, Jan. 31, Nancy Guthrie had what appeared to be a routine night. A grandmother who lives alone in the Catalina foothills, she left her home north of Tucson, ate dinner and played games with relatives, and then returned home around 9:50 p.m., according to local police.

But then Guthrie didn’t show up for church Sunday morning. Her family tried to check on Guthrie; then they called 911. That set off a massive search, using tracking dogs, drones and helicopters.

At Nancy Guthrie’s house, police found drops of her blood on the front porch.

Presenting a timeline based on electronic records at Guthrie’s home, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the front doorbell camera was disconnected at 1:47 a.m. Sunday morning. He also said that at 2:12 a.m. software detected a person on camera — but the system continuously rewrites over its recordings, leaving investigators without footage.

“But we’re not giving up on that,” Nanos added.

Guthrie’s pacemaker disconnected from a phone app at around 2:30 in the morning, Nanos said. When she was taken, her wallet, cellphone and other personal effects were left behind, according to police.

Nancy Guthrie has limited mobility. And her family says she also needs daily medication to survive.

Police report no breakthroughs in the case

On Sunday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department put out an update essentially saying they’re still working to find Nancy Guthrie. It came as investigators were repeatedly seen working in and around her house.

But the sheriff’s department also said that they haven’t identified any suspects, or people of interest, or vehicles that might be connected to this case.

The FBI has posted a reward up to $50,000 for information leading to Nancy Guthrie, or to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.

In all three of the video messages the Guthrie family put out since this started, their captions end with the same plea. It reads, “Bring her home.”