Nancy Guthrie Update: Sheriff Won't Rule Out Ransom Theories

The disappearance of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mom, Nancy Guthrie is shrouded in mystery, and the Pima County sheriff's February 3 update only added to the questions.

Sheriff Chris Nanos was asked whether any kidnappers made "demands" in the case. He was also asked in a second line of questioning whether any "ransom" demands were made. In both cases, he declined to answer the questions definitively.

"We do believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will," Nanos said. Asked whether there were "any demands made by kidnappers," Nanos responded, "We have all kinds of investigative leads we are working on."

"You were asked if there was any ransom, and you didn't say no. You said you are following all leads.. does that mean that a ransom has come in?" a reporter asked later in the news conference.

TMZ says the outlet received a possible ransom note "which was sent to us Tuesday morning," and "demands a specific substantial amount of Bitcoin … the amount is in the millions, and the note demands the cryptocurrency be sent to a specific Bitcoin address." TMZ forwarded it to the sheriff, but it's not clear whether it's real.

Nanos again avoided the question, saying simply: "We are following all leads. We have hundreds of leads...Yeah, I’m not going to get into all of that. We have a team designated to deal with all our leads. They are looking into all of that. We are sharing all our leads with the FBI. They are helping us evaluate all of those leads."

The FBI Is Now Involved in the Investigation Into Nancy Guthrie's Mysterious Disappearance

The FBI is now involved in the investigation into the disappearance of Guthrie from her Tucson, Arizona, home on January 31. It's unclear why anyone would want to abduct Nancy Guthrie or potentially cause her harm. Although the sheriff and FBI official who spoke at the news conference did not elaborate on a potential motive, the sheriff said, "We have someone's life who is in jeopardy. We've got to find her, and we have to work hard to do that."

Jon Edwards, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Tucson, told reporters that the FBI "is doing everything in our power to bring Nancy Guthrie home to her family."

Nancy's family includes Savannah Guthrie and Savannah's two siblings, Charles Camron and Annie Guthrie. US Weekly has reported that Annie Guthrie, a poet, was the last known person to see Nancy Guthrie before Nancy vanished; she dropped her off at home after dinner.

Edwards said the FBI is helping download cell phone data and conduct interviews. The agency is providing "analytical and technology support" to the Sheriff's Department.

He asked anyone in the area who saw anything on the evening of Saturday, January 31, or Sunday, February 1, to contact authorities. "Please help us bring Nancy Guthrie home," he said.

The Sheriff Said Authorities 'Don't Know' Whether Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance Was Targeted or Ransom

The sheriff declined to answer many of the specific questions from reporters.

Asked whether the disappearance was random or targeted, he said, "We're looking at all the leads. We're going to assume both sides of that. We don't know."

He said authorities don't know what Nancy was wearing when she disappeared or what kind of car that she might have left in. The sheriff previously ruled out Nancy possibly walking away, saying she did not have dementia.

Asked whether there might be more than one suspect involved, he said, "No clue. There could have been one. Could have been more."

Asked why authorities have said they don't think there's a wider threat to the community, Nanos responded, "We have crime in Tucson all the time. When you say, 'Is there somebody out there kidnapping elderly people every night in the night?' We don’t believe that is the case."

Nanos declined to get into the evidence found at the scene, saying that authorities are looking for fingerprints, DNA, camera images, and anything "you can imagine."

Asked about a report that Guthrie's Pacemaker stopped syncing around 2 a.m., he said he didn't want to "get into narrowing down the time" when she might have been taken, expressing a concern that investigators could "miss tips and leads" if they did so. He did say that authorities have gotten some DNA results back, and they did not "indicate any suspects."

All he would say is that Nancy was "dropped off at 9:30 p.m. and found to be missing about 11 Sunday morning."

Nanos was asked by a reporter about a camera being missing from the front of the house and whether a suspect might have purposely taken it, and he said that he did "not know that. We are looking into that as well." He said there were no tire tracks or footprints around the house.

He indicated that authorities were alerted when Nancy did not show up for church, prompting family members to go to her home, where she was discovered missing.

He said that authorities are still analyzing camera footage and don't have it all back yet. Asked by a reporter whether a suspicious man was seen in the neighborhood, he said he was "not aware of it. My detectives might be." Asked whether Nancy had concerns she might have been followed, Nanos said, "My investigative team is looking into all those things," but he said such a report had "not been brought to my attention."

Asked about reports that blood was found inside the house, Nano responded, "I am not saying there's blood inside or outside that house."

He said that authorities "don't know where she is." Asked if there were broken windows or signs of forced entry at the residence, the sheriff said, "There are concerns at the house that concerned us from early on, and that's what I will tell you."

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