US TV host’s missing mother ‘still out there’, sheriff says

Investigators believe the missing mother of US news anchor Savannah Guthrie is “still out there” but they have not identified any suspects, a sheriff in Arizona said on Thursday.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also said DNA tests showed blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s porch came back a match to her. Authorities think she was taken from her home in Tucson against her will over the weekend.

“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Mr Nanos said at a news conference five days after she was reported missing. The sheriff, however, acknowledged that authorities have no proof she is still alive.

Investigators gave a more detailed timeline from the hours after she was last seen Saturday night, and said they are taking seriously a ransom note sent to a handful of media outlets.

The note included a demand for money with a deadline set for Thursday evening and a second one for Monday if the first deadline was not met, said Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix. The note also had details about a floodlight at Ms Guthrie’s home and an Apple watch.

“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Mr Janke said.

Authorities say any decision on ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.

Host of US broadcaster NBC’s Today programme Savannah Guthrie earlier sent a public message to her 84-year-old mother’s kidnapper saying that her family is ready to talk but wants proof that she is alive.

However, there has been no response to their plea so far, Mr Janke said.

Ms Guthrie said in a recorded video posted on social media that her family has heard media reports about a ransom letter for Nancy.

“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Savannah Guthrie said while reading from a prepared statement. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”

She was last seen at around 9.45pm on Saturday, when she was dropped off at home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing at midday on Sunday after she did not appear at a church.

Kevin Adger, a spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, said investigators had been at the home earlier in the week for a couple of days and then turned it back over to the family with the understanding they could go back if they needed to.

“This is a follow-up investigation,” he said in reference to officials returning on Wednesday.

Multiple media organisations reported receiving purported ransom notes on Tuesday that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department had said it was taking the notes and other tips seriously.

Savannah Guthrie was at times emotional during the recording, with her voice cracking. She smiled and looked into the camera when addressing her mother directly, saying that the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.

“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter,” she said.

Savannah Guthrie described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” and said she was funny, spunky and clever.

“Talk to her and you’ll see,” she said.

Ms Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron who both also spoke. Annie called their mother their beacon and said they need her.

“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.

Mr Nanos suggested there was video from some cameras, though he did not elaborate, adding: “That’s all been submitted and we’re doing our best with the companies that own those cameras or built those cameras.”

There were signs of forced entry at the home in the Catalina Foothills neighbourhood. Nancy Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher talking to deputies during a search on Sunday indicated that she has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.

Jim Mason, long-time commander of a search-and-rescue posse in Maricopa County, is not involved in the search for Nancy Guthrie but said desert terrain can make looking for missing people difficult. He said it can be hard to peer into areas that are dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and other desert brush.

“Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,” Mr Mason said.

A couple of hundred people attended an evening vigil for Nancy Guthrie at a Tucson church where they heard prayers and placed lit candles on an altar. A priest prayed for God to comfort Nancy Guthrie and to bring her home to those she loves.

Afterwards, Jeremy Thacker had tears in his eyes as he described the heartbreak and helplessness he was experiencing over Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. He worked with Savannah Guthrie at a local news station and they shared losing their fathers at a young age. His own sister was kidnapped when he was young.

Mr Thacker said he knew Nancy Guthrie to be sharp, grounded and earnest.

“We’re all holding our breath,” Mr Thacker said.

On the other side of the country, Victory Church in Albany, New York, said it is offering a 25,000 dollar reward for information that leads to finding Nancy Guthrie.

“Me and my wife, we watch Savannah every single morning. We’ve heard of her faith. We’ve heard of her mom’s faith. And she’s got such a sweet spirit,” Pastor Charlie Muller said.

The White House said President Donald Trump called and spoke to Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday.

“I spoke with Savannah Guthrie, and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely.”

For a third day, NBC’s Today show, which Ms Guthrie presents, opened with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. NBC Sports said on Tuesday that she will not be covering the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics “as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time”.

The Today host grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at Tucson television station KVOA. Her parents settled in Tucson in the 1970s when she was a young child. The youngest of three siblings, she credits her mother with holding their family together after her father died of a heart attack at 49, when Savannah was just 16.