As the search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie , stretches on, investigators are still seeking tips that could help break the case and lead to her return. The FBI and sheriff's department obtained video of an apparent suspect, who is described as a man of average build with an approximate height of 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10. In the Nest doorbell camera video taken at Nancy Guthrie's home, he was wearing a face mask, gloves and a black Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack, the FBI said.
Guthrie was reported missing on Sunday, Feb.1, after not showing up for church, and the sheriff said it appeared she was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Her family has been pleading for her return, and the sheriff says they have been cleared of any involvement. Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings have appealed directly to whoever may have taken their mother.
The FBI said it was taking two emails seriously, including what appeared to be a ransom note with a demand for payment in bitcoin. Here is a timeline of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance and the investigation. Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Saturday night, Jan.
31, authorities said. She arrived at her daughter Annie's home at 5:32 p.m. She dined there and was dropped off at her own home after dinner at around 9:48 p.m.
She was dropped off at home by her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni. Police say he waited until Nancy Guthrie was inside before driving off. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference Thursday that her garage door closed at 9:50 p.m., at which time authorities assume Nancy Guthrie was home and going to bed.
A doorbell camera at Nancy Guthrie's home disconnected at 1:47 a.m., and software detected someone, or possibly an animal, on a camera about 25 minutes later, Nanos said. He said at the time the video wasn't available. Guthrie's pacemaker app showed a disconnect from her phone at 2:28 a.m.
On Sunday morning, a friend called Guthrie's family, telling them she had not shown up for church. They notified the sheriff's department around noon that day, minutes after checking in on her. Once police arrived at the home at 12:15 p.m, they determined Nancy Guthrie was missing under "concerning" circumstances.
Guthrie has limited mobility and relies on daily medication for her health, officials have said. That prompted an urgent search for her to begin. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed on Monday that her disappearance was being treated as a crime, and urged neighbors to review home video camera footage.
"We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us," Nanos told reporters. "We believe now after we've processed that crime scene that we do in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime, and we're asking the community's help." He told CBS News he believed Guthrie was "abducted" in the middle of the night. "I believe she was abducted, yes," Nanos said.
"She didn't walk from there. She didn't go willingly." A missing person's flier from the sheriff's department described her as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with brown hair and blue eyes and weighing 150 pounds. On Tuesday, authorities said they were analyzing an apparent ransom note with details about what the 84-year-old was wearing on the night of the crime.
The note demanded payment in bitcoin . "We are aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie," Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a social media statement . "We are taking all tips and leads very seriously.
Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI." They were also looking at what appeared to be drops of blood outside the front door. A law enforcement source also told CBS News some was also found inside the house . The blood found outside Nancy Guthrie's home has been confirmed to be hers, Nanos later said, adding that investigators were awaiting results from additional samples.
Authorities said surveillance video from the home had led nowhere, and there was still no suspect. "Nothing has come up that says, 'Here he is, here's your bad guy,'" Nanos told CBS News on Tuesday. Authorities said that investigators still had not identified a suspect or person of interest in the case.
"Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie," the Pima County Sheriff's Department said on social media. That night, the FBI was back at Nancy Guthrie's home, using canines to search as they worked to track down every lead.
Meanwhile, Savannah Guthrie released an emotional video pleading for her mother's return and saying her family is "ready to talk." "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," Savannah Guthrie said in the video with her two siblings, addressing a possible captor or captors. "We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen.
Please, reach out to us." Savannah Guthrie said her mother's health and heart are fragile. "She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine.
She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer," Savannah Guthrie said. She also addressed her mom directly, saying: "Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman.
You are God's precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, He is with you. Everyone is looking for you, mommy, everywhere.
We will not rest, your children will not rest, until we are together again." Around the same time that video was released, President Trump said on social media that he 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." "We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely," he posted. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference Feb. 5 "We believe Nancy is still out there." He also said that as of late morning local time, authorities had not identified a suspect or a person of interest.
A ransom note that investigators said they're taking seriously included a deadline of 5 p.m., Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI's field office in Phoenix, said at the news conference. "If a transfer wasn't made, then I think a second demand was for next Monday," Janke said. He wouldn't provide details about what the note said would happen if the demands weren't met.
Separately, an alleged impostor was arrested for making a phony ransom demand in the case, Janke said. Authorities are continuing to ask for the public's help and urging anyone with possible information to contact them. The FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery or the arrest and conviction of people involved in her disappearance.
"It only takes one tip, just one, to break the case open, to offer that lead that we so desperately need in this case," chief of detectives for the Pima County Attorney's Office, Fabian Pacheco, who oversees one of the tip lines, told CBS News in an interview that aired on "CBS Mornings." Anyone with information is being urged to call (520)-882-7463. In a video posted to Savannah Guthrie's Instagram account the evening of Feb. 5, her brother Camron Guthrie made another appeal for the return of their mother.
"Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you," Camron Guthrie said. "We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.
But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact." A second message was sent to CBS News' Tucson affiliate KOLD. The station said it would not release details about its contents, citing respect for the family and the investigation.
Local and federal authorities said they're " aware of a new message " regarding Nancy Guthrie's...
