Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators are “aware of a new message” about 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie.
“Investigators are actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement posted Friday afternoon, adding that tips and further information from the public were still encouraged.
Nancy was last seen by family Saturday night at her detached ranch-style home in the Catalina Foothills, outside of Tucson, Arizona. The elderly grandmother’s blood was found on her porch, the sheriff confirmed Thursday.
Police have described the disappearance as a possible abduction.
A ransom demand – with an initial deadline of Thursday at 5 p.m. and a second one Monday – is being investigated by the FBI. Investigators are yet to identify any potential suspects as the search continues for a sixth day.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have already released two videos online pleading for the return of their mother. The second was posted Thursday, with Camron Guthrie urging the suspected kidnapper to “reach out.”
The second message appeared to be a “response” to the Guthries’ messages, according to Mary Coleman, anchor for local Tucson outlet KOLD 13 News, who saw the purported message authorities are investigating for validity.
The “new message” sent to media outlets about the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother was “just as coherent” as the first but did not appear to be another ransom note.
Coleman told CNN that the message was just as “coherent” as the first message and was “put together well.” She said that it appeared as though the sender was trying to prove they were the person who had sent the previous message.
“I will say, the FBI and PCSD were classifying the first as a ransom note and I will say that I don’t think that they will classify this second one as a ransom note,” Coleman said, adding that the second note did not contain further deadlines.
Coleman was asked whether the new note was “in response” to videos put out by the Guthrie family and whether it contained proof that Nancy Guthrie was still alive.
“I can’t disclose whether it includes that, but I will go as far as to say that it does seem like it is a response to some of those videos that were made,” she said.
Earlier Friday, the sheriff said he remains hopeful investigators will find Nancy.
“You have to have hope. This is somebody’s mom. We’re going to find her,” he told NBC News.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has also shared her heartbreak over Nancy’s disappearance and explained the government is doing what it can to help search for her.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
