TUCSON, Arizona — The clock is ticking in the hunt for “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother after a purported ransom note demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin ahead of two deadlines, cops revealed Thursday – the clearest indication yet that investigators believe 84-year-old Nancy was kidnapped and is being held against her will.
A deadline of 5 p.m. local time Thursday passed — with no sign of Nancy, proof of life or public knowledge that her alleged captors have made contact with her reeling family.
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a press conference earlier in the day.
Follow The Post’s live updates on Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom
A second deadline of Monday was also provided with the note, which was sent to TMZ and two Arizona news outlets this week after Nancy was snatched from her Tucson home early Sunday.
Police did not disclose what the note warned would happen to Nancy if the demands weren’t met on time. But TMZ reported that missing Thursday’s deadline would lead to fresh demands — and that there would be graver consequences if Monday’s passed with no agreement.
Other chilling clues were revealed by police Thursday in the baffling case:
- Blood found splattered on Nancy’s front stoop was confirmed to be hers
- An extensive timeline of Nancy’s known movements the night she vanished included a 40-minute period during which the matriarch may have been abducted
- There are still no suspects in the case, and no persons of interest
- Nobody, including Savannah’s brother-in-law, is being ruled out as a possible suspect
- Nancy’s home security camera detected a person moving around 2 a.m. Sunday, but did not record video
- A $50,000 FBI reward has been issued for information leading to Nancy’s return
- A California man was arrested for sending a hoax ransom demand to the Guthrie family
- The family made a new plea to the ransom note writers as the deadline expired.
FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke issued a sobering warning to anyone who may be involved in Nancy’s apparent kidnapping.
“Do the right thing,” he said. “This is an 84-year-old grandma. This is an 84-year-old grandma that needs vital medication for her well being. You still have the time to do the right thing before this becomes a much worse scenario for you. Please return Nancy home.”
The ransom note also included no proof that Nancy was alive and well, but did offer details about her home that were apparently intended to corroborate its veracity – including a reference to a floodlight at the house and Nancy’s Apple watch, police said.
Janke, however, noted that the person who sent the ransom note has not contacted anyone since.
“In a normal kidnapping case, there would be contact by now trying to discuss that,” he said, adding that “any action taken on any ransom is ultimately decided by the family.”
Despite revealing so many details about the ransom note, police cautioned it still has not been authenticated — and could wind up to have “nothing to do with her.”
The grim revelations came after Savannah, her brother and sister issued a heart-wrenching plea to Nancy’s possible captors Wednesday night — expressing willingness to talk about ransom terms if they could just see that their mother was OK.
“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,” Savannah, flanked by her siblings, said in a video statement the FBI helped prepare. “Please, reach out to us.”
Savannah’s brother Cameron released a new message as the 5 p.m. MT deadline expired Thursday, begging the ransom note writer to get in touch.
One person – Californian Derrick Callella — has already been charged with sending a bogus ransom note directly to Savannah, while at least one other fake has been sent to her sister, Annie.
The timeline of the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom:
Callella was previously charged in an overtime unemployment benefits scam, records show.
But the threat to Nancy is real, police cautioned, explaining that expedited DNA analysis had determined spattered blood found trailing out her front door belonged to her.
“We rushed what we thought was the best target for DNA, we did a rush through, and got some of that back,” Nanos said. “The blood on the porch, that was one we did, it came back to Nancy. That’s what we know.”
While said to be “sharp as a tack” mentally, Nancy, who has a pacemaker, has limited mobility and requires life-saving daily medication, police have said.
That DNA was just one of several forensic samples police took from Nancy’s home and submitted for analysis through the FBI labs – but so far, only analysis of the porch blood has been completed, according to police.
“There’s still more items that have been submitted, we just haven’t got them back,” Nanos said.
No suspects have been identified as of Thursday, and police gave no indication that they were close to identifying anyone as Nancy approached six days missing.
But they also refused to rule anyone out — even when asked directly if Nancy’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, was being eyed.
Here’s the latest on Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom
“We’re actively looking at everybody we come across in this case. We would be irresponsible if we didn’t talk to everybody,” Nanos said when asked about Cioni.
Cioni – Annie’s husband – was the last known person to see Nancy alive when he drove and dropped her safely home on Saturday night after a dinner with him and Annie in Tuscon. Police said they spoke to the Uber driver who drove Nancy to their home.
That dropoff was noted on an extensive timeline of the night of Nancy’s vanishing that police released Thursday, with Cioni last seeing her around 9:50 p.m. when her home’s garage door closed.
What happened after that is unknown, but a doorbell camera on Nancy’s property was disconnected at 1:47 a.m. Sunday morning.
Nearly half an hour later at 2:12 a.m. software from a home camera detected movement – but Nancy did not have a paid subscription to the software, so the footage overwrote itself, police said.
About 15 minutes later at 2:28 a.m. Nancy’s pacemaker disconnected from her phone, which had been left behind at the house.
She was reported missing just after 12 p.m. Sunday when she failed to show up for church, and police arrived at her house within minutes.
Nancy’s health – which includes a serious heart condition – has also alarmed investigators, as it is unknown if she is receiving vital medication she needs to take every 24 hours, and could die without.
“She is 84 years old, her health, her heart, is fragile. She is in constant pain. She is without any medicine.” Savannah said in her video plea. “She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer.”
“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. Everyone is looking for you, Mommy. Everywhere,” Savannah added, choking back tears. “We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again.”
Additional reporting by Jared Downing
