Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie said on Saturday her family will pay the ransom for their missing 84-year-old mother, whom authorities believe was abducted last weekend.
“We received your message, and we understand,” Guthrie said in a brief video. “We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
The video plea came as the unresolved search for Nancy Guthrie entered its seventh day.
TRUMP HINTS GUTHRIE DISAPPEARANCE COULD BE SOLVED SOON: ‘WE HAVE SOME CLUES’
There is strong evidence that shows the elderly woman was forcibly removed from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Blood that matched Nancy Guthrie’s was found on her front porch, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. The local sheriff’s office is coordinating with the FBI on the investigation.
No suspects have been identified yet, although President Donald Trump teased that more information about the case may be coming “reasonably soon” from federal authorities.
“We have some clues that I think are very strong,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. “We have some things that may be coming out reasonably soon.”
After speaking with Savannah Guthrie last week, Trump deployed federal law enforcement resources to help with the investigation into her mother’s mysterious disappearance.
Investigators are particularly concerned about Nancy Guthrie’s health, as she needs daily medication in order to stay alive. She wears a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart problems in the past.
MICHAEL RUBIN: WILL TRUMP FALL FOR IRAN’S NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS BLUFF?
The alleged kidnappers are believed to have sent ransom letters with monetary demands to multiple local media outlets. At least one letter contained a Thursday deadline and a Monday deadline for the ransom if the first deadline wasn’t met. The FBI is handling this aspect of the investigation. The bureau previously announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie or the arrest of those involved in her abduction.
Tucson ABC affiliate KGUN9 reported that the letter it received demanded a $6 million payment before this Monday at 5 p.m. If no ransom payment was made by the deadline, the alleged kidnappers threatened to take Nancy Guthrie’s life.
