Mother of US TV host Savannah Guthrie 'died accidentally after being abducted', ransom note claims
A ransom note allegedly left behind by the abductors of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of US TV presenter Savannah Guthrie, claimed she inadvertently died shortly after she was kidnapped.
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The 84-year-old went missing in the early hours of February 1 after vanishing from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
Her disappearance sparked a widespread police search and a media frenzy. She has still not been found five months on with no arrests made.
But on Monday, details of an initial ransom note the day she was abducted emerged, revealing her alleged abductors demanded millions in bitcoin to set her free.
A second note dated February 6 was similar to the first, but did not contain any demands and instead apologised for her accidental death.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department turned down requests to comment on notes’ contents but said an investigation "remains active and ongoing".
Read more: 'It's good to be back': Savannah Guthrie makes TV return as search for missing mother continues
TV host Savannah and her siblings have repeatedly called for her mother's captors to "reach out" to the family and to produce "proof of life" since her disappearance.
The family has offered a $1 million (£760,000) reward on top of $100,000 from the FBI, for information leading to the elderly mother’s return.
On February 10, the FBI released still images along with a short video from a video‑doorbell camera showing an "armed individual" wearing a mask and carrying a backpack on Nancy's property at the time of her disappearance.
Authorities believe the person in the video kidnapped Nancy in the early hours of the morning. Alongside the release of the video, the FBI announced that they believed the male suspect was between 5ft 9in and 5ft 10in (175-177cm) tall with an average build.
Bloodstains found at the scene were later confirmed to be Nancy's.
Nancy was last seen on January 31, when a family member dropped her off at her home following a get-together at her daughter Annie's house.
She was reported missing after members of her church noticed she was absent from Sunday service.
Savannah, the 54-year-old NBC anchor, grew visibly emotional as she spoke on TV for the first time since the dissappearence.
She sppoke with her former morning-show co-host, Hoda Kotb about her mother's kidnapping.
Speaking through tears, Guthrie said: "I wake up every night, in the middle of the night, every night, and in the darkness, I imagine her terror.
“Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony. It is unbearable. And to think of what she went through.
"She needs to come home now."