On the morning of Feb. 1, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was reported missing after being abducted from her home the night before. Nancy Guthrie is a mother to three children: Annie Guthrie, who lives nearby, Camron Guthrie and the well-known “Today Show” host, Savannah Guthrie. Nancy Guthrie is a part of various communities such as her church; therefore, when she did not show up to mass on Sunday morning, suspicion rose and she was reported missing by her family.
At about 1:45 a.m., the camera at the front of the house was disconnected, then around 2 a.m., another camera on the property was alerted that there was movement. Later, at 2:28 a.m., Nancy Guthrie’s pace maker was disconnected from her phone; therefore, authorities were led to believe that this was the time she was taken. Later, the police found her phone, wallet and medications all left behind. The medicine particularly raised concern since Nancy Guthrie is required to take it daily for a heart condition.
Shortly after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing, a ransom note was sent to the children demanding a ransom of $6 million in Bitcoin, which was legitimized by the authorities. In response, the Guthrie family posted on Instagram multiple times pleading for the safe return of their mother in exchange for money with their most recent reward amounting up to $1 million. The Guthrie’s will also be donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in hopes of helping people who have gone through or are going through a similar experience. As a result of the reward being announced, over 23,000 tips have been called in to the FBI.
“We need to know where she is. We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads us to her recovery,” Savannah Guthrie said.
On Feb. 10, 11 days after the abduction, police released footage from the home’s Google Nest camera, which depicts the supposed kidnapper armed, wearing a mask and touching the camera. Additionally, neighbors have released surveillance video from their own Ring doorbell cameras, showing multiple cars driving through the neighborhood the night she was taken. While these vehicles are not confirmed to be related to the abduction, it is likely that they are. Gloves were also discovered about two miles away from the house and while it is unclear if they are connected to the case, they are rumored to be. Additionally, blood was found on her front porch where the alleged kidnapper was seen on the camera, which was tested and verified as Nancy Guthrie’s DNA.
While this ongoing investigation currently lacks public leads, authorities are working hard to bring Nancy Guthrie home. No suspects have been released; however, the family has been cleared from the potential list of kidnappers. People around the world have become engaged with Nancy Guthrie’s abduction, theorizing, praying and most of all, supporting the family. Over a month has passed since Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance and the FBI continues to try and bring her home. The police are confident in their ability to bring the Guthrie family’s mother home and finally have peace.
