Live updates: Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie is 'out there' and remain committed to bringing her home safely
Catch up with NBC News Clone on today's hot topic: Live Updates Savannah Guthrie Nancy Missing Rcna257694 - Breaking News | NBC News Clone. Our editorial team reformatted this story for clarity and speed.
No suspect has been identified during the investigation into Guthrie's disappearance.
What we know
- Six days into the search for the mother of "TODAY" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, no suspects or persons of interest have been identified, authorities said.
- Officials yesterday offered a timeline of the hours after Nancy Guthrie, 84, was dropped off by family at her home outside Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday night and when she was reported missing about noon Sunday.
- Reports indicate that ransom notes referencing Guthrie have been sent to at least three news outlets. NBC News has not seen copies of the notes, and no law enforcement agency has substantiated news reports about them.
- One of the reported ransom notes had a deadline of 5 p.m. yesterday. In a video statement posted near the deadline, Camron Guthrie asked to speak to “whoever is out there holding our mother,” saying the family wants to talk and is “waiting for contact.”
Man accused of sending fake ransom note to appear in Los Angeles federal court
The man accused of sending a fake ransom note to Nancy Guthrie’s family is expected to make an initial appearance today in federal court in Los Angeles.
Derrick Callella was charged with one count of intent to transmit a demand for ransom and one count of using a telecommunications device to anonymously abuse, threaten or harass a person.
The complaint alleges Callella admitted having sent the messages “to see if the family would respond.”
On Wednesday, Callella allegedly used a voice-over-Internet-Protocol phone number to text the Guthries, asking whether they had gathered the bitcoin “[we are] waiting for on our end for the transaction,” according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona.
The messages linked to Callella have not been connected to a ransom demand reported to an Arizona news station days earlier, the complaint says.
It was not immediately clear whether Callella, who was arrested yesterday in Los Angeles, has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Camron Guthrie pleads with possible kidnapper to communicate with the family directly
Camron Guthrie yesterday released a message in which the family asked whoever may be holding their 84-year-old mother to provide a way the family can communicate directly with them.
“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly,” Camron Guthrie said in a video on Instagram.
“We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we move forward,” he said.
“But first, we have to know that you have our mom,” he said. “We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.”
$50,000 reward for information leading to recovery of Guthrie
The FBI has joined the investigation into Guthrie's disappearnce and is now working the case jointly with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Previously, the sheriff's department had been the lead investigative agency.
The FBI is now fully engaged and has brought in additional human and technical resources from around the country and is mounting a publicity campaign to generate tips.
FBI Phoenix SAC Heith Janke announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie.
No suspect or person of interest identified yet
Reports indicate that ransom notes referencing Guthrie have been sent to at least three news outlets. NBC News has not seen copies of the notes, and no law enforcement agency has substantiated news reports about them.
Heith Janke, FBI Phoenix’s special agent in charge, told reporters that one of the reported ransom notes had a deadline of 5 p.m. yesterday. He said there was a second deadline on Monday.
Nanos reiterated that authorities have not identified a suspect or a person of interest in the case, which has drawn national attention. “We’re not there yet,” the sheriff told reporters. He also confirmed that blood found on the porch outside Guthrie’s house tested positive for her DNA.
