Investigators were seen conducting a late-night search at Annie Guthrie's home as efforts to locate her and Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, entered the seventh day. Cops were seen on Saturday night at Annie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, Tucson, Arizona, home, where they were seen taking photos until about 10:30 p.m. MT, NewsNation's Brian Entin reported.
The report also noted that one agent was seen entering the house with a silver briefcase in his hand. This comes hours after it was revealed that friends claiming to have kidnapped Nancy are demanding a $6 million ransom in Bitcoin, with a deadline set for Monday evening, according to a local TV station.
Major Developments
"Multiple ransom notes have been sent out to the media, including one that was sent to us," JJ McKinney from Tucson ABC affiliate KGUN9 reported. "In the letter, the potential kidnappers demanded that the Guthries pay them $6 million before this Monday."
The ransom note warned that Nancy Guthrie's life would be at risk if the demand isn't met by the deadline of 5 p.m. local time on Monday, the outlet reported. However, no further details about the ransom amount and deadline have been revealed yet.
The revelation comes hours after Savannah shared that she has agreed to pay a ransom in a bid to secure the safe return of her mother, Nancy, in a new message directly addressing the 84-year-old woman's captors on Saturday night.
The "Today" show host appeared in a video alongside Annie and brother Camron, the three of them holding hands as she explained that they had been in contact with the people who abducted their mother.
"We received your message, and we understand," Savannah said, adding, "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."
Still Hopeful but Clueless
Savannah did not go into detail about the messages her family received or the specific demands she agreed to meet. Her statement comes after a series of reported "ransom notes" were sent to the newsrooms of TMZ and KOLD in the days following the abduction of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early hours of February 1.
While authorities have not confirmed whether those notes are authentic, Savannah's latest video suggests that her family was contacted directly by individuals claiming to be holding Nancy for ransom.
The messages demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy's safe return and warned that payment must be made by Monday, threatening consequences if the deadline is missed, according to TMZ.
Earlier last week, Savannah and her siblings released a video pleading for "proof of life" after reports surfaced that ransom demands had been sent to TMZ and KOLD. It remains unclear whether any such proof has been provided, but Savannah's most recent message suggests that the family believes they have now been contacted directly by those they consider to be her mother's real abductors.
Sunday marks the eighth day of the intensive search for Nancy, who was last seen on January 31 after spending the evening having dinner and playing games at her daughter Annie's home.
She was reported missing around noon the following day, on February 1.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing, and as of Saturday night, no suspects or persons of interest had been identified.
