Today Show anchor, Savannah Guthrie’s, 84-year-old Nancy has been kidnapped – and terrifying ransom notes have been sent to news outlets

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The terrifying kidnap of 84-year-old Nancy has left Savannah in “hell”(Image: savannahguthrie/Instagram)

A suspected kidnapping, a ransom note, an impassioned TV appeal by a family member who is a respected public figure and the intervention of the President of the United States. With all the ingredients of a hit Netflix thriller, the Nancy Guthrie story has had the USA – and indeed the world – completely gripped.

But this is no fictional plot. Nancy Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of one of the USA’s best known TV news anchors, Savannah Guthrie, who has released a moving video plea for her safe return, after the octogenarian vanished from her home on Saturday, February 1, in a suspected kidnapping.

The FBI have issued a $50,000 reward for information regarding her whereabouts, stating that they believe she is “still out there.” But no suspect has been formally identified.

On Wednesday, Savannah, 54, and her siblings released an emotional video begging for their mother’s release.

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Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

Fighting tears, the newsreader, who shared the video with her 1.4million Instagram followers, addressed whoever has her mother, saying: “We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated.

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“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”

Then, addressing Nancy directly, her voice wavering, she said: “Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, he is with you. Everyone is looking for you, Mommy. Everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again.”

Her sister Annie added: “Mama, mama, if you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you.”

The family’s palpable distress was so moving it grabbed the attention of Donald Trump, who was so concerned for Nancy’s welfare, he issued orders for the FBI and Secret Service to be put at their “complete disposal, immediately.”

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Savannah Guthrie gave a tearful plea for her mother’s return

Posting on his Truth Social site moments after the video went public, he confirmed that he had spoken to Savannah, adding: said: “I let her know that I am directing all Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, immediately. We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely.”

Nancy, who relies on daily medication for high blood pressure and has limited mobility, vanished in suspicious circumstances last Saturday.

She had enjoyed dinner with her daughter Annie at the home she shares with her husband, Tommaso Cioni.

At 9.48pm Tommaso dropped his mother-in-law back at her home in the affluent Catalina Foothills, north of Tucson, Arizona. It was the last time she was seen, with the garage doors closing at 9.50pm.

A doorbell camera was disconnected at the grandmother’s home at 1.47am on Sunday. At this stage, investigators do not know where it is.

Around 20 minutes later, at 2.12am, movement was detected outside the home – but no video was captured.

Alarmingly, Nancy’s pacemaker disconnected from an app on her phone at 2.28am. And the phone was later recovered at the scene, leading investigators to believe Nancy was taken from her property at that exact moment.

But it wasn’t until the following day, when regular church-goer Nancy failed to attend the weekly Sunday service, that alarm bells started ringing for the family, who reported her missing at 11.56am.

Terrified and powerless, they have no idea what, if any, injuries she may have, or if she is alive or dead,

The Sheriff of Pima County, Chris Nanos, confirmed that CCTV footage from her Ring doorbell is missing. Police found signs of forced entry at her $1million (£750,000) home. And a forensic team found a blood spatter in the porch, which tested positive for Nancy’s DNA.

Speaking earlier this week, Sheriff Nanos said: “We do in fact have a crime scene. We do in fact have a crime. She [Nancy] did not leave on her own. We know that. Taken against her will includes possible kidnapping or abduction.”

He said her disappearance was not dementia-related, adding: “The family wants everyone to know that this isn’t someone who just wandered off. She couldn’t walk 50 yards by herself.”

While she is mentally “sharp as a tack”, Nancy needs “vital medications” every day, leaving Savannah and her siblings fraught with anxiety.

The FBI have issued a $50,000 reward for information regarding her whereabouts, stating that they believe she is “still out there.”

Ransom notes have been sent to various US news organisations, including the celebrity news website TMZ, and the local TV stations KGUN and KOLD.

The FBI are trying to verify the authenticity of the note sent to TMZ – which is reported to have included a demand for millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin, and gives descriptions of damage done to the grandmother’s home. However, it is not certain whether this description accurately matched the crime scene.

Heith Janke, a Special Agent from the FBI, said that the note included details about the Apple Watch found at Nancy’s home, as well as a floodlight that had been damaged, but did not share any further information. The note also included a demand for payment with a deadline of Thursday evening, prompting Janke to call on the kidnappers to “do the right thing” and let Nancy come home.

A second deadline in the note is set for Monday, and an arrest has been made in connection with a fake ransom note.

But, as far as suspects for Nancy’s abduction are concerned, earlier this week Sheriff Nanos said that “everybody is still a suspect in our eyes”. He added that Nancy’s had been co-operative with authorities.

Confirming that lawmen do not believe this was a random kidnapping, speaking at a crowded press conference, he said: “Is there somebody out there who’s kidnapping elderly people in the middle of the night, every night? We don’t believe that’s the case. We believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will.”

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Neighbours have shown support to the family(Image: AP)

In response to the incident, Today Show bosses have drastically ramped up security to protect the rest of their staff.

And Savannah Guthrie has been off-air since her mother’s disappearance, with colleagues filling in.

A source said: “Things are tense at the studio and, as a result, NBC has stepped up security for on-air talent. NBC has partnered with the NYPD to make sure their staff remain safe, out of an abundance of caution.”

Savannah’s co-host, Shenielle Jones, said the team was “rattled” and struggling to sleep, adding: “We all recognise that we have a job to do. But as you guys know, we’re family around here, and it’s not just something that we say.”

People living around Nancy’s Arizona home have been left severely shaken by the extraordinary incident, with many installing new security systems.

And the community has come together to pray for her safe return.

One neighbour, Laura Gargano, said:”I hope her family is able to find moments of peace and hope. I hope they get some comfort from knowing that so many people are thinking of them and caring about their family.”