Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Day 32 latest updates

TUCSON, Ariz. – Wednesday marks Day 32 in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her Tucson-area home on Feb. 1. Authorities believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will.

What happened over the past few days?

Timeline:

On Tuesday, it was reported that the vehicle belonging to Annie, the daughter of Nancy and sister of Savannah Guthrie, was returned to the family. 

Several people were reported to have arrived and entered the Guthrie home with a metal detector to search for jewelry or small items that may have been dropped during her suspected abduction. 

On Monday, Savannah Guthrie and her family members were seen laying flowers outside Nancy’s home on Monday. 

Savannah later shared a photo on her Instagram page, saying in part, “We feel the love and prayers,” and “please don’t stop praying and hoping with us.”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said it is “refocusing resources” to detectives assigned to the case, and reviewing surveillance video. Fox News reported that the case is being handed over to a task force, which includes homicide detectives and FBI agents.

Nancy Guthrie case handed off to task force: report

It’s been more than a month since Nancy Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie’s mom, disappeared from her Tucson-area home. According to Fox News, the case has been handed off to a task force featuring homicide detectives and FBI agents.

In a social media post on Feb. 27, Savannah Guthrie pleaded for the return of her missing mother, saying the $1 million reward her family offered for the recovery of Nancy “can be paid in cash.”

“Please – be the one that brings her home. Tips can be anonymous, reward can be paid in cash, as explained here,” Guthrie wrote in her post, which was accompanied with a video from the “Today” show that explained to viewers how anonymous tips can be submitted.

A day earlier, newly-released video from a neighbor’s Ring camera showed a dozen cars passing through the area on the same morning that Nancy disappeared. Some of the activity takes place at around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, which is around the same time Nancy’s pacemaker last synced with her iPhone.

The FBI told Fox News that some of its operations in the search have been moved to Phoenix. Nancy’s home will also reportedly be turned back over to her family either this weekend or early next week.

There was also new law enforcement activity last week at Nancy’s home. Drone video showed a group of detectives walking into the backyard by the pool and through a gate to the pack patio.

The investigators were also seen at the front door, standing near the area where blood was found on the ground.

FBI officials said they have received 1,500 new tips since Savannah Guthrie increased the reward amount.

Pima County officials also debunked claims that a new doorbell photo shows a masked suspect at Nancy Guthrie’s home prior to her Feb. 1 abduction, calling the social media rumors “purely speculative.” Investigators clarified that while images show a suspect in various stages of attire, there are no date or time stamps to prove the individual visited the property on multiple different days.

The backstory:

Guthrie went missing on the night of Jan. 31 and was reported missing on Feb. 1 when she didn’t show up for church. Since her disappearance, the FBI has released footage of her alleged abductor at her doorstep.

New photos released in search for Nancy Guthrie

The sheriff’s department asked for anyone within a 2-mile radius of Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills home to submit any footage they may have from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2 that they “deem out of the ordinary or important.”

Nancy Guthrie: Investigators seek help with video

As crews continue to search for Nancy Guthrie, investigators are also asking people who live in the area to check their surveillance video for anything unusual. FOX 10’s Nicole Krasean has more, from Tucson.

TMZ said they received a “highly sophisticated” ransom demand involving cryptocurrency.

“The email demands a dollar amount similar to the $6 million ransom demand in the previous email we received, days after the kidnapping. This email graphically describes the consequences if the ransom isn’t paid,” TMZ said.

TMZ said they forwarded the ransom demand to the FBI.

What you can do:

The FBI continues to urge anyone with information to contact its hotline at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has also set up a tipline where the community can submit information. An online form is available for tips.

Map of the area where Nancy Guthrie was last seen: