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Authorities have released a surveillance video and photos showing a potential subject in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of TODAY Show anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Authorities are referring to the person in the photo as a potential subject, but that doesn't confirm that they are a subject in the ongoing investigation, two law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News. The individuals suspected of kidnapping Guthrie have reportedly stopped contact with her family after a $6 million ransom deadline passed on Monday (February 9), the FBI announced via the New York Post.
The ransom deadline expired at 5:00 p.m. local time on Monday and there's no sign its been paid nor proof that Guthrie is still alive as of Tuesday morning.
“[The FBI] is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest in this case at this time,” an FBI spokesperson said late Monday. “We are currently operating a 24-hour command post that includes crisis management experts, analytic support, and investigative teams. But we still need the public’s help.”
“Someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home,” the agency added. “That’s all I will say… but it is chilling when you read that sentence. It is short and it is to the point.”
TMZ founder Harvey Levin, whose website was among the outlets to have received one of three unverified ransom notes, reported that the abductors warned there would be "consequences" if the Guthrie family didn't meet their demands.
“There is a direct, stark statement about consequences if they didn’t get that money,” Levin told CNN, adding that the note warned “it’s in the best interest” of everyone involved to resolve the matter quickly. “That’s all I will say… but it is chilling when you read that sentence. It is short and it is to the point.”
Savannah Guthrie made a "desperation" plea as the deadline for her family to pay the ransom neared on Monday.
“We believe our mom is still out there,” Guthrie said in a video shared on her Instagram account Monday afternoon. “She was taken, and we don’t know where.”
Savannah asked for anyone to across the country to report any suspicious activity they witness.
“I’m coming on just to ask you not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are — even if you’re far from Tucson — if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement,” she said.
“We need your help,” she added.
Savannah and her siblings had previously agreed to pay in a video shared on Saturday (February 7).
“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah said, while holding hands with her brother, Camron, and sister, Annie in the video shared to her Instagram account. “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,” she concluded.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department issued a statement confirming that there were "no suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles" identified in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of TODAY Show host Savannah Guthrie, on Sunday (February 8).
"The Nancy Guthrie investigation is ongoing. Follow-up continues at multiple locations. No suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles have been identified. No scheduled press briefings. If any significant developments occur in the case, a press conference will be called," the statement reads.
The FBI is jointly investigating the case with local Arizona officials and offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy's recovery or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. A ransom note sent to TMZ claims that Nancy is "safe but scared" and aware of the demands made for her return, Levin told FOX News' Sean Hannity Thursday night.
“I will say the letter begins by saying she is safe but scared, and they go on to say she knows exactly what the demand is," Levin said of the note, which demanded millions in bitcoin in order for "consequential" repercussions to be avoided.
“They are, through us, telling the family exactly what they are demanding, and they are saying that Nancy is aware of it,” he added. “They are also saying… that this will be their only communication and they are done communicating and negotiating —here’s the deal and that’s it.”
“As the clock ticks, that’s one of the reasons the FBI and other authorities have gotten desperate here,” Levin added.
A California man was identified as the man charged after sending separate phony ransom texts to Guthrie's family regarding Nancy, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, FOX News' Michael Ruiz reports. Derrick Callela messaged Annie and her husband with false information about the missing woman's whereabouts.
“Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” Callela allegedly wrote to the couple.
Data obtained by authorities approximately three minutes later showed Callela also made a nine-second-long call to an unidentified member of the Guthrie family.
The arrest was made prior to authorities confirming that Nancy was still believed to be missing and hours after Savannah and her siblings made an earlier plea for their mother to be returned safely.
“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,“ Savannah said, along with her two siblings.
The Guthries’ initial plea came hours after Nanos told the New York Times that Cioni was the last person to see Nancy, having made sure she got inside her home safely after having dinner with the couple on January 31.
Nancy was reported to have vanished at some point between the dropoff at 9:45 p.m. local time last Sunday (February 1) morning as friends became concerned that she was absent from church.
Nanos said that Guthrie's family has cooperated with investigators in the four days since Nancy's disappearance, which authorities are considering a crime though no suspects have been named. Savannah Guthrie previously issued a new statement asking fans to "please pray" amid her mother’s disappearance.
Blood was reportedly found alongside signs of forced entry at Nancy Guthrie's Catalina Hills home, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times, though it hasn't been confirmed who the blood belonged to.
“At this point, investigators believe she was taken from the home against her will, possibly [in the] middle of the night,” Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Kevin Adger said. “Detectives are looking into a possible kidnapping or abduction.”
DNA evidence found at Guthrie's home is also reportedly being inspected, KVOA reports. The 84-year-old reportedly left her car and cellphone at the scene and data from the device could provide more details on when she was taken, ABC News reports.