Savannah Guthrie shared a new plea for information about the disappearance of her mother after authorities released the full text of two ransom notes purportedly sent by those who kidnapped her.
In an Aug. 1 post on Instagram, Savannah shared a photo of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, telling the public that her family is “begging for help.”
“This is our beautiful mom. Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of the night. We have lived every moment, every breath and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since,” Savannah wrote in her post.
“There is a hole inside us that can never be filled. There is an ache that cannot be softened,” she continued. “And there is a determination in us that cannot be quenched — to find out what happened to her, so that we can give her the dignity of a proper goodbye — a celebration of her remarkable life that she so deserves.”
Savannah added that the family is “desperate” and needs “someone to come forward.”
The plea came the day after the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released the full text of two ransom notes, both believed to be credible, sent to media outlets in the days after Nancy Guthrie’s abduction on Feb. 1. The first note demanded payment, and the second stated that the 84-year-old died shortly after she was taken.
Officials said they released the letters in hopes of prompting new leads if someone in the public recognizes the writing, syntax and change of tone between the two notes.
Savannah appeared to address those who abducted her mother in her Instagram post on Aug. 1.
“Perhaps they are afraid to come forward,” she wrote. “Perhaps they are conflicted. Perhaps they are angry or upset for being in this situation. There is a way out — to tell what you know.”
Nancy Guthrie went missing from her home near Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of Feb. 1. The 84-year-old’s disappearance is being investigated as a kidnapping for ransom, the FBI has said. Authorities have not identified any suspects.
The first ransom note, sent Feb. 2 to a local CBS affiliate and addressed to Savannah, demanded a payment of $4 million in bitcoin by 5 p.m. on Feb. 5. The ransom amount was raised to $6 million if the payment was not immediately made, the note said.
The note also said that Nancy Guthrie would be “released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe dropoff location back in Tucson” if payment was made. The note said if payment was not made, “she will be killed.”
Two days later, Savannah and her siblings released a video on Savannah’s Instagram.
“We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” she says in the video from Feb. 4. “As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive.”
The second note, sent Feb. 6, said that Nancy Guthrie had died shortly after she was taken.
“We believe it was heart related,” the note said. “She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.”
The day after second note was sent, Savannah posted another video on Instagram.
“We received your message, and we understand,” Savannah says in the Feb. 7 video. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
On July 27, after Savannah posted a new plea to bring her mother home as the search for her stretched to six months, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos expressed confidence in the investigation.
“I’m still positive we will resolve this case,” Nanos told NBC affiliate KVOA News 4 Tucson.
“We’re working this as hard as we can,” Nanos added. “There’s no lead too small. We, like Savannah today, we encourage you, if you know something, saw something, please let us know.”
In her latest message on Aug. 1, Savannah said her family attempts to “be strong and go on — because that’s what our joyful and resilient Mom taught us to do.”
“But make no mistake — our hearts are in ruins,” she said, before referencing her siblings, their partners and her husband. “Cam and Kristine, Annie and Tommy, Mike and me — we spend every waking moment thinking of her, longing for her, looking for her.”
Savannah reminded the public that that those who have information can come forward anonymously, and that a reward is available. She pleaded with individuals who have knowledge of the case to “do the right thing.”
“We are real people, facing real grief, doing the best we can, and counting our many blessings along the way — most especially the prayers and love from good people, which we feel deeply,” she wrote. “We need your prayers, we need your kindness. We need the good to be stronger than the evil.”
Savannah also spoke to directly to those who are “following this story for entertainment or for profit,” adding that they are “not on her side,” but “are part of the harm perpetrated against her.”
She concluded her post by saying that the family will “never stop looking for answers.”
“We will always be hoping and praying and believing in the best of our world — in spite of circumstance,” she said. “This is what our faith makes possible. Please. Bring her home.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Savannah and her family are offering a $1 million reward for the return of her mother.