The shocking details surrounding the alleged abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother from her million-dollar rural Arizona home suggest more than one perpetrator could be involved, according to a former NYPD hostage negotiator.
Wallace Zeins told CNN late Tuesday that a reported ransom note demanding a large cryptocurrency payment may contain key clues about the identities — and possible number — of those behind the crime.
While Arizona investigators have issued a public plea to whoever is responsible, Zeins said the circumstances of the case point to the likelihood that multiple suspects — not just a lone actor — may be involved.
“I believe the possibility of more than one person. She’s 150 pounds, 5 foot 5, waking up in the middle of the night, not in the best of health — can’t walk or run, so I would think there’s more than one person involved in this particular crime,” Zeins said.
A ransom note was sent to a local Arizona news station following the disappearance of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, according to the Pima County sheriff.
Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News that the station received the message on Monday but agreed not to publicly share its contents. The note reportedly included detailed information about the home and what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night, though authorities have not confirmed whether the claims are accurate or if the message is legitimate. The ransom note allegedly contained specific details about the crime scene left behind at Nancy’s home, according to TMZ.
“What does that tell you, it tells you that it’s some type of group that knows what bitcoin is all about, and social media, and they know the system,” Zeins said, referring to the ransom note.
“If it was on a computer, then that helps also because the FBI is so good at what they do when it comes down to electronic surveillance and electronic stuff of that nature, then they will be able to further that investigation,” he said.
Nancy Guthrie — who reportedly requires critical medication every 24 hours — was reported missing Sunday, and investigators now fear she may have been abducted. Authorities say there is currently no credible evidence suggesting she was specifically targeted, though detectives are actively investigating a ransom note that allegedly demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin and hinted at potential harm if payment was not made.
According to the New York Post, blood spatters were discovered outside Nancy’s Catalina Hills home, and part of a Ring doorbell camera was missing. FBI agents also visited the home of Savannah Guthrie’s sister, Annie, who was the last known person to see Nancy after bringing her home from dinner around 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Nancy’s family alerted police Sunday afternoon when she failed to attend church, and investigators later found her Apple Watch inside the house, with a law enforcement source saying her pacemaker stopped syncing with the device around 2 a.m. that morning.
