Sheriff says FBI forwarded ransom note to Savannah Guthrie

Investigators analyzed a ransom note received Monday by a Tucson news station and are taking it seriously, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News Tuesday afternoon.

CBS said Nanos told the network the FBI reviewed the note and made the decision to share it with Savannah Guthrie.

The note was sent to the station after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Savannah, the host of NBC's "Today" show. Nanos has said investigators believe the 84-year-old was abducted from her Tucson home, near North Campbell Avenue and East Skyline Drive, Saturday night or Sunday morning.

CBS said "the note, which the station received Monday and agreed not to report on, contained specific details about the home and what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night," according to Nanos, "although he would not confirm the accuracy of that information or the legitimacy of the note." 

The note was received by KOLD News 13, the CBS affiliate in Tucson, according to a social media post Tuesday afternoon by its evening anchor Mary Coleman.

"Authorities had hoped to keep the information from becoming public, but the note was obtained by TMZ, which reported on it before contacting the sheriff's office," CBS said Nanos told the network.

A spokesman for Nanos said the sheriff was not available to confirm the CBS report.

TMZ, a tabloid entertainment news website controversial for paying for tips, reported Tuesday that it was sent an alleged and unverified ransom note Tuesday, demanding millions to be paid in Bitcoin in return for Guthrie's release. TMZ said it forwarded the note to the Pima County sheriff. 

Shortly after TMZ's posting, Nanos' office had said on social media only that it was "aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s)," adding, "Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI."

At a press conference a couple of hours before that, Nanos had said when asked about any ransom notes: "We're following all leads, that's all I can tell you. I'm not going to get into all that."

He also was asked then for any updates on whether Guthrie might have been targeted because of her daughter  Savannah. "We don't know. We're going to assume both sides of that" for investigative purposes, he said.

Nanos told the New York Times Tuesday night that he has spoken with Savannah Guthrie and her security team and they are not aware of any previous threats to her or her family. 

Savannah, who was raised in Tucson and is a University of Arizona graduate, was here late last year filming segments that introduced "Today" show viewers to her hometown.

'DNA, possible injuries' updates 

In a written statement Tuesday afternoon, Nanos' office listed these updates:

"DNA: Detectives collected DNA samples from the home that have been confirmed to belong to Nancy. At this time, the Sheriff has not confirmed whether those samples were blood. He has stated that he does not want to get into specific details about evidence in order to protect the integrity of the investigation."

"Possible injuries: The Sheriff has spoken in general terms and stated in multiple interviews that, based on circumstances at the home, detectives believe Mrs. Guthrie was taken against her will, possibly in the middle of the night. At this time, we do not have any information to share regarding possible injuries."

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"Pacemaker: Detectives are working through any data that may be available." (The New York Times reported investigators are working with the company that manufactured Guthrie's pacemaker to see if any helpful information can be gathered from it remotely.) 

"Cameras: Mrs. Guthrie’s home had several cameras. Detectives are working with the respective companies to determine the number of cameras and whether any footage is available."

"Suspects: At this point, no suspects have been identified in this case. Detectives are continuing to speak with anyone who may have come into contact with Mrs. Guthrie."

The statement was issued after Nanos fielded questions at a press conference Tuesday, the third day of the investigation. 

Guthrie, who lives alone, was reported missing at about noon Sunday after she failed to show up at church. She was last seen Saturday about 9:30 p.m., when a family member dropped her off after dinner out and made sure she was safely inside before leaving, Nanos has said.

Nanos told the New York Times authorities have spoken with family members and all have been cooperative. 

Other updates about evidence 

At Tuesday’s press conference, Nanos provided the following details:

• Asked if they believe Nancy Guthrie is still in the area, he responded, "We don't know where she is. Like any investigation, you start from the point of where we last saw her and we work out. And we are working as far out as we can go."
• Asked if there is any indication she is still alive, Nanos said: "We know medication played a critical role here. It's been 48 hours. She needs it every single day." (CNN reported she has high blood pressure and heart issues.)
• DNA results returned so far from evidence collected in her house do not point to any suspects. Investigators are still waiting for additional results to be returned from analysts, but, "The scene is done. We're done with the residence." 
• Asked about news reports that blood was found in the home, the sheriff said: "I'm not saying there's blood inside that house or outside that house. I'm saying our team processed a scene like you would think of any crime scene. We go in and we process it. We look for things like blood, DNA, any kind of physical evidence, fingerprints, anything. And all of that is gathered and submitted to a lab. That lab will report back to us what they find. So far that what we found from that lab is nothing that would tell us 'this is who did this.'" (The Los Angeles Times cited unnamed law enforcement sources in reporting that blood was found at the scene and that there were signs someone forced their way into the home. The Associated Press also cited an unnamed law enforcement source saying there were indications of forced entry. Nanos declined to comment on entry. He separately told the New York Times: "There were things at the home that we recognized as problematic. Inside, outside, all over.")
• As to an L.A. Times report that an empty frame suggested a security camera might be missing from the front of the home, Nanos said, "We don't know that. We're looking into that as well."
• Nanos was asked about his statements that he doesn't believe there's a threat to the public. "If you're not sure if it's targeted, why do you believe there's no wider threat to the public?" He answered: "Well, we have crime in Tucson all the time, right? Like any city. when you say a threat to the public, is there somebody out there who's kidnapping elderly people in the middle of the night every night? We've not heard that. We don't believe that's the case. We do believe that Nancy was taken from her home against her will, and that's where we're at."
• Questioned about the timeline and a news report that a pacemaker dinged around two in the morning Sunday: "You know, I really don't want to get into narrowing down the time because narrowing it down means we could miss some tips and leads. We're working with the data we've submitted for investigative analysis. We're working to see if that time can be tightened up. But for now, we're going with what we've told you earlier. She was dropped off at 9:30 and she was found to be missing at about 11 o'clock Sunday morning."
• Asked if any valuables were taken from the home, Nanos said: "We're not getting into that" with the public. Investigators found her phone and wallet at the house, he has said.   
• Any tire tracks or footprints found around the house? "No," Nanos said. 

The FBI is providing analytical and technical support to the Pima County Sheriff's Department's investigation, including analyzing cell tower data and conducting interviews, said Jon Edwards, assistant special agent in charge of the federal agency's Tucson field office. He urged members of the public to call in any tips to 1-800-call-FBI. 

Nanos' office also urged people to use a QR code it set up as a tips hot line in the case. 

Nanos: 'She's alive, and we want to save her'

In a new interview with NBC's national correspondent Liz Kreutz that aired on the Today show Wednesday, Sheriff Nanos said investigators are hopeful that Nancy Guthrie is alive.

"We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here,” he told Kreutz. “She's present. She's alive, and we want to save her."

• In an earlier interview with the New York Times, Nanos said that Guthrie had dinner with her daughter, Annie, and son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, Saturday. Nanos told the Times that Cioni dropped Guthrie off at home and made sure she was inside safely before leaving.