There is a "new message regarding Nancy Guthrie," the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a social media post Friday afternoon.
"The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department are aware of a new message regarding Nancy Guthrie. Investigators are actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity," the update said.
Savannah Guthrie’s Brother, Camron, addresses suspected kidnappers of mother Nancy Guthrie in new video
No additional information was publicly released. However, KOLD News in Tucson reported Friday that it received a new message that morning, via email, tied to the Guthrie disappearance and that the FBI is reviewing it.
The new message comes after a 5 p.m. Thursday deadline passed for a payment to be made, which the FBI said was included in a purported ransom note received earlier by some media outlets and being taken seriously by investigators. A second deadline of Monday, Feb. 9, was also included in that note, the FBI has said.
Investigators said Thursday, and Guthrie's son Camron Guthrie repeated in a video that evening, that family members had heard nothing directly from any abductors or ransom seekers. They had no information on how to communicate with any kidnappers, but were ready to talk, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Phoenix, Heith Janke, said at a news conference Thursday.
He said then that the ransom letter they are taking seriously includes facts associated with the case that are not widely known. Neither Janke nor Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos provided details about what the ransom did or didn't say would happen if its stated deadlines are not met.
Investigators believe Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her home in the Tucson area's Catalina Foothills, near North Campbell Avenue and East Skyline Drive, during the early morning hours Sunday.
"While this (new message) is one new piece of information, the FBI and Sheriff's Department are still asking anyone with tips to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI," the Sheriff's Department's update Friday said.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie's recovery and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
Mary Coleman, an anchor for KOLD News Channel 13, said on social media about the new note the station received Friday morning: "We sent the IP address where the note came from to law enforcement. It is NOT the same IP address as the initial note" received earlier in the week by KOLD, "but it appears the sender used the same type of secure sender to hide their IP address. The new note contains something the senders seem to think will prove to investigators they're the same people who sent the first note."
Separately from the ransom note(s) being taken seriously, a fake ransom demand sent to two Guthrie family members resulted in the arrest of a California man, authorities said Thursday.
