Cops Investigating Nancy Guthrie’s Abduction Say Ransom Note Contained ‘No Proof of Life’—as Full Timeline of Kidnapping Is Revealed

Authorities investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie have offered new information about a ransom note that was sent to multiple media outlets, revealing that the message contained no proof that the 84-year-old is still alive—while also sharing a complete timeline of her apparent abduction.

Authorities still have not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the case, but have said that Nancy's daughter, "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, and her children are eager to speak to the person or persons who sent the ransom note.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that President Donald Trump, who has been in contact with Savannah to offer his condolences and support, watched the latest media briefing and has promised the "Today" host the full assistance of the federal government.

"Any requests that are made by state and local officials in the search of Ms. Guthrie will absolutely be accommodated," Leavitt said. "Our hearts and our prayers are with Savannah and her entire family as they search for her dear mother."

Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI's Phoenix office, confirmed that his agents are actively investigating the note, which was sent to TMZ and local Arizona news outlet KOLD, revealing that the message contained information that suggests it could be legitimate.

During a media briefing held on Thursday afternoon—more than four days after Nancy disappeared from her Tucson-area home—Janke revealed that one ransom note being investigated by his team had a deadline of 5 p.m. on Feb. 5, as well as an additional deadline for Monday, Feb. 9.

He confirmed that "no proof of life" had been sent with the message, but that the sender of the note has not been in contact again since the message was received.

Anyone with any information about Nancy Guthrie's case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home.

"We are continuing in a normal kidnapping case; there would be contact by now, trying to discuss that," Janke said. "But those are the time frames we're looking at as we move forward."

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also shared a full timeline of events leading up to the kidnapping, including a time frame for when they believe someone may have entered Nancy's property, explaining that a security camera that was mounted to the front door signaled movement at approximately 2:12 a.m. on Feb. 1.

When asked why no footage has been obtained from that camera—which is not in his department's possession and is believed to have been removed during the abduction—Nanos said that Nancy did not have a subscription that allows footage to be stored, meaning that any clips taken would have been immediately wiped from the camera.

"They had no subscription. That’s what our analysis teams have told us," he stated, while also noting that the movement detected on the camera could have been an animal, but that his team is continuing to pursue every available avenue to track down footage.

"Could that be an animal? I imagine that’s possible. We're not giving up on that," he said.

He confirmed that DNA taken from blood spatters found outside the front door of the home belonged to Nancy.

Nanos also offered a complete timeline of events that detectives have pieced together as part of the investigation, starting with Nancy's travel to her daughter Annie's home on the evening of Jan. 31 for a dinner.

What is the full timeline of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance?

The Pima County sheriff noted that, while times are approximate, his team has pieced together several pieces of evidence that indicate Nancy's movements—and the timeline of her apparent abduction.

SATURDAY, JAN. 31

5:32 p.m. Nancy travels to Annie's house in an Uber for "dinner and playing games with the family."

9:48 p.m. A garage door at Nancy's house opens when she was dropped off at the property by her daughter.

9:50 p.m. The garage door closes, indicating that Nancy was inside the home.

SUNDAY, FEB. 1

1:47 a.m. Nancy's doorbell security camera is disconnected.

2:12 a.m. Movement is detected on a security camera at the home. No footage of this is currently available.

2:28 a.m. Nancy's pacemaker app indicates that the device has been disconnected from her phone.

11:56 a.m. Nancy's family travels to her home to check on her and finds the property empty.

12:03 p.m. The family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.

12:14 p.m. Police officers arrive at Nancy's home.

While no footage is available from the cameras, Nanos noted that the security camera alerts lead them to believe that a person or persons may have been inside Nancy's home between 2:12 a.m., when movement was detected, and 2:28 a.m., when her pacemaker stopped syncing with her Apple devices.

What other updates have authorities shared about the ransom notes?

FBI agent Janke confirmed that his agency has made an arrest in relation to an "imposter ransom demand." That person was later identified as Derrick Callella, who is accused of sending phony ransom demands to the Guthrie family via text.

Authorities say that Callella, who is described as being in his mid-forties, sent a message to both Annie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, asking whether they had gotten "the bitcoin yet."

"Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction," the message is understood to have read.

Court documents state that he also made a nine-second phone call to an unidentified member of Nancy's family.

The family flagged the communications to the authorities, who tracked Callella to an address in California, according to the documents. He is understood to have told officers that he had been watching the case on TV.

Janke added that, while his agency is advising the Guthrie family on how to proceed in relation to the ransom demands, any decision about whether or not to move forward with paying any money is up to the family.

"We are aware of a ransom letter. As with every lead, we are taking it seriously. We are in communication with the family," he said.

"Any action taken on any ransom is ultimately taken by the family."

Earlier in the day, a news anchor who read one of the ransom notes after it was sent to her local CBS news station revealed additional details about the clues that were found in the message.

As Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Cameron Guthrie, issued a devastating plea to their mother's captors, KOLD anchor Mary Coleman spoke to CNN about the ransom note that her newsroom received via email, days after Nancy, 84, was seemingly abducted from her Arizona home.

Coleman explained that, while the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are currently examining the note to ascertain its legitimacy, she believes the details contained in the message are those only someone involved in Nancy's abduction would know.

"A lot of people were questioning the legitimacy of it, and while they're still looking into the legitimacy of it—they're taking all tips into consideration—we do know ... there are a few things we can share as far as what the contents were," she said during a conversation with CNN host Erin Burnett.

"A lot of it is information that only someone who is holding her for ransom would know, some very sensitive information and things that people who weren't there when she was taken captive would [not] know.

"Those are things that are concerning."

Coleman also shared some insight into the timeline of events, revealing that her newsroom sent the message to the sheriff's department almost immediately after reading it, explaining that they began to realize it might not be a hoax as soon as they had read a few lines.

"It also included a dollar amount, a deadline, and other specifics that only Guthrie's abductor might know, so that definitely raised some red flags," she shared. "When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax."

The KOLD anchor added that a detective had been in touch with her and her team to ask more questions that might help the sheriff's department to track down details about the person or persons who sent the message.

"We immediately sent that information over to the sheriff's department, and they are, of course, looking into the legitimacy of it," she said.

"One of the detectives did get back to us and asked us for some more information so they can start searching for an IP address and things of that nature to try to figure out who or what people are responsible here."

Have the authorities identified any suspects or persons of interest in Nancy Guthrie's case?

Sheriff Nanos confirmed that his department has not yet identified any suspects, prime suspects, or persons of interest relating to Nancy's disappearance, noting that they have not officially eliminated anyone from their investigation, including her family.

However, he cautioned the public and the media against making any accusations or claims about potential suspects until the authorities have officially named someone.

"Nobody is eliminated" from the investigation, he revealed. "We just don’t have enough to say."

Janke, the FBI special agent, revealed that his agency is now offering a reward of up to $50,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of Nancy and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.

He urged anyone who might have been involved to "do the right thing" and bring Nancy back to her family.

"To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing," he said. "This is an 84-year-old grandma that needs vital medication for her well-being. You still have the time to do the right thing before this becomes a much worse scenario. 

"Please return Nancy home."

Nanos confirmed that his department is aware of the medication that Nancy takes, adding that his detectives have contacted, and will continue to contact, local pharmacies and hospitals that might be able to help provide updates relating to her physical ailments.

Savannah Guthrie shares a desperate plea to her mother's captors

Coleman's insight into the alleged ransom note comes as Savannah shared a desperate video to her mother's captors, begging them to get in touch and let her family know that she is still alive.

Savannah, 54, posted an Instagram video to her account late Wednesday in which she pleaded with the persons who might have kidnapped her mother to reach out to the family and "talk" to them.

"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, while reading off a prepared statement.

"Our mom is our heart and our home. She is 84 years old. Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, she needs it not to suffer. We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media. As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk."

She then addressed her mother directly, urging her to stay "strong" during difficult times and noting that her family is doing everything in their power to find her.

"Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman," she continued. "You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, he is with you. Everyone is looking for you, Mommy. Everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again."

"Mama, Mama, if you’re listening, we need you to come home," added her sister, Annie. "We miss you."

Their brother then chimed in: "We love you, Mom, stay strong, come home."

Savannah began the video by thanking her friends and supporters.

"We want to thank all of you for the prayers for our beloved mom, Nancy," she said. "We feel them, and we continue to believe that she feels them, too."

She went on to praise her mother as a "loving" woman who is beloved by her family.

"Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light. She’s funny, spunky, and clever. She has grandchildren that adore her and crowd around her, and cuddle her with kisses," she continued.

Savannah also urged her mother's abductors to get to know the 84-year-old, describing her as someone who is a "devoted friend."

"She loves fun and adventure," she added. "She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her, and you’ll see."

Annie added that their mother is the "beacon" of the family, describing her mother as someone who finds joy in every aspect of life.

"Nancy is our mother. We are her children, she is our beacon. She holds fast to joy in all of life’s circumstances. She chooses joy day after day. Despite having already passed through great trials of pain and grief," she said.

What does Savannah's video reveal about her mother's case?

Speaking to CNN, criminologist Casey Jordan noted that the video message posted by the "Today" anchor was likely done so as part of a strategy to help detectives figure out whether they are dealing with a legitimate ransom situation.

"That appeal was very strategic. It was a demand for proof of life," he said. "They are trying to figure out whether or not any of these ransom communications are legitimate."

Nancy's disappearance was like "a sophisticated, well-planned abduction," Jordan noted. "Whether the notes are from the captors or not, the bottom line is there are no footprints, there are no tire tracks, there is no video footage."