Savannah Guthrie's mother may be dead, according to note from kidnappers
“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie made an emotional on-air appeal on Tuesday for information about her mother, who disappeared from her Arizona home nearly five months ago, a day after reports revealed a previously undisclosed note suggesting the missing 84-year-old may have died shortly after her abduction.
By FRANCE 24
Tucson TV station KOLD said on Monday that it had received two notes, one demanding millions in Bitcoin in exchange for Guthrie’s return and another saying she had died. Separately, CNN cited law enforcement sources in reporting on the contents of the notes.
CNN said one note indicated that those who kidnapped Guthrie did not mean to kill her but that she died shortly after her disappearance.
“I don't have any comment on this story. I'm not involved in our coverage,” Savannah Guthrie said on Tuesday, referring to NBC News. “But I can't pretend I'm not here. And since I am, I want to just take the opportunity to ask people – really to beg people – to come forward. Somebody knows something.”
The Pima County Sheriff's Department referred questions about the ransom notes to the FBI, which declined to comment.
Tom Morrissey, a retired chief US marshal in Arizona who is not involved in the Guthrie investigation, said details of a ransom note might be publicly released if authorities think it could help identify a suspect. But he said specifics, such as whether a victim has died, are often withheld to protect an investigation because authorities are not certain where their inquiry is headed.