LOS ANGELES, Feb 6 — Detectives searching for the kidnapped mother of a top US TV news anchor said yesterday blood discovered on her doorstep belonged to the missing 84-year-old woman, in the latest twist in a case that has gripped America.
Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC News “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to have been kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona, some time on Saturday night or Sunday morning, sparking a massive hunt and a race against time to find her.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told a packed press conference that initial DNA tests on droplets of blood found at the entrance to Nancy Guthrie’s house reveal it is hers.
But four days after her disappearance, he admitted detectives were no closer to finding who was responsible for the woman’s abduction.
“Everybody’s still a suspect in our eyes,” Nanos said.
Guthrie’s disappearance has garnered wall-to-wall coverage in US media, with dozens of reporters and camera crews descending on the quiet Arizona suburb where she lives.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had ordered “ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY.”
Yesterday, his press spokeswoman opened her daily press briefing with the subject.
“The president, as you all know, spoke directly with Savannah yesterday and told her that the federal government is here to help,” she told the White House press corps.
Sheriff Nanos—who earlier this week admitted he was not used to the kind of national scrutiny that comes with a case like this—gave the first detailed timeline of events after Guthrie was dropped off at her home at 9:48pm Saturday.
At “that time we assume that Nancy’s home and going to bed,” he said.
“At 1:47 am the doorbell camera disconnects.
“2:12 am, software detects a person on a camera, but there’s no video available.
“2:28 am Nancy’s pacemaker app shows that it was disconnected from the phone.”
At that point, the trail went cold, Nanos said.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said the agency’s director Kash Patel was receiving updates on the case.
He also announced a US$50,000 reward for information leading to the rescue of Guthrie, or to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for her disppearance.
Nanos said time was of the essence.
“She is in need of daily medication,” he said.
“It’s day four or five, and we don’t know that she’s getting her medication.
“That could, in itself, prove fatal.”
The news conference came the day after Savannah Guthrie tearfully pleaded with kidnappers to share proof of life.
“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her,” Guthrie said in a video posted to social media.
Flanked by family members, the 54-year-old said: “We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.” — AFP
