FBI’s long update on Savannah Guthrie’s mum as former agent reveals reason for radio silence

The search for the “abducted” mother of TV host Savannah Guthrie seems to have reached a standstill, with police and FBI updates turning up no new leads – that we know of.

Last seen in her Arizona home on January 31, Savannah Guthrie’s elderly mother, Nancy, has now been missing for nearly two weeks. Her whereabouts and the identity of her alleged kidnappers are not currently known, but a blood trail was discovered at the house.

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As Savannah and her family issue more desperate pleas addressed to the abductors, and the authorities continue with their investigations, the FBI has offered an update.

After the second deadline on the ransom note passed, the agency said in a statement: “For more than a week, FBI agents, analysts and professional staff have worked around the clock to reunite Nancy Guthrie with her family. The FBI is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest in this case at this time.”

The FBI has also set up a 24-hour command post to handle tips and leads, which includes “additional FBI personnel” from offices across the country. They’ve asked for the public’s help, arguing that someone somewhere has information that could lead to Nancy’s whereabouts.

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The Pima County Sheriff’s Department also confirmed that the feds were handling the ransom notes: “The FBI is handling all aspects related to any ransom note(s) or communications involving the Guthrie family. Any inquiries regarding this matter should be directed to the FBI Public Affairs Office.”

A former FBI agent revealed the reason for the minimal updates

Credit: Pima County Sheriff’s Department

In an interesting interview with Parade, former FBI Special Agent Bryanna Fox, who is now a professor of criminology, revealed the reason for the lack of movement in the case.

She explained: “This is like an iceberg. The amount we know that law enforcement knows is the tip of the iceberg. The rest is below the surface, and they do that on purpose.

“I think that was one of the reasons that [Sheriff Chris Nanos] has decided to go from talking to the media a lot to basically only doing press conferences when there’s a major development, because there is no benefit to sharing so much information with the public.”

Simply put, releasing every single piece of information could be counterproductive to finding Nancy. Such details could even compromise her safety, because we know that the kidnappers would be keeping up to date with the investigation. She referenced a few developments as proof.

“Things like the broken flood light and the Apple Watch,” Bryanna pointed out.

“Somebody’s paying attention very closely and could have inferred she had an iPhone and an Apple Watch. We’re just taking a wild guess, right? And that could have been included in the note because of a small detail they never thought was gonna matter was released. It’s the reason why the FBI says absolutely nothing unless it’s absolutely necessary and urgent. It’s because they don’t take those risks.”

The investigation is still ongoing.

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Featured image credit: Savannah Guthrie