Five days into the suspected abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s mother from her Tucson-area home, the urgency to find her has only increased as missed medication and ransom letters loom over the case.

At a press conference Thursday morning, law enforcement officials appeared to give legitimacy to reports there was a ransom note for the “Today” show host’s mother, citing a deadline later in the day and a second on Monday if the first deadline was not met. To boot, officials said, Nancy Guthrie appears to still be without vital medication.

“There has been no proof of life,” Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division, said. “Time is of the essence.”

He said they are still investigating a ransom letter sent to local and national media outlets requesting financial compensation for Guthrie’s return, but at this point they are “taking it seriously.”

Law enforcement sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Los Angeles Times, said the ransom note contained at least two details about Guthrie’s home that hadn’t been made public.

On Wednesday, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings shared a heartbreaking video appearing to plead with their mother’s potential captors.

“We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her,” Savannah Guthrie said in the video shared on Instagram. “We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”

In a direct message to her mom, she said: “We will not rest, your children will not rest, until we are together again.”

Despite increasing national attention on the case — even an offer from the president offering to deploy more assistance — officials said Thursday they have not yet identified any suspects or persons of interest in the case.

The help generate leads, the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Guthrie or an arrest or conviction in her abduction.

Janke said the FBI has been in constant communication with the family, and said while they will make recommendations, the family will have final say about any ransom decision.

The letter contained a first deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday and a second demand with a Monday deadline, Janke said. He declined to say what, if anything was threatened if the deadlines weren’t met.

“Right now we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at Thursday’s news conference. A massive team of local and federal partners would continue to work “round the clock” on the case, he said.

Although Guthrie is of sound mind, family have said she has physical ailments that keep her from walking very far and she needs to take a daily medication.

“This is day 4 or 5 and still we don’t know that she’s getting her medication and that could in itself be fatal,” Nanos said.

Officials on Thursday also released a more detailed timeline of Guthrie’s last moments at home.

Guthrie was last seen by her family just after 9:45 p.m. Saturday, which officials said matched with when her garage door opened and closed that night.

About four hours later at 1:47 a.m., officials said her doorbell camera disconnected. An empty frame for the camera had been previously noted at her home.

Then at 2:12 a.m., the security camera software at Guthrie’s home detected a person — or an animal — on one of the home’s camera, but Nanos said they have not been able to recover that footage and don’t know which camera recorded the movement.

About 15 minutes later, “at 2:28 a.m., Nancy’s pacemaker app shows that it was a disconnect from the phone,” Nanos said. That appears to be exactly when she left her home, as her phone was left behind.

Her family went to check on her home, finding her missing, just before noon Sunday, after she hadn’t shown up for church. They almost immediately called 911, Nanos said.

Officials have said they quickly noted suspicious circumstances, as her essentials — including her cellphone, wallet, car and medications — were still at home.

There was also a trail of blood found near an entrance of the home, according to images reviewed by the Times. Nanos said they attempted to rapidly test some of that blood for DNA, but the results only matched Guthrie.

He said they are still, however, waiting on the results from other evidence that has been tested, as well as evidence that may come from the review of technology, including cell phone data and security footage.

Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division, continued to call on the public to share any tips or possible leads. He also offered a plea to Guthrie’s possible abductors.

“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,” Janke said. “Please return Nancy home.”

Federal officials also arrested a Los Angeles man Thursday morning who he said made an “imposter ransom demand.”

Experts have called this case increasingly extraordinary, because of its circumstances and also because of decisions made by investigators.

Retired LAPD Lt. Adam Bercovici, who supervised the agency’s Special Investigation Section of Robbery Homicide Division, which included kidnappings, said the usual playbook for handling such a case is already out the window because law enforcement typically tries to not share its involvement or pursuit of any suspects.

Bercovici said he was surprised that local officials initially called Guthrie “missing,” despite several pieces of early evidence that pointed to an abduction. It was also unusual, he said, that alleged kidnappers have sent ransom notes to the media and not directly to the family or someone who could pay.

He was also concerned to see detectives returning to the crime scene after they initially cleared the home, appearing to do additional evidence gathering after family might have returned and reporters were all over the property.

“This is like something from 1940s with a very public kidnapping playing out in the media,” Bercovici said.

But Nanos defended his department’s approach, saying he had “all the faith and trust” in his team, but he understood that people would “Monday morning quarterback” their actions. He clarified that detectives have returned to the crime scene because additional agencies getting involved in the case later “wanted the chance to see it.”

“We’re constantly following up on things,” Nanos said. “It is a very important case, to not just me and my team, but this entire community.”

©2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.