The search entered its sixth day Friday for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie and her siblings.
On Thursday, the 84-year-old’s son, Cameron Guthrie, issued a plea for direct contact with whoever may be holding his mother. He asked for proof that she is alive and in their custody.
“This is Cameron Guthrie. I’m speaking for the Guthrie family. Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact,” he said.
RELATED STORY | Blood found on front porch confirmed to be Nancy Guthrie’s as search continues
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said authorities are continuing to investigate the case under the assumption that Nancy Guthrie is still alive.
"We believe Nancy is still out there," he said.
Nanos said DNA testing confirmed that blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch belonged to the 84-year-old. Other DNA evidence collected at the scene, however, did not produce significant investigative leads, he said.
Meanwhile, a man accused of sending a fake ransom demand to Nancy Guthrie’s family is expected in federal court Friday. Derrick Callella faces two charges for allegedly sending text messages to two members of the Guthrie family.
The complaint says Callella wanted to see if the family would respond. His messages have not been connected to an earlier ransom demand sent to a local TV station.
