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Savannah Guthrie Pleads for Mom; $1.1 M Reward Offered

7/28/2026

27 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Savannah Guthrie posted a July 27 Instagram plea to her mother’s kidnappers.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was abducted on Feb. 1, police say.
The family offers a $1 million reward and the FBI adds $100,000 for tips.
Ransom notes demanded $4 million then $6 million in bitcoin and set a Feb. 9 deadline.
Later the notes claimed the victim had died.

History

Historical Context

The 1973 kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III in Rome by the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, which forced J. Paul Getty to pay a $2.2 million ransom after an ear was sent, reshaped international kidnapping response. Decades later, the 2026 abduction of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, renewed scrutiny of ransom-driven crimes.

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Story summary

Savannah Guthrie posted a July 27 Instagram plea to her mother’s kidnappers.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was abducted on Feb. 1, police say.
The family offers a $1 million reward and the FBI adds $100,000 for tips.
Ransom notes demanded $4 million then $6 million in bitcoin and set a Feb. 9 deadline.
Later the notes claimed the victim had died.

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