EXCLUSIVE: Savannah Guthrie Mom Snatching 'Botched' — FBI Specialist Warns Abductors May Have Sent 'AI Generated' Proof-of-Life Videos of NBC Host's 84-Year-Old Mom in Desperate Bid to Extract Huge Ransom
The case of missing Nancy Guthrie continues to get stranger.
Feb. 5 2026, Published 2:21 p.m. ET
Savannah Guthrie's mother's kidnappers may have already sent artificial intelligence-generated proof-of-life material to her traumatized family, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Longtime Today show anchor Savannah, 55, and her loved ones are at the center of an escalating federal investigation after her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was abducted from her Arizona home.
Nancy Guthrie’s children acknowledged reports of a ransom letter during their appeal.
We can now reveal a former FBI agent suspects their desperate plea to the abductors, released as a video message online, contains a strong hint the thugs may have faked proof-of-life material as part of a ransom demand.
The case began late Saturday night when Nancy, 84, who lives alone in the Catalina Foothills area north of Tucson, was last seen at her home around 9.45 pm, according to the Pima County Sheriff's office.
Authorities said she was reported missing the following day and now believe she was taken from the residence in what is being treated as a possible kidnapping, with both local law enforcement and the FBI involved as the search enters its fifth day.
Former FBI Agent Analyzes Savannah Guthrie’s Video
Former FBI agent Tracy Schandler Walder analyzed the family’s plea for proof of life.
Tracy Schandler Walder, 48, a former C.I.A. officer and FBI special agent, has now said: "About the video that was just released from Savannah Guthrie – I want to talk about the video itself. So in the video, (Nancy's family are) asking for what we call proof of life.
"Essentially, what they're saying is that it sounds to me that they have been receiving images of Nancy Guthrie or videos of Nancy Guthrie, probably throughout the entirety of this ordeal. They just have not told us about it, but they can't confirm if those are AI-generated or not, which everyone knows so many things can be. So they are asking for real proof of life."
Walder added about the tone of the Guthrie in the clip: "In that video, they are also humanizing (Nancy.) Mark my words, this video was heavily scripted. They are reading off of scripts. That's good – they should be. The FBI has very specific things that they want them to say."
Family Addresses Bitcoin Ransom Demands
Savannah Guthrie addressed her mother’s abductors in an emotional video message.
Savannah appeared in the emotional video with her siblings, Annie Guthrie and Camron Guthrie, asking the abductors for confirmation that their mother is alive.
The NBC star says in the video: "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."
The family also acknowledged reports of a ransom letter and said they were ready to talk.
A source told us: "As Tracy says, the reference to 'manipulation' of images does hint the family is not sure if the information they are obviously seeing is real. Before any ransom deal can be talked about, there needs to be genuine proof of life."
Multiple news outlets have now received ransom notes demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin for Nancy's return, which are being probed by authorities.
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Investigators Hunt for Kidnapping Suspects
President Trump directed federal resources to assist in the search effort.
Investigators have yet to identify a suspect or person of interest. President Donald Trump also said that his administration is "deploying all resources to get (Nancy) home safely."
Investigators have received "hundreds" of leads related to her case, the Pima County Sheriff's office says.
Jon Edwards, the F.B.I. The assistant special agent in charge of the case says the agency is analyzing data related to Nancy's disappearance.
He added: "We're downloading and analyzing cell phones, obtaining cell tower information, conducting interviews, and providing any and all investigative support that the sheriff's department needs."
Nancy is said to be "limited in mobility" but of "great sound mind." There are also warning there could be "fatal" consequences if she doesn't have access to her daily medication.
